Addressing Bottlenecks in Bangladesh’s Light Engineering Industry: A Comprehensive Analysis

Abstract

The Light Engineering Industry (LEI) of Bangladesh, a sector also important to the agricultural, transportation, and construction sectors, is encountering serious operational problems affecting the level of productivity and the level of competitiveness. LEIs have a significant role to play in the rising national industry development and employment. However, they still have labor shortage, backward technology, lack of raw materials, delay in transportation, and ineffective quality control system. Based on primary data provided by 50 LEI enterprises, supplemented by secondary data from the national industry study reports, this study also examines the key restrictions and studies interrelationships among them. Results indicate that there is a significant constraint of man power shortages, which triggers other inefficiencies like those due to poor ergonomics, reactivity in problem solving, and acceptance of the technology. Then again, the supplementary material suggests the broader implications of these problems for the future of the business. This paper concludes that the removal of these systemic deficiencies will require specific policy measures, including the upgrading of vocational training, more visible technology intensification, strengthening of the systems of quality assurance, and increased formalisation of the informal firms. The paper highlights the importance of policy measures to facilitate  process of modernization of the industry to be in line with national development priorities, including the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).