[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator

[TC]²’s Upcoming Seminar Offerings

Accurate Costing to Build a Profitable Supply Chain – November 12

Attend this seminar to understand the underlying factors of sourcing costs.
Information presented will allow attendees to compare vendors or evaluate the accuracy or fairness of a specific quote. Direct labor is not the only consideration but has traditionally been the cornerstone of the pricing equation. This seminar will investigate the other factors manufacturers include in cost beyond cut and sew as they meet the retail expectation of providing floor-ready products.

Ensuring Quality Products – New Date! - December 9-10

Are quality problems and irregulars affecting your company’s production and profitability?
Attend the December 9-10 offering of Ensuring Quality Products for insight and relief.

This seminar will highlight how each of the inputs to the sewing process: fabric, patterns, machinery, and operators influences the quality outcome. The subsequent discussion of analytical investigation techniques, utilizing six-sigma quality concepts, will allow attendees to suggest improvements. A case study and examination of defective garments will help participants transfer the knowledge gained to real-world manufacturing.

Seminars will be held at [TC]²’s facility at 5651 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC.

A complete description of these programs and others can be viewed at http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html

For additional information or to register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653.3501, or via our contact form.

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Trading Places: Selling Apparel to China

By Kim Anderson, [TC]²

With a population of over 1.3 billion people and a growing middle class, China is an enticing market for U.S. apparel companies. A recent study conducted by the Datamonitor, a leading business information company specializing in industry analysis, evaluated the menswear and womenswear market in China. The study revealed data that might encourage U.S. apparel companies to take the plunge and to seriously consider doing business in China.

In 2007, the Chinese menswear market generated a total of $39.4 billion in revenues and the womenswear market generated $26.6 billion. The menswear market is expected to reach a value of $52.4 billion by the end of 2012. The performance of the womenswear market is forecasted to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% for the next five years. If this anticipated growth comes to fruition, it will drive the market to a value of $40.9 billion by the end of 2012 — an increase of 54.1%.

In the study, the menswear market included all garments made for men and boys including both outer and under garments. The main categories were coats, suits, trousers, shirts (including t-shirts, jumpers, etc.) and underwear.  Children under two years of age were excluded. In the menswear market, trouser sales were the most lucrative in 2007, generating a total revenue of $17 billion, equivalent to 43.3% of the market's overall value, see Figure One.

Figure One

The womenswear market consisted of all garments made for women and girls, including both outer and under garments. The main categories were dresses, suits and coats, jackets, tops, shirts (including t-shirts, jumpers, etc.), skirts, blouses, sweatshirts, sweaters and underwear. Infant wear, which is defined as clothing for children under two years of age, was excluded.

Traditional womenswear generated 39.6% of the market's value. Sales of dresses, skirts and trousers accounted for 20.4% of the market's value, see Figure Two.

Figure Two

The study reported that in the menswear market, brand awareness in China is moderate and loyalty to specific brands is low. Brand loyalty in the womenswear market is connected more with a particular designer than the retailer, although some labels also have their own retail operations. As expected, the majority of Chinese women with lower disposal incomes purchased non-designer womenswear.

Although the average Chinese consumer does not have enough income to buy more than the minimum necessities, there is a growing affluent middle class in urban areas. For the affluent middle class, clothes represent lifestyle and social status and they are motivated to purchase clothes that convey this message.

There is a plethora of apparel manufacturing plants throughout China; however, with a growing middle class that is increasingly attracted to clothes that play more than just a utilitarian role, there might be great opportunity for U.S. apparel companies. Two of the main challenges that would determine how successful an international apparel company would be at selling apparel to the Chinese would be the ability to adapt to the Chinese sense of fashion and to design marketing strategies that would appeal to the Chinese culture.

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[TC]² Activity
[TC]² Board of Directors Meeting - October 21, 2008

By Karen Davis, [TC]²

Peter Butenhoff, Chairman, brought the meeting to order and welcomed guests. The minutes from the March 2008 meeting were approved as submitted. Mike Fralix, President and CEO, reviewed [TC]²’s operating expenses, and summarized a preliminary 2009 budget which was approved by the Board.

