Apparel Production and Global

Sourcing

Production Planning
Based on orders, a manufacturer decides on how many
garments of each style to produce.
Cut to order is the safest method, where you cut and
produce only against orders.
Cut to stock involves greater risk, where cutting is
based on estimates of projected sales.
Cut to stock is necessary for basics to enable
production to be spread out over time.
This allows work on items with high projected sales
during slack months and when they have long lead
times.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Global Sourcing
Manufacturing is a global phenomenon, with the
majority of manufacturers no longer producing
apparel in their own factories.
Contractors, or independent producers does sewing,
and/or cutting and patternmaking, in their own
factories.
Contractors relieve manufacturers from:
Paying wages during slack periods
Investing in plant and machinery
Lack of capacity during peak times
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Global Sourcing
Extra movement of goods, communication issues and timing
issues arise from remote production.
Manufacturers seek cheap labor by going to Asia, Mexico, the
Caribbean Basin and Eastern Europe.
There are three basic methods of offshore production:
Production package
Cut, Make, and Trim (CMT)
Offshore Assembly (807)
Industry concerns about overseas production include
disintegration of domestic production base and use of
sweatshops overseas replacing domestic production.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Costing
Production costs are mutually determined by the
manufacturer and contractor.
Elements include:

Materials
Trimmings
Production patternmaking, garding and marking
Spreading and cutting
Assembly
Finishing
Freight
Duty and quota

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Purchasing of Piece Goods

Ordering the materials to produce garments may be
done by the manufacturer or overseas contractor.
Both environmental concerns and the volume of the
piece goods order effect the cost.
Piece goods buyers must also consider:
The amount that may be required for reorders
Trimmings
Fabric quality and dye lot matching

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Patternmaking
Accurate patternmaking is crucial for successful
apparel production.
Most large manufacturers make patterns on a
computer using Computer Aided Design, or CAD.
Grading is the method to increase or decrease the
sample size production pattern to make a complete
size range.
Markers are the cutting guide on a sheet of
lightweight paper the same width as the fabric.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Production Scheduling
Contractors schedule production and garment
assembly in time to met shipping dates.
The production schedule, or issue plan is a reverse
timetable usually covering six months.
The first date is a shipping date that meets the retailers
order requirements.
Plant capacity must be considered in planning the
production schedule.
Computerized inventory control has made planning
more accurate.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Spreading and Cutting Procedures

After the issue plan, a cutting order tells what to cut,
what fabrics to use and how to cut.
Computer guided spreaders provide distortion free
garment spreading at high speeds to enable cutting.
Markers are put on top of fabric and cutting is done by
hand or computer via laser beam or water.
Bundling is the process of sorting out cut pieces and
organizing them for assembly.

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Garment Assembly
Garment assembly, or operations, are based on
operation sheets, where all necessary operations are
listed in sequence.
Sewing operations must be performed in sequence.
The three methods of construction are:
Progressive bundling
Whole garment system
Modular manufacturing

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Garment Assembly
Computer technology is used in garment assembly:

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

Unit Production Systems (UPS)
Computer simulation
Flexible manufacturing

Three main types of power sewing machines are used

in traditional factories:
Lock stitch
Chain stitch
Overlock or serging
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Garment Assembly
While programmable sewing machines are
very successful in surging or seaming,
automated sewing remains difficult.
Finishing is the handwork done inside collars
and lapels to form and hold shape.
The high cost of skilled labor has driven this
tailoring to fusing or machine basting.

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Mass Customization and

Production of Knitwear
Body scanning technology developed by
Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation (TC3) uses
white light to capture three dimensional body images.
These measurements are converted and sent to a laser
that cuts cloth to create a custom fitting garment.
The two commercial methods of knitwear production
are:
Cut and sew
Full fashioned

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

The Final Steps of Garment

Production

Dyeing ensures perfect color match between garments.

Washing is used in jeanswear to finish garments.
Pressing vastly improves the look of garments.
Quality control is the standardization of production using
specifications as guides.
Labels showing a variety of information are sewn in.
Many retailers require floor ready standards:
Preticketing garments with bar coded price tags
Hang merchandise on Voluntary Industry Communications
Standards (VICS) hangers
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Shipping from Global Contractor to

Manufacturers Distribution Center
Another choice is the method of shipping from
manufacturer to retailer
Three main methods are used:
Free on Board (FOB) where contractors deliver goods to the
ship or plane in the country where it is made. Manufacturers
arrange and pay for transport and duty.
Landed, Duty Paid (LDP) where contractors ship to the
distribution center and pay duty.
Cost, Insurance, Freight (CIF), pays for insurance and
freight to final destination.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Shipping from Global Contractor to

Manufacturers Distribution Center
Finished goods take approximately 4 to 35
days on water via ship and 3 to 10 days via
airplane.
They are delivered to either the manufacturers
distribution center for direct delivery to retail
stores, or to the retailers distribution center for
distribution to the retailers stores.

FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458

Filling Orders and Shipping to

Retailers
Garments are checked for quality, divided into groups
according to style, color and size and put into stock.
Standardized purchase orders make pulling orders to fill easier,
faster and more efficient.
Orders transmitted via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) are
automatically translated in Advanced Shipping Notices
(ASNs) and invoices.
ASNs are sent to stores so they know what to expect.
Bar-coded boxes are prepared for shipment, with packing slips
and addresses, allowing for on time delivery and quick
checking at the destination.
FashionFromConcepttoConsumer,8/e
GiniFrings

2005PearsonEducation,Inc.
UpperSaddleRiver,NewJersey07458