[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
ImageTwin 3D Scan Data Network Launched
By David Bruner and Kim Munro, [TC]²
3D Body scanning has become a popular technology over the past ten years, but one that is still relatively difficult to access by the general population. The technology has revolutionized the process of population sizing surveys and brought the world of custom clothing and body measuring for health and fitness into the 21st Century. With the launch
of the ImageTwin Data Sharing Network [TC]² is hoping to bring the benefits of 3D body scanning to everyone. At launch, ImageTwin is announcing over twenty locations both in the United States and around the world where people can make appointments to obtain a 3D body scan.
With a personal scan, ImageTwin provides a reference to a broad range of products and services that individuals can access. The areas currently covered include custom apparel, medical services, health/fitness applications, and the creation of a personal avatar.
Unique patent pending aspects to the operation of ImageTwin include:
• Personal 3D body scan data is held and controlled by individuals themselves (not in a central database)
• Competing 3D scanner owners are releasing the 3D body scan data to the individual to be used across the network
“Having explored this concept in 2000-2001 we learned that there are multiple issues in creating a data network of 3D body scans. These issues include data privacy of individuals, sharing data among competing scanner owners, and cost of network operation. The current ImageTwin network model was developed to address these significant roadblocks to be able to bring 3D body scanning to the masses,” comments David Bruner, VP of Technology Development at [TC]².
“Though modest in size at launch, we expect to double the number of locations for network scanning in 2008 and hopefully grow the network exponentially. To that end we will be announcing a competition where we are soliciting proposals for 3D body scanner placements in a few high traffic locations,” adds Kim Munro, [TC]²’s Product Development Manager.
Pattern Development Seminar at [TC]²
February 5-7, 2008
Accepting registrations now
Learn introductory principles of fit, pattern development, and marker making. Hands-on activities include flat pattern manipulations and drafting.
Seminar Highlights:
• Learn basic pattern terminology.
• Review patternmaking principles related to customer fit.
• Learn and apply two flat pattern techniques.
• Use slopers to make first patterns.
• Draft pants from body measurements.
• Apply grade rules to pattern pieces of a basic garment.
• Discuss utilization of production requirements to appropriately engineer patterns.
• Study effects of pattern development on grading, marker making, cutting, sewing, and the final garment.
Program is designed for beginning Patternmakers, Specifications and Costing Engineers, Spreaders and Cutters, Sewing Supervisors, and Merchandisers.
For course information and registration, please call Elizabeth Salisbury at 919.653.3507, or use this contact form.
The “Cool Zone” Goes to “Coolombia”
Following its very successful debut at SPESA Expo in Miami Beach in May 2007, [TC]² and SPESA are partnering to set up and coordinate another “Cool Zone” at Colombiatex de las Americas in Medellín, Colombia on January 22-24, 2008. Just as Miami Beach became a very cool place to be last May, Colombiatex will become “Coolombiatex” by the time the 100 square meter Cool Zone exhibit is set up.
Such companies as American & Efird (www.amefird.com), Audaces (www.audaces.com.br), Lectra (www.lectra.com), Shapely Shadow (www.shapelyshadow.com), Schmetz (www.schmetz.com), Tukatech (www.tukatech.com), OptiTex (www.optitex.com) and WRAP (www.wrapapparel.org) have already committed their support. The anchor exhibitor of the Cool Zone is Shapely Shadow, a Los Angeles-based company that will showcase its FastFit™ application. FastFit™ is a 3D imaging technology that facilitates a cost effective way of communicating product information throughout the supply chain. Rotating 3D samples can be attached to an email. Visitors to the Cool Zone can experience the product and will be given their own personal FastFit™ computer file.
Tukatech will show its e-fit Simulator. The e-fit Simulator is a 3D system with a built-in motion simulator for fit development and fit verification. It also has color tension mapping, X-Ray vision and other features that allow results that are identical to traditional fit sessions, but without the need to create physical samples. In addition, Tukatech will show how e-fit Simulator can send files to an iPhone™ for viewing.
Lectra’s Kaledo 3D Trend product will demonstrate how animated storyboards can be created in 3D. This technology allows designers to create and animate trend boards by composing a collection environment in three dimensions and adjusting styles and designs with other multimedia components such as sound or video.
[TC]² will demonstrate how personal avatars become truly personal when they are created using 3D body scanning technology. Avatars can also be used by brands and retailers to predict consumer acceptance to styles that are launched in virtual communities, such as Second Life (www.secondlife.com), prior to launching them in the real world. These avatars will also integrate with the technologies showcased by Tukatech and Lectra.
