| Textile Supply Chain has been highly influenced by | | | | through web-facilitated communication. Then |
| four important features of Information Technology; | | | | Wrangler categorises these real demand-data by |
| these features are: Information integration, Planning | | | | style, size, fabric and colour to refill Wal-Mart's |
| synchronisation, Workflow coordination and new | | | | inventory, the level of which is pre-decided by both |
| business models. It is also come across that these IT | | | | parties after reassessing history of sales by product |
| applications facilitate the execution of several | | | | and buying how of clientele. Thus, supplier (Wrangler) |
| theories of supply chain management, like constant | | | | can better serve the retailer (Wal-Mart) after finding |
| refilling, vendor administered refilling, planned | | | | the underlying cause of exact selling current and |
| postponement etc. | | | | keeping the best inventory at retailer's racks. |
| Taken in order, the first three stages stand for | | | | Advanced fill-rate and higher customer fulfilment are |
| ascending degrees of harmony and balanced | | | | the major results from this IT-participation. |
| interaction among supply chain members ending up | | | | New Business Models |
| into completely new techniques of organising business | | | | This phase not only improves supply chain efficiency |
| in the fourth phase. | | | | but also allows partners within supply chain to |
| Sharing of Information | | | | redefine logistics flows, so that the roles and |
| Information makes mention of the sharing among | | | | responsibilities of members may change to develop |
| members of the supply chain. This takes in any type | | | | newer business policies. A supply-network mutually |
| of information that could affect the actions and | | | | generates new products, pursues mass |
| performance of other members of the supply chain. | | | | customisation, and enters new markets and |
| This method generally transfers demand data, | | | | customer sections. New rules of the supply chain |
| inventory status, capacity plans, production schedules, | | | | game come up as a result of integration nourished by |
| promotion plans, electronic fund transfers (EFT) for | | | | the Internet. |
| payments, status reports and shipment schedules. | | | | Since textile supply chain grows into more closely |
| Bar coding and Electronic data interchange (EDI) are | | | | associated with greater coordination regarding time |
| the main information providing in this phase. Bar | | | | and resources, Internet reciprocates with textile |
| coding allows all-inclusive recording of business data in | | | | business with greater degree. New rules of the |
| electronic frame. In turn, this data is transferred | | | | supply chain game come forth as a result of business |
| electronically from computer to computer among | | | | innovation sustained by the Internet. |
| organisations, in a standardised layout through EDI | | | | Information Modelling |
| system. Consequently, the communicated data are | | | | This phase marks information modelling, data-analysis |
| counted, tracked, analysed, and applied by computers | | | | and decision-making concerning the various textile |
| to transform into relevant information for decisions. | | | | production processes as evolved by researchers at |
| EDI specifically substitutes more traditional transfer of | | | | the College of Textiles. Computer integrated |
| documents such as mail, telephone and even fax. | | | | manufacturing, design of supply chain systems, |
| Speedy transmission is possible through EDI-reduced | | | | knitting data model, enterprise modelling are some of |
| order cycle variability, one of the major agents, which | | | | the fields travelled in this stage. To confirm good fit |
| accelerates inventory in the supply chain. | | | | into business process, applications of these |
| Naygard International, a global apparel producer of | | | | information models make necessary anticipatory |
| US, with sales surpassing $ 300 million, copes with its | | | | attempt, far beyond that needed to classify and |
| supplies from fabric suppliers to retailer using EDI-built | | | | categorise data. |
| links triggered throughout its network. This EDI-built | | | | Data Mining and Data Warehousing |
| network helps the company in maintaining closer | | | | This application of IT (in the textile industry) has |
| relations and immediate reaction in a global, fluctuating | | | | primarily given attention to the recognition of data |
| demand and supply atmosphere with its suppliers and | | | | necessities and analysis of data to find the |
| customers, who are geographically spread from US, | | | | advantages of the several data components for |
| Korea, Japan, Europe and Indonesia. The company | | | | process supervision and command. Data mining is the |
| inserts inventory-data in electronic form through bar | | | | automatic extraction of patterns of information from |
| coding and transfer these 'digitised information' across | | | | historical data, allowing companies to concentrate on |
| its global network through EDI. | | | | the most significant features of their business. On the |
