Bangladesh: SA's ITL inks deal with Codes & Labels

The ITL Group (ITL), a leading global supplier of apparel label solutions owned by South Africa-based SA Bias Industries Group, recently announced the formation of a joint venture with Codes & Labels Ltd, a privately owned Bangladesh supplier of apparel labels, trims and packaging including printed fabric labels, graphics tags, woven labels, variable data labels and polybags.

ITL has agreed to buy a 50 percent stake in Codes & Labels and will absorb the Dhaka-based company into its newly established unit ITL Bangladesh, which has begun operations. With manufacturing facilities in China, Sri Lanka, India, Turkey, Mexico and South Africa, this step confirms ITL's expansion of global operations.

“With many retailers making long term sourcing commitments to Bangladesh, we decided that this was the right time to enter this important region and extend our global reach for our customers. Codes & Labels has built up an excellent reputation within the Bangladesh market by consistently providing high levels of service and quality to a wide customer base and as such, they are a perfect match for our business and complement our long term expansion strategy. I am delighted to welcome Codes & Labels to the ITL Group and look forward to the success that this deal will bring to all parties,” commented ITL’s CEO and head of global operations Fred Christopher.

“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved as a business over the last 15 years which has seen us grow from a small local supplier to become one of the largest independent label manufacturers in Bangladesh. However, as our customers’ demands for greater supply chain transparency and corporate compliance increases, it is time for us to embrace the benefits offered by a larger global organisation that is a good fit for our business. The joint venture with ITL, who have a fantastic portfolio of added value services and clients, will only enhance our progress and ensure that we maintain our advantage in the market,” said Codes & Labels managing director Monir Khan.

Apart from manufacturing bases mentioned above, ITL has offices in Canada, USA, UK and Hong Kong and supports many of the world’s best known apparel retailers, brands and manufacturers and recently announced plans to expand operations into Vietnam in early 2015.

Image: ITL