Design for Export Oriented Production

Design without Borders as a program is mainly utilizing the skills of the industrial designer. Industrial design is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer.

In Bangladesh, the design profession is small and loosely organised. It needs strengthening if export-oriented production is going to succeed in competing on international markets.

There does not seem to be a governmental design policy in Bangladesh. Design education hardly exists and then mainly in private universities. The concept of design is to be "giving an object form" and the understanding of design as a strategic management tool is not widespread.

The jute industry needs to face the growing competition using design skills. Apparently, commercialization, not diversification, is the major problem. Unfortunately, cooperation between R & D and the jute manufacturers is not well developed.

The jute mills need volume sales and they want to concentrate on value adding. There are large markets in areas for thread and weave in, for instance, geo- and agro textiles, where industrial designers can play an important role in developing new strategies and new products.

NCCB (The National Crafts Council of Bangladesh) expresses a strong interest in product development with jute and jute blends on behalf of the small businesses. These businesses are especially interested in reaching high end export markets using international designers.

Design without Borders would prefer to work with private sector in Bangladesh. Looking at the prospect of new export-oriented projects, it is important to see that design is a necessary, but not sufficient success factor. In Chapter 7 DwB presents an analysis of problems, stakeholders, objectives, risk and success factors, using the LFA-method. This analysis is preliminary, as the stakeholders in Bangladesh have so far not been involved in the process. We are hoping to involve them in a project planning period in 2005.

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