| To connect design affiliated information with supplier | | | | other hand, data warehousing is an archive of data. |
| through Internet linkages is another instance of | | | | These set of methods have focused on filtering and |
| information integration. Standardisation of software | | | | coordinating the data to make decisions. |
| devices and the fast dropping costs of servers allow | | | | The information structures evolved over the past |
| the smaller manufacturer and retailer to share latest | | | | thirty years have been thoroughly technology based, |
| designs evolved through CAD/CAM packages with | | | | while decision-making continued to be a human |
| the fabric manufacturers established in other parts of | | | | thinking process. The worse thing is that as business |
| the world. Product design and manufacturing data can | | | | has developed more complicated and the system can |
| be transferred through the Internet to a distant | | | | produce growing size of information, the discerning |
| factory so that manufacturing might take place. | | | | power of the user to choose and understand the |
| Synchronisation of Planning | | | | 'right' information is extended to the limit. This inspires |
| Planning synchronisation speaks of combined design | | | | expansion of information engineering attitude in |
| and accomplishment of plans for product introduction, | | | | textile. This tool can be described as a method for |
| predicting and refilling. Planning synchronisation, | | | | bringing out 'meaning' in information to allow the |
| explains how the information shared by the previous | | | | knowledge needed by the user to take a 'right' |
| phase is to be utilised. By reciprocal coherence, | | | | decision. Thus, information engineering can be looked |
| members in a supply chain have their order | | | | at as a crossing point for technology-based data |
| achievement plans integrated through this phase of | | | | trapping, processing systems, and human-based |
| IT, so that competent refilling are possible to satisfy | | | | decision-making structures. The intention of |
| the demand of end user. | | | | information engineering is to basically enhance the |
| Within the company, several software devices such | | | | decision-effectiveness in textile manufacturing by |
| as MRP, MRP - II, APSS, MES ease harmonisation of | | | | creating a new and proficient decision-making system |
| planning between various operative silos. Evolution of | | | | using the Data-to-Decision Cycle model. |
| combined and well-integrated ERP systems redefines | | | | E-commerce primarily consists of B2B and B2C |
| the functions and conversions in quality of information | | | | commerce. Business to Consumer or B2C commerce |
| sharing. Material Requirement Planning (MRP) system | | | | is the direct selling of merchandise to consumers |
| initiated using computer databases to amass lead | | | | through Internet. While Business-to-Business |
| times and order quantity. It applies logic to execute | | | | marketplace can be defined as neutral Internet-based |
| Bill of Material (BOM) eruptions to help in outlining | | | | intermediaries that focus on specific industry verticals |
| orders across time-phased preferences in a distinct | | | | or specific business processes, host electronic |
| manufacturing atmosphere. | | | | marketplaces, and use various market-making |
| As a logical broadening of MRP system, Manufacturing | | | | mechanisms to mediate any-to-any transactions |
| Resource Planning (MRP - II) system is developed to | | | | among businesses. B2B appears much more promising |
| deal with the entire manufacturing operation. This | | | | than B2C and sets to far exceed B2C financially. It is |
| typically incorporates machine loading and scheduling | | | | expected that more than 25 percent of all |
| in addition to planning of material requirement. It helps | | | | business-to-business purchases will be carried out |
| the mechanism to assess the usefulness of a | | | | over the Internet by 2004. |
| production agenda under a given set of deadlines. | | | | E-auction |
| Due to classified database, computational logic with | | | | Express evolution of Internet technology brought it in |
| high processing power of computers, MRP and MRP - | | | | to being. Electronic commerce also enables textile mills |
| II are quite best-selling and add visibility into the areas | | | | to correspond directly with internationally based |
| earlier unseen. But with the evolution of | | | | buyers of wholesale fabrics. For instance, Phoenix |
| multipoint-manufacturing, final assembly activities and | | | | Textiles, US-based buyer and distributor of textiles, |
| packaging, vast material allocation requirements in an | | | | employs the Internet to buy its fabrics from mills |
| inconstant global surrounding, it has become essential | | | | around the world. Then, through its website, Phoenix |
| to separate systems such as Distribution | | | | Textiles sells to individuals and small and medium-sized |
| Requirement Planning (DRP). Moreover, textile | | | | companies as well as large corporate bodies. The |