Auggie Tantillo of SRG Associates discussed the presidential race and posed different scenarios for bills before Congress and budget approvals based on the election outcome. [TC]² welcomes examination and scrutiny, and visits to its facility to show how the Department of Commerce funds are being utilized.

Jim Lovejoy discussed sustainability, practicing social responsibility by reducing waste, using more recyclable materials, and less energy to reduce the environmental impact.  [TC]² surveyed employees to develop a Top 10 List of things to do to at the office.  Lovejoy gave examples of two companies, one in Honduras and one in South Carolina, who recycle products and provide education in sustainability, and companies who are using carbon offsets (emission reductions) through various methods.

David Bruner highlighted recent body scanning events including [TC]²’s presence at the SIGGRAPH 2008 conference in Los Angeles, where over 100 people were scanned in two days, and a project for bra sizing recommendations.  Decathlon, headquartered in France, held a week long event and is developing a web application for their store chain.  [TC]²’s UK agent had a scanner at a London Science Museum event, and at the Virtual Worlds London conference.

High fidelity avatars are possible from body scans in seconds.  The scan data is morphed using 3000 landmarks.  Virtual dressing in real time is possible using a reference figure, and morphing the image based on the body scan.  We have created an avatar engine using a dozen inputs based on reference scan data – the subject does not have to be scanned.  This is not as accurate as an avatar created from the body scan, but is highly realistic.  We can simulate weight loss prediction from the scan data.

Kerry King attended FESPA in Geneva, a trade show held yearly in Europe devoted to digital printing.  Technology is becoming production-oriented, with more robust printhead technology, and direct printing for soft signage on textiles rather than vinyl.  Direct-to-garment technologies for apparel that is already assembled were also featured.  Another topic of interest was introduction of recycled materials and their utilization to reduce waste.  There was a focus on increased speeds for higher print rates. 

On September 17-19 [TC]² partnered with AATCC to produce the “Innovative Texting Printing – Green and Global” symposium.  The program included emerging technologies, applications, sustainability, and product development using design and color.  The last day offered optional tours of Cotton Incorporated and [TC]².

Mike Fralix discussed the 7 Revolutions World Tour sponsored by Cotton Council International. Included in the 7 Revolutions are population and demographics, resource management, technological innovation and diffusion, information and knowledge, economic integration, conflict, and governance.  Atlanta, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Hong Kong were locations for the focus groups and the Super Focus Group will be held in Austin, TX in November.  It is to understand the significance of the revolutions and their impact, and establish a framework for the industry.  Additional topics are to develop an industry environmental footprint, to develop industry standards such as what it means to be organic, and compile a list of industry best practices.  The top three revolutions impacting the cotton supply chain are:

• Resources (food, water, energy)
• Technology (biotechnology, nanotechnology)
• Governance (countries, companies)

Dave Gardner of SPESA described SPESA Expo 2010, which will be May 18-20, 2010 at the Georgia World Congress Center.  It will be called the Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week.  ATME-I (Mega-Tex) and Techtextil North America (Messe, Frankfurt) will co-locate with SPESA Expo.  The programs will cover concept to delivery, fiber through retail.  [TC]² is assisting with marketing the show, and will develop another Cool Zone showcasing cutting edge technologies. 

Steve Jesseph of WRAP could not attend the meeting, and was unable to connect remotely.  [TC]² is working with WRAP to develop best practices in Guatemala, and [TC]² has been accredited to help companies prepare for a WRAP audit.  We plan to continue to strengthen and further develop our business relationship.

Dr. Fred Abernathy mentioned Harvard’s Center for Textile and Apparel Research where they are concentrating on flexible supply options using point-of-sale to pre-qualified suppliers for seasonal items. Container shipments that were costing $3,000 are now $8,000 from China. Tariffs will also be a key issue in the coming year.

