Product Mix for Apparel Supply Chain

Supply Chain				available at hand at the same time to get the utmost
It has now become essential to analyze the impact				effect on consumer's value sensitivity. Sizeable
of product mix on the functional objective in the				collection plan at every link of apparel supply chain,
apparel supply chain.				commencing from initial textile manufacturer, is made
IntroductionA strong brand drives market share,				crucial by the accessibility of a complete range of
higher margins, and negotiating power in business				items. However, success of this collection plan is
relationships. But how many of us think about the				prevented by rise of lot sizes. Back-end textile
key role of product mix for apparel supply chain plays				manufacturing has both batch and constant
in strengthening a brand? Consumers have their own				processes and therefore it is compulsory to move all
likes and dislikes while they are purchasing apparels of				the collections of a style together out of final
worth; they look for something common in garment				stockroom. To reach this level, it is important to
and that is style, fashion and brand. Growing				synchronize the actions of manufacturing lots in such
globalisation, market changes and mercurial fashion				a way that makes the whole factor (style collections)
has shot the competition in garment industry up.				available during garment cutting phase. However,
Consequently, companies are left without any option				each factor has different processing time, which
but to expand their products to gain market share.				makes it difficult to drive the whole 'collection of
This distinctiveness is, mostly, chosen by different				product' collectively through the 'manufacturing
customer noticeable features of garment like design,				leeway' of apparel chain. For example, in a collection
handle size and fit which lead to a related wide range				with white and colour fabric, white goods get to the
of manufacturing aspects in upstream direction. To				final stockroom earlier because processing time for
achieve prompt delivery and superior benchmarks,				white goods is significantly less than that of colour
manufacturer must overcome the constraints like				commodities.Moreover, the more number of product
unpredictability in production parameters and the				units, the more difficult it would become to gain this
related small lot sizes, which strictly influence the				coordination across product-process range. Naturally,
marketability of a product. For apparel supply chain,				the outcome is lost of sales due to lack of complete
this is the most characteristic trouble, where an array				collection on retail-rack during purchase.Apparel
of products makes the work schedule knotty. This				manufacturers must develop a Master Production
complication makes management of a particular				Schedule (MPS) to meet the delivery dead lines of
product more troublesome with respect to time, cost				buyers. In many cases, it is customary that the
and serviceability.Furthermore, since global sourcing				production orders received from the same buyer are
grows to be the order of the day, product				arranged with the production schedule. Orders that
replacement in apparel supply chain dons new garbs				have been executed after deadlines add to extra
with raw material supply, manufacturing, garmenting,				transportation expenses and minimize selling price of
distribution and retailing - all globally dispersed. In this				garments.Asset Management should be improved:
scenario, it is inevitable to ensure whether the place,				All factors for a particular product should be
time and price of the product are in line with the				processed together in the internal supply chain. As
latest trends. In apparel supply chain, it is more				the number of variety increases, so does the time
important to put stress on right product than to				taken for individual factor to be processed, as lot of
spend more time after place, time and price of				changeover time and different downtime related to
products.Changing modes of supply and developing				quality problem increase. As a result, higher quantity
significance of globalization create multifaceted supply				of on going work occurs at different phases of
chain and management issues. To modernize and				action.Higher rate of changeover from one type of
control supply chain activities, technology is the latest				mixture to another increases machine downtime in
resort for the companies.The present article is				fibre and yarn dyeing. In addition, time necessary for
focused on the effects of product- boost in textile				matching shades escalates with large product range.
and apparel manufacturing.Nature of product				Chance of surplus dying is more because different
varietyAn unmatched group of features works as a				machines do not have equal degree of capacity in
glass through which consumer observes apparel				connection with batch size. Since sizeable variation is
commodities. Optical and other senses govern the				to be processed in a given time, waiting time for
Unique Value Proposition (UVP) of apparel. Objective				item also increases. These procedures engage more
criteria like design, comfort and handle can secure				materials during the process.Spinning procedure
these instinctive senses. Different material and action				causes an array in various blends, count and twist
features in the upstream direction of apparel chain				that creates more waiting time. This is because
affect all these objective criteria.Impact of product				higher number of substitution and inadequate batch
varietyImpact of product proliferation can be mapped				lot of a specific blend-count-twist combines to feed
across two levels - retailing and				ringframe.The number of beam gaiting and greater
manufacturing.Retailing & Sourcing: From a given				frequency of changes in process sequence cause
fabric type, an entire range of apparel S.K.U. can be				increase in machine set-up time in weaving and
proliferated. It shows how one type of basic textile				finishing. In finishing too, batch making time enhances
product delivered out of textile manufacturer's				with growing varieties as all equal quality-pattern of a
warehouse gets translated into so many S.K.Us by				product mass requires to be processed together for
the time it reaches the retailer's shelf. Moreover, a				uniform finish. These require more material in process,
retailer may want the goods to be shipped on a				which raises inventory-bearing expense at each
hanger or in a particular package and may want the				phase of processing. These cause higher
manufacturers to mention the price and other details				work-in-process.In storehouse, dispatch of the
before shipping. Moreover, variability introduced in				finished goods banks on accessibility of all related
accessory stage (style of button, calf, collar, zipper,				quality of a particular product. In a more assorted
etc) will further amplify this diversity at retail level.				product mix, individual quality-pattern takes more
