Fashion On-Shore
Is it time to bring apparel manufacturing back on-shore?
As avid Opinionizer readers may have noticed, Lawson supports customers in all phases of the fashion industry. We support global brand owners, retailers, and some of the largest apparel manufacturers in Asia and Latin America.
We also support a small but growing cluster of Fashion businesses that manufacture on-shore. How can they do that? How can a company compete without moving its production overseas?
They can succeed for two reasons. First, changes in technology have reduced the cost advantage of countries with low-cost labor. Our customers that manufacture on-shore have invested in the technologies necessary to become efficient and agile producers. Second, they have invested in improving their employee-management relationships. They emphasize improved training and a flexible, collaborative work environment. The goal is to act and react even faster than the fashion industry itself.
The primary benefit of manufacturing on-shore is a shorter supply chain. You can see the supply chain better and make decisions more quickly. You can often operate with a leaner supply chain while also responding to changes in customer demand more quickly. A short supply chain can also mean quicker turns on inventory and lower shipping costs.
Our fashion customers who manufacture on-shore run the gamut from high-end brands to commodity suppliers. The high-end brands that use on-shore manufacturing tend to use it exclusively. The commodity suppliers that use on-shore sourcing tend to mix it with off-shore manufacturing. They use on-shore for responsiveness and off-shore for continuous supply.
On-shore manufacturing is not for everybody. You need advanced technology and a flexible workforce. However, an increasing number of companies are using it successfully. It’s a mini-trend at the moment but could become mainstream in the near future. For Lawson, it’s simply another way to support the fashion business. Bottom line: you choose the manufacturing model, we’ll provide the software to help make you successful.
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