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Thinking Through the Post-Pandemic Supply Chain
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One thing the coronavirus pandemic highlighted is shortcomings in our global supply chains. Post-pandemic, how much effort will be applied to rethinking how we source, manufacture, and distribute?
For some time now, there have been relatively limited efforts at near-shoring work in the textiles and apparel industries. In most cases, this involves using digital technologies to produce smaller lots—even down to a quantity of one. Digital technologies include printing, of course, but in order to cost effectively manufacture a larger number of smaller orders, there is a whole infrastructure eco-system that needs to be established. Creating just one element of the process that is more efficient will cause bottlenecks in the
rest of the process.
Many of these initiatives could be called microfactories, vertically integrated with all manufacturing under one roof—printing, cutting, sewing, fulfillment. But what about order intake? These days, ecommerce is arguably the most efficient way to get orders into the system. However, keep in mind that once you establish an online storefront, you could
be deluged with orders—or receive none at all! A deluge of orders that cannot be processed through manufacturing in a timely fashion leaves customers frustrated and future business growth uncertain. What is needed is a holistic view of the entire operation in order to move from a mass production model to a just-in-time manufacturing model. This transformation has happened in many other industries, and we can do the same in textiles and apparel. Let’s take a look at how some manufacturers are addressing this challenge. -
- Date created
- 2020-08-01
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- Article (Published)
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