| producers require a structure that can simultaneously | | | | company banks on the Internet to refill its inventory |
| explain both capacity and material constraints and | | | | as needed. |
| immediately spreads the effects of problems in both | | | | E-retailing |
| backward and forward direction through out the | | | | The textile-retail panorama has been transformed |
| supply chain. The Advance Planning and Scheduling | | | | with many 'brick-and-mortar' retailers putting an |
| (APSS) catch both material focus of MRP and short | | | | Internet shopping-component into their offering. Enter |
| horizon rapid response scheduling power of MRP - II. | | | | 'click-and-mortar' heavyweights Wal-Mart, K-Mart, |
| However, though APSS and ERP systems allow | | | | Target, Barnes and Noble, to name just a few. With |
| textile companies to plan and to operate their | | | | the allocation and storehousing infrastructure in place, |
| resources, they do not serve the real-time input and | | | | these retailers have an upper hand over their |
| actionable information required to respond to a | | | | 'brick-and-mortar' counterparts. |
| continuously fluctuating supply chain. In the beginning, | | | | As a result of going online, 'click-and-mortar' retailers |
| ERP has primary constraints like data-centric | | | | have altered the path of their supply chain policy. |
| execution focus, poor flexibility and one-dimensional | | | | They store high volume products with constant |
| planning, and important up-front investment as well. | | | | demand in local warehouses, while low-volume |
| Milliken, a foremost textile company in US and | | | | products are stored up centrally for online buying. |
| founder of quick response concept, works with | | | | The low-volume products have extremely volatile |
| various clothing suppliers and leading department | | | | demand levels and thus need high levels of safety |
| stores to electronically gather POS data from the | | | | stock. Combined stocking in this case effectively |
| department stores to synchronise their ordering and | | | | mitigates ambiguities by accumulating demand across |
| manufacturing plans. Internet technology helps Milliken | | | | geographical place and thus minimises inventory levels. |
| in spelling out their business ideals to advance the | | | | Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, swimmingly |
| comprehensive enterprise performance. | | | | includes this e-retailing in their supply chain through |
| Consequently, Milliken was able to minimise the | | | | electronically empowered stock-refilling. This |
| lead-time from order receipt at her textile plants to | | | | surpasses fill-rate and satisfies customers; these two |
| final clothing receipt at the department stores from | | | | things are essential in surviving today's uncertain |
| 18 weeks to 3 weeks. | | | | market. It has been at the foreground of stock |
| Workflow Coordination | | | | refilling, giving buyers more than a 98-per cent |
| This section of IT-interaction enhances the worth of | | | | opportunity of finding a full range of selection. |
| textile supply chain by integrating supply chain | | | | Wal-Mart uses Retail Link, a software system that |
| operations within the company and across the | | | | gives vendors in-vogue gateway to point-of-sale |
| organisations after collaborating with vendors and | | | | price and bulk information; moreover, emphasises |
| customers based on shared forecasts. This is an | | | | Wal-Mart's inventory positions and predicts future |
| indication of a new progress of IT applications in line | | | | requirements. |
| with inter-organisation communication. | | | | Moreover, manufacturers and retailers prefer a direct |
| This Internet allows companies to take their alliance | | | | course to consumers by closely examining individual |
| one-step further, by coordination, integration and | | | | customer's likings, habits, and buying patterns. Now |
| even automation of serious business processes. | | | | retailers do not wait for consumers to come to their |
| Activities like procurement, order fulfilment, | | | | stores, but they (retailers) send consumers target |
| engineering change, design optimisation, and financial | | | | e-mails and offer deals too good to refuse. Quick and |
| exchanges can be put under the tag of Workflow | | | | effective transfer of point-of-sale data through |
| coordination. The outcomes are cost-effective, quick | | | | web-empowered technology makes this 'automatic |
| and unfailing supply chain functions. | | | | customer replenishing' feasible as retailers begin to |
| Information technology allows Wrangler and Wal-Mart | | | | restore consumers' closets, instead of their |
| to practice workflow coordination to improve their | | | | warehouses. |
| business in highly inconstant apparel market. The daily | | | | To read more articles on Textile, Fashion, Apparel, |
| sale of Wal-Mart's Wrangler jeans is 1, 00, 000 pairs. | | | | Technology, Retail and General please visit If you |
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| Managed Replenishment or VMR, to unceasingly pile | | | | website or newsletters then please include the |
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