Operational Competitiveness:
The Reality Check for Apparel Factories in Bangladesh & India

Our latest Operational Competitiveness Radar, combining assessment results from 20 mid- to large-size apparel factories across Bangladesh and India, reveals a stark truth: the gap between current performance and future competitiveness targets remains significant. Using the SmartLean Agility™ framework, we measured five Impact Performance Drivers (IPDs), each evaluated against the three core competitiveness pillars—Flow–Agility, Lean–Efficiency, and Resource Optimization with a target score of 80–100%.

➡️ Key Findings

1. End-to-End Production Flow: Scores remain low for Flow–Agility (22%) and Lean–Efficiency (18%), indicating bottlenecks in workflow stability and sequencing.
2. Resource Productivity: Moderate gains (60–69%), but multi-skill coverage and equipment utilization remain untapped opportunities.
3. Methods & Product Time Optimization: Strong performance in Lean–Efficiency (74%) but almost negligible optimization score (6%), showing a disconnect between method improvements and resource impact.
4. Operational Stability & Reliability: Mid-range results (23–45%) suggest frequent disruptions and inconsistent control systems. 5. Workforce Flexibility & Capability: Moderate adaptability (52–62%), yet far from agile workforce readiness.

➡️ The Way Forward Closing this gap requires:

1. Engineering-led re-design of production systems. - Integrated application of Flow–Agility, Lean–Efficiency, and Resource Optimization.
   
2. Real-time operational governance and deviation response.
   
3. Workforce capability building linked directly to systemic goals.
   

Competitiveness is no longer about chasing efficiency in isolation but it’s about building a fully integrated operational model that can adapt, optimize, and sustain under any market condition. Factories that achieve this will define the next wave of apparel manufacturing leadership.