Dr. Mike Fralix, President and CEO of [TC]², stated that “the overriding principal driving the Cool Zone is the movement to totally digital product supply chains. Such supply chains recognize that products must be created digitally and not converted to physical products until they have been distributed as close as possible to where the ultimate consumption will take place.”
Dave Gardner, Managing Director of SPESA, adds, “with SPESA working closely with [TC]², we are able to develop educational conferences and exhibit events that address the technological challenges of an ever-changing global marketplace. The Cool Zone will offer attendees at Colombiatex the opportunity to witness the advantages that 3D product development can offer their companies.”
[TC]² Activity
Supply Chain Management Workshop for Cotton Incorporated
Mexico City - November 6, 2007
By Lourdes Perez and Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]² Industry Services for Latin America
For the last 2 years, Cotton Incorporated’s Mexico City office has designated [TC]² staff as its preferred speakers at its Market Trend events. Such was the case, on November 6th, when three [TC]² professionals – Lourdes Perez, Jim Lovejoy and Arturo Rodriguez – undertook the task of presenting the Lean concept of Managing a Supply Chain in the soft products arena. Cotton Incorporated gathered 75 attendees of the Mexican textile/apparel sector, covering the complete spectrum of the supply chain – yarn producers, fabric and apparel manufacturers and up to wholesale/retail commercial companies. In the audience there were executives and managers involved in planning, forecasting, and logistics that needed to really grasp the emerging concepts and techniques necessary to deal with today’s complex supply chains.
Jaime Flores, the Latin American manager for Cotton, Incorporated, gave the opening comments to the audience, extending a sincere welcome to a day long workshop on the in’s and out’s of a supply chain. He then gave an introduction to what type of services they offer their customers, who are those that use U.S. cotton in any way, shape or fashion.
Lourdes Perez kicked things off for [TC]² by giving a brief introduction of who we are, what we do and how can we support the textile/apparel supply chain in Mexico.
Jim Lovejoy’s extensive experience in supply chain management was the main feature of the 9am – 5pm workshop day. His focus was on introducing accepted definitions of supply chain with real apparel case studies from fiber to retail. His opening highlighted design and sourcing, manufacture, transportation and warehousing and stores. He went on to show how in today’s environment of demanding and discerning customers, a process of delivering products through an efficient and Lean supply chain with new analysis tools and techniques can make the difference by shortening the delivery time. One of the concepts that he stressed was the collaborative aspect of a supply chain, which is key, for today’s panacea: Fast Fashion. And Fast Fashion is after all the goal of any Demand Activated supply chain. Instrumental in introducing the attendees to the supply chain mindset was the presentation of the DAMA Project case studies, which Lovejoy directed for [TC]² . He concluded the first part by talking of Simulation tools, which serve the purpose of quantifying the potential benefits of a leaner collaborative supply chain. During his presentation, there were several questions around how to apply these concepts in Mexico, on which he highlighted the idea of giving 100% visibility to the supply chain.
The following step of the program was the Textile Game Exercise, which puts the players through the experience of managing “hands-on” an operation of a simulated textile/apparel supply chain. If anything, this exercise demonstrated the imperative need for good communications. The simulation exercise was coordinated with the 14 teams present. This amount of teams (and players), with the English/Spanish translation was in itself a challenge, for this was the first time that such a large audience played the game at the same time. While it was a success at the end of the simulated 15 weeks that were played, at times it has hectic. The object of the game is to end up with the lowest expense in operating the supply chain…from cotton growers up to the retailer of the finished good (garment). Having said this, one team involuntarily helped to demonstrate that by each part of the supply chain operating on its own, the end result can be disastrous for the product performance. At the end of the game, we conducted a debriefing and the audience went away with the positives and the negatives of a supply chain in action.
We rounded off the seminar with Arturo Rodriguez presenting applications of Lean concepts throughout the supply chain, with emphasis on the Design and Manufacturing stage. Named appropriately “Adelgazando (making skinnier) the Supply Chain,” he presented some 50 slides that addressed the eternal questions of how to shorten lead times in the Product Development department and how to reduce costs in the Manufacturing area. By explaining what Lean is and giving examples, Rodriguez gave out information of what to look out for and how to correct those deviations. Specialized tools and technologies, such as PDM/PLM, 3D product development, virtual try on and accepting that change is inevitable were presented. Reducing manufacturing costs was conceptualized by the Japanese word of Muda (waste) or rather how to discover Muda and its reduction. Covering the eight types of waste, the audience was questioned on how their plant, company, reacted. Surprising to some, many of the attendees admitted that their firms incurred in many of the types of waste, depicted in the slides. Finalizing this part, Rodriguez introduced the audience to the concept of BPA or Business Process Analysis. With BPA, product development and manufacturing can benefit from its overall view of how the business is being run and more importantly, what improvement changes can be introduced.