Looking into the entire range of variables involved,				time to reach the warehouse. This turns out to be
one can deduce how many thousands of S.K.Us will				increase in waiting time and higher finished goods
result at retail level from a given				inventory.Tailoring product mix holds the keyUnstable
product basket comprising of hundred different				fashion and transitory season has always maintained
varieties of basic textile fabric with respect to colour,				a great deal of unpredictability and kept the garment
design, fabric structure, etc! Needless to mention the				industry on seesaw. Formation of new divisions
enormous task of developing and managing this				multiplies product lines. For example, Yoga wears
"ocean of S.K.U.s" across globally dispersed supply				have been introduced to the cluster of
nodes.Production: Supremely modified product area				long-established sports wears like golf wear, tennis
indicates added number of lots at different phases of				wear or swimwear. Moreover, we can experience
function. These product criteria steer to array in				changes in product lines, sizes and overall fits with
batches at different steps of process. What is				the effect of globalisation. These products are
common from one side to other side of production				inclined to magnify S.K.U unpredictability at retail level
phases is Order size and maximum batch size				to an exceptional height. Retailers and big buyers
acceptable at various steps, as determining factors				should deal with this transformed product line through
of lot size. Therefore, on one hand number of				different phases - product development, sample
apparel and textile producing criteria lead to a rise in				approval, bulk sourcing of components, production or
the number of S.K.Us on retail shelves and on the				outsourcing apparel, distributing finished product
other they enhance the number of lots on the				across retail shops and merchandising. Moreover, all
production end. In manufacturing lots, this array has				these exercises should be integrated across large
added to the following complication in the nature of				geographical extents. In the basic textile fabric, this
function:Failure in Production				complication of action is amplified many times by the
. Degradation of Value				growing product mixes.The leading organizations
. Collection Planning - a tough nut to crack				(retailers and big buyers) do not pay any attention to
. Asset Management should be improvedFailure in				the hostile consequences of product proliferation,
Production: The shade-matching problem creates new				because these organisations, engaged in
trouble of rate of reprocessing with more number of				textile-apparel-retail chain are hardly associated with
lots in fibre and yarn dyeing industry. When every				one another.Only purchasing and selling should not be
shade is dyed, machine comes to a halt and it should				the only attention of retailers, instead they should
be made free of filth. Since all machines have definite				consider the whole supply chain. Because, if a
batch size, machine might stay still i.e. without any				manufacturer is not able to supply the commodities
use. The definite batch size of all machines may not				within the fixed deadlines, delays will spoil the whole
go with order size of each distinctive shade				supply chain up to the end customer. On the ground
component at fibre or yarn phase.With more number				of specified arrangement of apparel supply chain, the
of lots, rate of change increases in spinning, weaving				retailer has little scope to execute control in this
and processing. If product variety is raised, unequal				process.Comparatively simple garments rely upon the
processing and loss of productivity results in				mixture: fabric from one factory, buttons and zippers
recurrent changes.In garment industry essential fabric				from another, and snaps from yet another. All these
types, garment fits and models are developing and				accessories must come together within prescribed
therefore scheduling is becoming challenging. Today				limit for the finished garments to be piled on store
machines handle the apparel producing function and				shelves. Since developing and selecting fabric
that makes the corresponding movements of				swatches (sample of clothes) are part and parcel of
body, collars, buttons and other accessories across				product development, recognizing garment style and
cutting, assembling and stitching of finished garment				merchandise flow, production of product-mix turns
complex. This varied range of products severely				out to be high product development cost, long
affects the garment productivity.Degradation of				design-to-market cycle time. Normally, for any
Value: At every phase of production, loss of material				fashion-apparel item, design-to-market life is 6 to 9
boosts with the increase in number of lots. The				months. It is discovered that 70 per cent of this time
reason why loss of material boosts is that a definite				includes non-value added activities such as
quantity of material goes into waste for every lot				communication delay, waiting time for collections and
disregarding the size of lot. Hence, more numbers of				non-approval of commodities at various phases
lots create more waste. For example, it is discovered				etc.Therefore, a perfect product mix makes the
that material damages are usually higher for all-wool,				whole apparel supply chain more manageable and at
finer micron wool blend and smaller lots in dyeing and				the same time it does not harm the end diversity in
spinning. In the last phase, wastage is higher for				terms of apparel fit, size and style that lure the
all-wool fabric than that of blended fabric.In weaving,				consumer's fancy.To read more articles on Textile,
fixed length goes into wastage with every				Fashion, Apparel, Technology, Retail and General
warp-beam. Therefore, quantity of waste increases				please visit If you wish to download/republish the
due to reduction in beam-length and more number of				above article to your website or newsletters then
beams.In producing apparels, marker development is				please include the "Article Source". Also, you have to
difficult because of growing range of garment.				make it hyperlinked to our site.Copyright Â©
Therefore, while cutting and creating patterns,				2006Fibre2fashion has emerged as a distinctive B2B
material waste inflates due to underutilization of				platform for global Textile, Apparel, Fashion and Retail
fabric. Moreover, large range of products also				and allied industries. offers business solutions, news,
contributes chiefly to the class of more second-rate				articles and information that help to survive and
goods at the closing stages of every				sustain in the most hostile and competitive business
process.Collection Planning - a tough nut to crack:				environment.
Garment producer must have all product lines

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Product Mix for Apparel Supply Chain

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