In the shadowy predawn hours, the air in Ashulia, a small industrial town on the outskirts of Dhaka, is thick with anticipation.

The RMG sector needs to be united in being professional, go forward with value addition and, most of all, opt for strong industrial relations with labour.

Bangladesh might be the second-largest apparel supplier in the world, but its current installed capacity will not be adequate to meet demand if orders surge significantly as buyers shift away from countries such as China and Vietnam.

There is no doubt that automation can be both a threat and an opportunity for our garment industry and its workers, depending on how it is implemented and managed.

Without fashion retailers and their suppliers working together, our industry as a whole will continue to see emissions rising.

There is anecdotal evidence that investment is taking place to upgrade operations to meet the demands of international customers.

As the global economy is threatened by recession, RMG makers will have to come up with strategies to deal.

Local readymade garment exporters are expecting a strong rebound of the inflow of work orders from December onwards as prices of cotton have started to decline in the international markets.