Session 7
Background of Hong Kong
Apparel Industry
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Schedule
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Lecture – 2 hours 15 mins
Half-time Break – 15 mins
Knowledge Feedback – 20 mins
SFQ – 10 mins
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The Apparel Industry
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Ready-to-wear industry vs. haute couture
Types of ready-to-wear companies
organisational structure of apparel
companies
Merchandising philosophies
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Ready-to-wear (RTW) Industry
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Nature of industry – mass manufacture
using modern production machines and
processes
Other terms besides RTW; “off-the-peg”,
“prêt-a-porter”, “moda pronto”, “sing-yi”
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Ready-to-wear (RTW) Industry
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How has it been possible?
Advent of “SIZING” – a combination of
standardised body dimensions, industry
and company sizing policies, design and
wearing ease.
Formation of SIZES – an art + a science
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Haute Couture
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French for “high fashion”, today associated
with expensive ready-to-wear.
Characteristics of couture apparel are small
quantities, elegant fabrics and
embellishments, original designs,
considerable hand technique and finishing,
and sized to fit individuals.
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Types of RTW Apparel Producers
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“There is no country in this world that do
not have an apparel industry”
According to Kurt Surmon Associates,
following are categorization of suppliers;
manufacturers,
contractors,
importers/packagers
Licensors of well-known designer names.
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organisational Structure
of Apparel Companies
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Fashion Development
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Interpret trend forecasts and create designs
to be produced
Question 1– How strong is Hong Kong in
this department?
Question 2 – How can it be made even
stronger?
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Merchandising
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Management process of collecting and
assimilating information from a variety of
sources and drawing conclusions from that
information regarding the product offering.
The process develops strategies to have
right merchandise, at the right price, at
the right time, in the right amount, at the
right locations to meet the needs of target
consumers.
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Merchandising
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Question – How different is
“merchandising” in the Hong Kong context?
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Sales/Marketing
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Sells company’s merchandise to retail
buyers using own staff or employing
independent agents
- Question – What are the pre-requisites to
be a successful sales/marketing
professional in the apparel industry?
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Production, Planning and Control
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The preproduction, production, planning
and control involves material purchase,
production, quality control and shipping of
the merchandise.
Own factories, contractors, out-sourcing.
- Question – Why is China so successful and
places like US and EU are not?
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Advertising/Sales Promotion
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Together with fashion development and
sales/marketing, this area focus on creating
promotional and advertising strategies and
tools to sell the merchandise to retail
buyers and consumers
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Advertising/Sales Promotion
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Normally a professional agency is hired.
- Questions – What sort of budget do brands
give to this area and where???
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The Fashion Supply Pipeline
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Major Components of Industry
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Component Suppliers – provide raw
materials (textiles) and trimmings,
Finished Product Suppliers –manufacture
finished products of apparel and
accessories,
Retail Distribution – all forms of retailing,
linking manufacturer to the consumer.
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Apparel Product Categories
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An examination of categorization will help in
understanding the diversity of apparel
organisations
Categorization – by types of merchandise,
prices of products/brands, standard industry
classification system
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Apparel Product Categories
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Gender, Age, Size Range, Product Category
Gender – e.g. Levis in men’s apparel then
expanded into women’s and children’s, Liz
from women’s to men’s and children’s
Questions – Why do producers specialised
in one category?
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Apparel Product Categories
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organisational structure of retailers also
relates to these categories of apparel, e.g.
women’s wear buyer buy from women’s
wear manufacturers
Within each primary category are subdivided into additional categories and here
specialisation can occur. continue
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Apparel Product Categories
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Such classifications are by type of
garments e.g. outerwear (coats, suits,
jackets, rainwear), dresses, blouses,
sportswear and active wear, eveningwear,
bridal dresses, maternity wear, uniforms,
fur, intimate (foundations, lingerie and
loungewear)
Size range – missy, junior, large, tall, etc.
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Apparel Product Categories
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Questions – How are the classification
made in the brand of apparel that your
apparel company produced?
Besides size range, also consider age
range, e.g. junior, missy, women, etc.
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Apparel Product Categories
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Tailored clothing – structured or semistructured suits, coats, separates such as
sports jackets and dress slacks
Sportswear – casual pants, jeans
Active sportswear – athletic clothing, golf
wear, swimwear, tennis wear, etc.
Furnishings – dress shirts, casual shirts,
neck ties, hats and caps, accessories
Uniforms and work wear – overalls, work
shirt and trousers
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Apparel Product Categories
categorization by Wholesale Price Zones
- Designer (most expensive)
- Bridge (between designer and better)
- Better (generally nationally known brands)
- Moderate (reasonably priced lines)
- Mass (mass merchandisers and discount
stores, budget lines)
Questions – any examples from the U.S., U.K.