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XXXII Congress of the Mexican Apparel Association (CNIV)
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico October 16 – 19, 2008

By Lourdes Perez, [TC]² Latin America

The title of this year’s Congress was “Design, Fashion and Brand…the innovator role of our industry”. According to Victor Miklos, ex-president of the CNIV and moderator of the first round table, “it is important to understand the position of the Mexican clothing industry with regard to the international industry, in order to understand what we must do to transform our businesses and be more competitive, by using successful schemes already in use in other countries and thus be able to face our competitors, not only China but also Central America, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India, among others.” This was the base for the conference’s program development.

During two days, attendees had the opportunity to hear the views from an expert group of speakers, including:

Randy Harris – President of Trendex North America. At the conference, he presented a comprehensive study on the Mexican market by product, niche and retail format, including informal markets. One of the key points learned from this session is that currently and for the near future, clients will prefer the brand or supplier that offers the fastest replenishment of a product, regardless of the selling point.

Jan Hilger – Director of Shirting for Hugo Boss. With an extensive knowledge of markets and consumers, he presented an analysis of where the markets are going, population data and sources of production around the world, comparing and positioning Mexico as a good source for apparel manufacturing.

Federico Reyes Heroles – a remarkable Mexican writer and political commentator, who presented political, economic and social projections for Mexico in 2009. We are facing an environment of global uncertainty. About Mexico’s general situation, there are good and bad indicators. From one side, Mexico has improved the population’s poverty levels which are proven by the following facts: Mexico has reduced infant mortality and has increased the level of life expectancy; also the number of children per family has been reduced, and there is a trend toward zero population growth. Compared with the year 2000, a B-level household has increased the acquisition of electrical appliances, such as computers, washing machines, and microwaves. There is still a long way to go on competitiveness: Mexico fell from the 52nd to the 60th place in the ranking of competitiveness at the 2008 World Economic Forum.

Patricia Medina – Director of Aztex Trading. With a unique knowledge of the Mexican Apparel industry and offshore sourcing activities, Patricia presented the “Made in Mexico” conference, focusing on three key points for success: innovation, creation of value supply chains with suppliers to be able to offer full package capabilities, and analyzing customer preferences.

Lidia Lavin – Director of Asesortex. Lidia is currently the president of the Fashion Group Mexico and has an impressive background in fashion design. Lidia spoke extensively on Innovation Strategies. Some of the key points were: manufacturers and brand owners must become aware that the world has changed and anticipate to those changes; to develop new business strategies and review them at least every three years; to keep in mind that the brands maintain fixed attributes but are constantly being reinvented; to stay focused in the knowledge of the target market by analyzing the lifestyle and needs of the final consumer, as well as to invest  in product development, in order to achieve the proper product, fit and  price for the target customer.

Dr. Enrique Dussel – Coordinator of the Center of Studies for China, from the National University of Mexico. To summarize his presentation in two key points: 1st; We must be aware of China’s strengths, and 2nd; he strongly recommends the creation of an Advisory Council for the Presidency and the chambers of deputies and senators to perform diagnostics for the  fiber-textile-clothing sectors, in order to obtain valuable information and strengthen the business community with funding and trained personnel.

Stephen Morgan – President of WGSN. He spoke about the Future of the Apparel Mexican Industry and mentioned that its NAFTA agreement is no longer enough to make it an automatic choice for US sourcing.  Between 2000 and 2008 Mexico’s market share of the US market has fallen 70% and that now Mexico has been overtaken by both India and China due to increasing labor costs.  In his opinion, Mexico has to transition its textile and apparel sectors to design and brand based industries, just as Turkey, Spain and Brazil have done. WGSN believes that the Mexican apparel and retail industry needs to modernize and improve processes, speed, quality and efficiency in order to build brands that garner higher demand and margins.

Kathie De Chirico – CEO of Visionary Marketing and Management Strategies who demonstrated her deep knowledge on the features that make a brand successful. She gave the audience a workbook to analyze during her presentation, focused on the architecture of a brand. It included key concepts for the development, positioning and evolution of a brand.

