Ramzan Miah

For Ramzan Miah, success is defined by the effects of his actions on his family and community. His daily accomplishments – the projects that yield satisfactory outcomes – are small steps towards his pursuit of success.

His defining strengths are his permanent state of buoyant optimism, passion for his work, strong commitment to his environment and community, and a “never say die” spirit.

Making things better

Ramzan’s association with the Hinrich Foundation began in his final year of study at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, where he was taking Industrial and production engineering. His mentor encouraged him to apply for the life-changing scholarship jointly offered by the Hinrich Foundation and VF Corp., a Fortune 250 company that owns globally recognized brands, including The North Face, Timberland, Nautica, Vans and Wrangler.

The scholarship included a fully funded study at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong PolyU) for a master’s degree in manufacturing systems engineering, a program that the university implements jointly with the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

Ramzan Miah (left) receives the Hinrich Foundation – VF Corp. Global Trade Leader scholarship award from then VF Vice President and Managing Director Colin Browne (center) and Hinrich Foundation founder Merle Hinrich (right) during the scholar welcome event held Oct. 21, 2014, in Hong Kong

“As a VF-HF scholar, I got opportunities to visit factories to see the day-to-day application of theories we were learning and to understand how we could contribute with our knowledge,” which to him, remains the best way to participate in education.

Upon graduation, Ramzan immediately joined VF Asia Ltd as an engineer trainee. “It was a long haul from a rural area in Bangladesh to completing a master’s degree in Hong Kong, but all I ever wanted was to make things better for my family [and] the people of my country, and contribute to global peace.”

Constant improvement of work culture

“As an engineer, to be precise as a lean engineer, I am a soldier who helps drive positive change in the industry to improve work environment.”

Passionate about constantly improving work cultures, Ramzan has been instrumental in implementing lean philosophy at one of VF Asia’s vendor factories. The challenge was changing mindsets from traditional ways of thinking to lean thinking.

Lean production is a systematic method that minimizes waste of resources within a manufacturing system without compromising productivity. The way to minimize waste of resources is through process optimization.

Ramzan, who serves as Speed engineer for VF Asia Ltd, is responsible for installing new methods and technologies that bring manufacturing efficiency across the footwear supply base, particularly for its Vans footwear line.

Ramzan moved to VF Asia in Guangdong, China March 2019 as Speed Engineer. His role is to install new methods and technologies that bring manufacturing efficiency across the footwear supply base, particularly for its Vans line. Prior to this, he was Plant Engineer at VF Bangladesh

Creating understanding amid diverse cultures

Intensely devout, Ramzan is most thankful to his God for giving him the talent and ability to achieve success. He also feels gratitude for his family who have always stood by him. Their belief has given him immense mental peace.

He is extremely grateful to the Hinrich Foundation and VF Asia for giving him the opportunity to pursue his master’s degree in a renowned university and thereby develop his knowledge and skills in an international environment.

Read Ramzan's full profile here.

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