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and locally
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Apparel Product Categories
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categorization by Wholesale Price Zones
Ck, Donna Karan, YSL, Armani, Prada
AX, DKNY, Ellen Tracy
Jones NY, Liz, Nautica. Re-union
Jantzen, Dockers, Levis, Guess?
Walmart
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Apparel Product Categories
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categorization by Brand Name
Classifications
National/designer brands – label distributed
nationally, represent image, quality and
price-point to customers
Private label brands – label owned by
specific retailer for use in their own stores
Retail store/direct market brands – name
of retail chain, used exclusively on items in
store
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Apparel Product Categories
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categorization by Brand Name
Classifications
All other brands – miscellaneous labels
Non-brands – no significant identity,
awareness or meaning
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Apparel Product Categories
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categorization by Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) Codes
Different in different countries, e.g.
US – 2251 Women’s full-length and kneelength hosiery
US – 2326 Men’s and Boys’ work clothing
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Quick Response in Apparel Industry
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Apparel Manufacturing organisation
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Operations in Apparel Manufacturing
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Pattern – development, grading, lay planning
Stock-room – fabric and trimmings
Cutting – spreading, cutting and bundling
Sewing – prefabrication, assembly, finishing
Pressing – ironing, pressing, steaming
Inspection – initial, final and audit
Warehouse – packing, shipping
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Technology-enabled Manufacturing
Systems
Garment Production Systems
„ Straight Line System
„ Conventional Bundle System
„ Progressive Bundle System
„ Unit Production System
„ Modular Manufacturing System
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Garment Production Systems
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Straight Line System
Very successful and popular mass production system in the
50’s but not so today
Production unit is single garment, assembled in sequence
and passes from operation to operation.
Layout planned and chutes are custom made with operator
seated behind/opposite the next one.
Work fed by gravity chutes or pushing along bench,
conveyor can be used.
All operations takes same time to complete. Each operator
make same amount of money determined by output at end
of the line.
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Straight Line System
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Advantages:
- Low level of work-in-progress is
accumulated.
Throughput time can be as little as the
labor content
- No back tracking of material ad less
material handling time
- Small space is required for each operator
- Shading control is extremely easy
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Straight Line System
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Disadvantages:
- Even a minor product change cannot be accommodated
- Quality problems easily accumulate.
- Machine breakdown can be critical and troublesome.
- specialisation and workplace engineering is difficult.
- Pre-production planning skill is essential.
- The line is paced by the slowest operation.
Applications:
- Production of simple garments e.g. underwear
- Production continues for lengthy periods, say 8 weeks or
more
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Garment Production Systems
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Conventional Bundle System
- A common system of mass production in the 60’s
- Production unit is a bundle of cut parts to be
assembled into certain number of garments.
Specific quantity of parts in the bundle is
determined by number of fabric plies and weight
of bundle.
- The operator receives bundle from central store,
unties bundle, perform the sewing, cuts ticket and
reties bundle.
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Garment Production Systems
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Conventional Bundle System
- She the returns bundle back to store where it
waits until the next operation and the process
repeats until the garment is completed.
- Operators of specialised skills are independently
working at own pace and paid by piece rates.
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Conventional Bundle System
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Advantages:
Absenteeism does not cause many problems.
Pre-production planning is not critical.
Operators are encouraged to work as fast as she can.
The system rewards a high individual productivity.
Uniform level of quality can be achieved.
Disadvantages:
Very high level of WIP is required.
A storage area is needed to hold WIP that is not easy to
control.
Throughput time is lengthening to a month or more.
Material handling time is spent substantially.
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Conventional Bundle System
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Applications:
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Orders in low to medium volume.
- Conventional style of production with less managerial skills
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Garment Production Systems
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Progressive Bundle System
Widely used system in the 70’s
Engineered operations are laid out in sequence.
Each operators does her bundle and passes it directly to
the next operators, as the garments are gradually
assembled as they flow sequentially in bundle form.
If bundle truck/clump truck used, bundle tying is often not
required.
Inter-process bundles are temporarily stored in
between neighboured operations.
The amount of machinery for each operations is
determined by the output required.
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Progressive Bundle System
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Advantages:
The line is easier to balance and control.
Uniform quality can be ensured by in-process control.
Semi-skilled labour requires less training time and
cost.
Individual performances can be monitored by incentives.
