Warehouse Operations in Bangladesh – Challenges and It’s Future Prospects

Abstract

This study investigates the challenges and opportunities surrounding warehouse operations in Bangladesh, encompassing both the manufacturing and service sectors. This paper demonstrates above mentioned scenario in the context of supply chain management (SCM). Despite enduring a series of disruptions, including the pandemic and geopolitical tensions, notably the situation between Ukraine and Russia, the Bangladeshi economy has displayed remarkable resilience. In the fiscal year 2019-20, there was a significant decline in GDP growth, dropping from 7.88 percent in the pre-pandemic year to 3.45 percent. However, there was a notable resurgence in GDP growth, surging to 6.94 percent in FY 2020-21 and further rising to 7.10 percent in FY 2021-22. Unfortunately, the economic growth for FY 2022-23 has been impeded by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of an economy is a composite of contributions from three key sectors: agriculture, industry, and services. As the economic landscape evolves, the significance of the agriculture sector diminishes, while the industrial sector gains prominence. This research is developed based on primary and secondary data sources, encompassing online databases, journals, review papers, and more. The primary data collection includes a comprehensive survey questionnaire completed by 207 respondents from 24 industrial sectors in Bangladesh. The study addresses multiple challenges faced by warehouse operations and offers recommendations for best practices and a strategic way forward in the global arena for Bangladesh, where priorities such as achieving net-zero emissions, sustainability, and the adoption of lean warehouse operations are paramount. Furthermore, the study advocates for the implementation of the Integrated Supply Chain Performance Measurement (ISCPM) model, along with its ten attributes, as an integral component of adopting global best practices for practitioners, which would unlock further research to develop this sector.