“Groz-Beckert Offers the Perfect Needle for Every Application”: Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg, Groz-Beckert

By Apparel Resources

In an exclusive interview with Apparel Resources, Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg, Senior Sales Manager, Sewing Machine Parts and Services, Groz-Beckert, shares insights into the company’s innovative products and strategies for addressing the evolving challenges of Bangladesh’s textile sector.

“In addition to our basic product range, we offer a specialty range of Special Application Needles (SAN) designed for specific needs,” highlighted Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg, Senior Sales Manager, Sewing Machine Parts and Services, Groz-Beckert, a leading supplier of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools as well as systems and services for textile production.

With around 70,000 product types, the company had an annual turnover of € 880 million (US $ 968 million) in 2023 and focuses on six product areas including Knitting, Weaving, Nonwovens, Tufting, Sewing and Spinning.

The German-based company acquired Ferd.SCHMETZ Group, a well-known producer of industrial sewing machine needles, in 2017, to complement its existing range of products for the apparel industry. “I am responsible for both brands in Bangladesh and parts of the region,” highlighted Mirza Tanzim.

In an exclusive interview with Apparel Resources, Mirza Tanzim shared insights into the company’s innovative products and strategies for addressing the evolving challenges of Bangladesh’s textile sector. Here are the edited excerpts:

AR: Which of your products excite you the most?

Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg: Sewing-machine needles have formed part of Groz-Beckert’s manufacturing program for over 40 years. Whether for underwear, sportswear, suits, shoes, car seats or embroidery – Groz-Beckert offers the perfect needle for every sewing application with a product portfolio of around 2,500 sewing and shoe machine needles.

For instance, our SAN™ 10 needle balances material protection with robust needle stability. Its slender design minimises material stress during penetration by reducing the cross-section in the eye area. At the same time, the specialised blade geometry ensures sufficient needle stability to prevent breakage.

Whereas, for the most demanding applications involving ultra-fine fabrics and exceptionally difficult-to-sew materials, our SAN™ 10 XS offers unparalleled material protection. The cylindrical blade facilitates gentle material penetration in minimising damage and needle stability. This needle is best suited for applications where material preservation is of utmost importance.

Similarly, when processing medium to heavy woven fabrics like denim, for example, application-related problems such as needle breakage, skipped stitches or thread breakage can occur frequently. With the SAN™ 6 special application needle, Groz-Beckert offers a product that enables error-free sewing of these materials. With the Loop Control™ geometry, the SAN™ 6 needle has a special reinforcement in the blade area. This results in a higher stability and increased deflection resistance and thus problems like skipped stitches and needle breakage are avoided.

To protect industrial sewing machine needles against corrosion, they are coated with hard chrome. This ensures better sewability, as the coating reduces friction during the sewing process. For standard requirements, this conventional coating is more than sufficient. But challenging sewing processes sometimes require the use of needles with a special coating, like in case of processing of abrasive materials or fabrics with a high artificial fibre content.

Schmetz offers a range of needles with special coating including the SCHMETZ SERV 100 and NIT coated needles to deal with these challenging requirements in achieving higher quality of sewing and ensuring manufacturing excellence.

Both of these specially coated needles are particularly effective for sewing a wide range of materials, including those with a low softening or melting point, man-made materials and fabrics with a high man-made fibre content. They are also ideal for materials with special finishes, coated fabrics and abrasive materials, as well as thick, heavy, hard and strong textiles and even technical textiles.

AR: What sets Groz-Beckert’s customer support apart?

Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg: We address challenges in two key ways. For common issues, we proactively educate brands and manufacturers on preventive measures before production begins. For sensitive and challenging materials like coated fabrics, we engage directly with manufacturers, conduct trials and involve our technical teams locally as well as in Germany when needed. This ensures that we deliver the most effective solutions, even for complex problems. In addition, our sewing product area is not only an indispensable partner with a comprehensive and high-quality product range, but also provides support on a wide range of services before, during and after the sewing process. The sewing and joining service develops solutions for sewing problems and provides customer-specific needle recommendations.

Moreover, Groz-Beckert’s developed and patented INH (Ideal Needle Handling) Quality Management system helps streamline the handling of sewing machine needles throughout the production process, ensuring compliance with industry regulations.

As part of this system, we establish a customised process for needle management, which includes organised storage, careful dispensing and a precise method for locating any needle fragments. INH also enables the documentation and archiving of all needle changes.

Last but not least, the Customer Portal offers a wide range of digital services that reflect Groz-Beckert’s innovative strength in this area.

AR: How do you incorporate sustainability in your operations?

Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg: For us, sustainability is a priority. Our production facilities are environmentally friendly, employing best practices in water usage and waste management. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and aim to achieve carbon neutrality in our direct and indirect emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2040. To this end, we are investing in renewable energy sources for our global operations.

We also actively participate in the Blue Competence initiative of the VDMA (German Engineering Federation), which champions sustainable practices within the mechanical and plant engineering sectors. Additionally, we are exploring alternatives to traditional coatings like chromium and titanium nitride to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product quality. This is an ongoing effort and we are committed to driving innovations in this area.

AR: What trends do you foresee shaping the garment industry in the next five years?

Mirza Tanzim Hossain Beg: The shift from mass production to small-lot production will continue. This brings challenges in lead times and requires greater collaboration across the value chain. We actively engage with brands and manufacturers to address potential production hurdles early, ensuring seamless transitions and high-quality outputs.

After a challenging year, I am optimistic about Bangladesh’s textile industry. With improvements in currency stability, foreign reserves and increased manufacturing capacity, the outlook is promising. We are committed to supporting this growth through innovation and collaboration, ensuring a resilient and thriving textile sector.

This article was published in Apparel Resources February 18, 2025. Groz-Beckert is a SPESA member.

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