Disadvantages:
High investment on machine cost.
Short run production is not adaptable.
High level of WIP extends throughput time.
Complicated management skill is required.
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Progressive Bundle System
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Applications:
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Basic garments with little change.
Lengthy production runs on the same style.
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Garment Production Systems
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Unit Production System
- Major advance made in the 80’s when computers were used to
plan, control and direct the work flow through the system.
- The production unit is a single garment. All parts of a garment
unit is clamped by a carrier which automatically transports from
station to station along the overhead transportation system.
- The work stations are so designed that the components are
presented at the earliest position for handling. Many operations
can be performed without removing the work from the carrier.
- After sewing, disposal is automatic as the operator press a button
and the carrier progresses to the next operation according to a
pre-determined sequence.
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Unit Production System
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Advantages:
- Bundle handling and matching is completely
eliminated.
- Dramatic reductions in WIP and throughput time.
- Repairs tends to be lower and repair tracking is
easy.
- Working condition is improved.
- Computers automatically control the workflow and
balancing
- Many styles can be produced simultaneously on one
system.
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Unit Production System
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Disadvantages:
- High investment per work station (US$4-5k).
- Its fixed physical configuration takes up large
space.
- High maintenance cost and operating cost.
- Pre-production planning is essential.
- Frequent job changing for balancing is required
Applications:
- Fashioned garments with quick response.
- Orders with low to medium volume.
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Unit Production System
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Garment Production Systems
„ Modular Manufacturing System
Used successfully in Japan, Europe and US since 90’s
Groups operators into teams or modules of 5-17 crossed trained
operators. The team work on one garment at a time with
operators standing at their work stations and rotate to different
machines as they work. It can assemble an entire garment or
sub-assembly of more complex product. Arrangement follows a
logical operation breakdown.
The team inspects their own work, besides inspiring teamwork
and improving morale, it enhances quality and reduces worker
turnover.
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Garment Production Systems
„ Modular Manufacturing System
Layout is usually in a U-shape with more workplaces than
operators. Operators move between operations within module
whenever extra WIP exists.
Team paid as a group for work quantity and quality, or
a time basis instead of the traditional piecework system.
Time spent per garment is also little; e.g. T-shirt 3 mins,
Pull-on pants 6 mins., unstructured jacket 25 mins.,
lined blazer 40 mins., tailored coat 120 mins.
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Modular Manufacturing System
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Advantages:
- Lower level of WIP frees up capital tied up and
floor space.
- Fast throughput time enables quick response and
prompt delivery.
- Quality becomes a team responsibility and
monitored at source.
- Peer pressure encourages a team spirit and
discourages absenteeism.
- The system is highly flexible with style changes.
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Modular Manufacturing System
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Disadvantages:
Training time and cost is increased.
It requires considerable changes in management
philosophy.
specialised equipment is poorly utilized.
Operators cannot develop the rhythm and pace of high
performance.
Individual effort is difficult to recognised within the group.
Applications:
Fashioned garments with quick response.
Orders with low volume and frequent changes.
Company with mutual trust between management and
operators.
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Garment Production Systems
„ Automation – Many technologically
advanced sewing machines, some
computerized, help to speedily and
accurately perform the various steps in
assembling a garment, e.g. machines that
complete complex operations like shirt
collars and tailored jacket pockets.
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Garment Production Systems
„Robotics in Garment Production
R & D stages, limited use.
The use of robotics has very much defied in
apparel production due to the limpness of
the material, however, it is slowly been
used in limited areas such as moving fabrics
in mills, vision systems and tactile sensing
system to locate fabric pieces, pick and
place.
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Rivan Robotics Arm
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Epson Scara Robotics Arm
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Current Major Industry Trends
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Vertical operations
Globalization
Electronic Information & Communication
A Changing Consumer
Rapid Transfer of Fashion
Reduced Response Time (Quick Response)
Redefining the Business
Improved Industry Relationships (Supply Chain)
Increasing Customization (Mass Customization)
Social Responsibility
Sustenance
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Reading List
1. Ready-to-wear apparel analysis, P. Brown/J. Rice,
Merril Prentice Hall.
2. Clothing Technology, Verlag Europa, Lehrmittel
Nourney, Vollmer GmbH & Co.
3. Introduction to Clothing Manufacture, Gerry Gooklin,
BSP.
4. Introduction to Clothing Production Management, HJ
Chuter, BSP
5. Computers in the Fashion Industry, P.Taylor,
Heinemann
6. Carr & Latham's Technology of Clothing Manufacture,
DJ Tyler, Blackwell Science.
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