New Delhi, February 3rd, 2015: Intertek, a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has inaugurated a comprehensive leather and footwear testing facility in Bangladesh to support the leather, footwear and leather goods industries in South Asia.
The leather and footwear testing lab will be housed in Intertek’s Tejgaon, Dhaka, location, which opened last year and is the largest Softlines testing lab in Asia. The new leather and footwear testing capabilities provide additional quality and safety assurance solutions for the leather, footwear and leather goods industries throughout South Asia in countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan.
The lab was inaugurated by Mr. Hedayetullah al Mamoon, ndc, honourable Senior Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Engr. M Abu Taher, Chairman, Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods& Footwear Exporters’ Association Chairman, Fortuna Bangladesh and Mr. Syed Nasim Manzur, President, Leather goods& Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh, Managing Director, Apex Footwear Limited also graced the occasion as special guests.
Mr. Rajesh Saigal, Regional Managing Director, Intertek, South Asia added: “Bangladesh being the global leader in leather manufacturing is an obvious choice for Intertek for strategic business development. This region has been exceptionally strong in Softlines business, thus the potential for industry linkage is enormous. We aim to accelerate the region’s ecosystem for quality manufacturing by offering Intertek’ s expertise in testing leather goods and provide the necessary edge to the industry.”
According to the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau, the country’s leather exports industry is estimated to be approximately $1 billion, as competitive prices and improved quality has attracted an increasing number of importers from Asia and Europe. Approximately 80% of the country’s leather production is exported, making quality an important aspect for the industry. This is an environmentally friendly lab with features like energy-efficient lighting, water recycling and effluent treatment plant. The hi-tech testing lab is equipped with state-of-art technology and features centralized monitoring and controlling.
Commenting on the launch,Mr. Karthik N.D., Director Softlines and Business Assurance,Intertek Bangladesh added, “This dedicated accredited leather and footwear laboratory is a strategic addition to our existing Softlines facility, empowering us to test and certify leather and footwear products to support this industry in the country. Intertek also offers environmental auditing, testing, safety assessments and technical training services to the industry.”
The lab will provide competitive edge to regional clients who require high standards of quality and safety for their products, while ensuring they achieve acceptable standards for global buyers.
Key Highlights:
Performance, mechanical and chemical tests
- Shoes and shoes materials
- Leather and leather goods
- Accessories
- All major methods including ISO, ASTM, AATCC, BS EN, SATRA, DIN, GB-Chinese standard
- National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) by ISO 17025:2005.CCI Newswire
