Fresh investment will be made in completing the second phase of the company's zip plant in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ). The plant is expected to employ 600 more people. It will be fully operational by the end of this year, company sources said Thursday.

The first phase of the plant was opened in February 2002. Before setting up of the plant in Dhaka, YKK used to meet zipper need for the garment industries through the zips produced outside Bangladesh. The Dhaka plant created jobs for around 550 skilled people.

The number of items produced in the Dhaka plant will be doubled and the company would be able to meet 45 percent of the demand for the zips in Bangladesh, the source said.

"YKK feels this investment is crucial for its continued goal of improving services to the Bangladesh garment factories," a press release of the company quoting its Bangladesh Managing Director Eiji Sekine said.

The dramatic increase in capacity will reduce the amount of fastener's dependency on the imported zips.