The last presenter of the day was Jenna Caccavo of the New York office of Cotton Incorporated. Caccavo, a product trend analyst, presented this season’s Color and Style Trends. As in other presentations of this nature, the number of attendees grew to some 150 people that heard every word of her predictions and then had a “hands-on” experience with her many samples of fibers, textiles and garments that she displayed. Have you ever seen a jean constructed to be used inside out and outside in?
[TC]² thanks the Cotton Incorporated organization for their most valuable support (especially Olivia Sanroman, the Mexico City manager) and looks forward future events in 2008.
The Industry Services Division of [TC]² provides consulting services in many areas of the industry around the globe. Often beginning with a Plant Assessment and/or a Business Process Analysis, the Industry Services team provides on-site training and development in Lean Practices and Organizational Culture, as well as Industrial Engineering. For further information on these and other valued services, please contact Will Duncan at (919) 653-3505 or complete this form.
Member Profile
Dürkopp Adler America, Inc.
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
During the 2007 SPESA Expo event, Durkopp Adler America provided the single needle lockstitch machine class 251-140042 for the Cool Zone demonstration.
Durkopp-Adler can proudly look back on a long and successful history.
As two different sewing machine factories, Durkopp and Adler were established in Bielefeld, Germany in the mid 19th century as a direct response to the industrial revolution and the growing need for sewing equipment. During the following years, both companies grew nationally and internationally. In the 1930's Durkopp established a new business field, conveyor systems.
In 1990, the merger of the two companies resulted in Durkopp-Adler AG. As a result of this merger, Durkopp-Adler is now able to offer a highly competitive product range for the whole sewing industry. Durkopp-Adler machines set standards in many fields of application.
The Durkopp Adler group has generated a turnover of 146.1 million Euro in 2006, 114,6 million of this within the sewing machine business. The dedication of 1,660 employees in the headquarters, the production plants as well as in the sales subsidiaries worldwide, contributed to this result. The ongoing acquisition of qualified staff and systematic training of that staff and sales partners of Durkopp Adler America ensure a high quality of customer service within North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. These efforts contribute to Durkopp Adler's primary goal - to provide superior quality equipment and services to its customers.
The corporate office is located in Norcross, Georgia, and can be reached by phone at 770 446 8162 or email at service@durkoppadler.com.
Science Fiction Textiles for a Consumer-Driven Future
By Narrelle Harris - Journalist, Retail Media
Textiles and dyes are no longer about giant cotton mills and vast vats of colour. In the 21st century, it’s practically science fiction – digital processes, nano-coatings, virtual dressing rooms and saving the world.
That is certainly what it felt like at the Clariant 18th International Symposium, presented by the Society of Dyers and Colourists of Australia and New Zealand (SDCANZ) on 18 October 2007.
The messages on future trends and technologies in the textile business all headed in the same direction: the industry needs to work cleaner, smarter and faster to meet the demands of the modern world.
Read entire article at techexchange.
Ensuring Product Quality - A New [TC]² Seminar
[TC]² has launched a comprehensive seminar called “Ensuring Quality Products by Integrating Sewability Factors and Quality Analysis Techniques” to help minimize seconds and maximize quality output. The first seminar, held on December 4, 2007, covered a wide range of topics including material selection, development of patterns, equipment selection and adjustment, and how to train operators.
The seminar included lectures by [TC]²’s experienced staff as well as hands-on analysis and discussion of a variety of rejected garments. Examples of defects included excess threads, soiling, shading, seam pucker, bow, skew, shrinkage as well as pattern and marker errors. The pros and cons of different analytical problem solving techniques were evaluated with the main goal being the elimination of recurring problems. The seminar was capped off with the analysis of a case study in which attendees were able to test their newly acquired skills.
[TC]² will be offering “Ensuring Quality Products by Integrating Sewability Factors and Quality Analysis Techniques” in 2008. For the schedule of this seminar as well as other [TC]² apparel manufacturing training and education seminars go to http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html.
Important Dates
January
15-18 |
Intermoda Guadalajara, Mexico. For details, go to www.intermoda.com.mx. |
22-24 |
Colombiatex, Medellin, Colombia. For details, visit www.colombiatex.com. |
29 |
Sizing: The Bottom Line. Presented by AAFA and Fashion Institute of Technology, at FIT in New York. For details, visit www.apparelandfootwear.org. |
February
5-7 |
Pattern Development, seminar at [TC]². For details, click here. |
27 |
Fast Fashion vs. Speed to Market, seminar at [TC]². For details, click here. |
25-28 |
Technical Design and Pattern Development with Telestia. For details, click here. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Lawson, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
Intermoda
Colombiatex
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
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Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
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