Santiago Macias – Coordinator for the COMPITE Program. COMPITE is an institution founded to create guidelines for obtaining grant support funds for the productive sectors and their conversion in order to face the end of compensatory quotes for Chinese products of the textile, clothing, toys and shoes industries. Together with the Mexican Apparel Chamber, they are working with companies to compete domestically and internationally through implementation of a Quality System, Social Compliance and Health and Safety at Work programs for the benefit of all stakeholders.

This Congress, in addition to presenting a high level program, provided a great opportunity to network with colleagues in the Mexican clothing industry.

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[TC]² Member Activity
Gerber Technology User Group Meeting
October 16-17, 2008

By Kerry Maguire King, [TC]²

Gerber Technology held its 10th Annual Software Users Conference on October 16th and 17th at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Bill Brewster, Vice President of Global Marketing and Product Management kicked off the event on the morning of the 16th by welcoming attendees. He also invited the audience to take the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in Gerber software and introduced two new additions to the Fashion Lifecycle Management (FLM) suite, webFolio for collection planning, and webView a workflow solution for milestone management. In addition to the introduction of these software tools, one of the highlights of the introductory session was a keynote presentation by Ira Blumenthal, President of CO-OPPORTUNITIES, Inc., an Atlanta-based consulting company whose clients include Adidas, Kmart, Target, Nike, and Wal-Mart, just to name a few. A dynamic speaker, Blumenthal emphasized that change is constant and that individuals and companies who ‘put themselves out there’ with innovative ideas in the face of change are able to adapt and thrive amid difficult times.

With this challenge in mind, conference attendees participated in a series of informational sessions that focused on topics related to the use of Gerber software for patternmaking, marker generation, the use of avatars for product development and communication of design information, CAD preparation for cutting, CAD conversion, collection planning, product lifecycle management, material costing, and milestone tracking.  Organizers also provided a series of sessions specifically devoted to IT considerations and software implementation. 

As a conference participant, I had the opportunity to sit in on ‘hands-on’ sessions related to collection planning (webFolio) and Gerber’s V-Stitcher solution for virtual dressing. The collection planning session provided a glimpse of how the webFolio software can be used to digitally ‘create a collection’, allowing designers to collaborate and communicate plans for a collection in a visually intuitive manner through the creation of storyboards, design plans, and styles. The session instructor emphasized that this application integrates seamlessly with webPDM to automatically pre-populate style folders. During the V-Stitcher session, participants had the opportunity to customize the body dimensions of an avatar, place a custom order for a garment based on body dimensions, virtually ‘stitch’ garment pieces together, and dress the avatar with the assembled garment.  During another session, attendees were provided with an interactive demonstration of how V-Stitcher can be used to support virtual sample development and review between designers in two different locations.

In addition to the ‘hands on’ portion of the program, I attended a session on communicating fit with vendors. The goal of this segment was to highlight existing tools within the Accumark system that support the exchange of pattern information between CAD systems and that allow technical designers to illustrate pattern changes/corrections to their vendors and development partners wherever they are in the world.  Shapely Shadow, one of the sponsors for the conference, provided an additional session that focused on the use of its FastFit 360 technology for capturing and communicating 3D garment information electronically. 

In addition to the sessions noted, I learned about enhancements to the webPDM program that focus on ease of use and developments in the Accumark pattern development system related to the automation of repetitive tasks through the use of the ‘Pattern Wizard’. Software users had the opportunity for extensive Q&A throughout the conference and during the Accumark ‘Ask the Expert’ session, users discussed specific issues with application experts and passed along ‘wishes’ for future software development.   

Gerber Technology is a valued [TC]² associate member. Gerber has placed its DCS-1500 sample cutter in [TC]²’s new Demonstration Center, and supplied its Silhouette design work station with AccuMark™ pattern design, grading, and marker making software. Its made-to-measure application interfaces seamlessly with [TC]²’s 3D body scan data to create custom garments. [TC]² also demonstrates Fashion Studio and WebPDM programs. The V-Stitcher 3D pattern visualization software and an Infinity II plotter complete the variety of Gerber products being demonstrated at [TC]². These state-of-the-art tools provide the designer with flexibility and consistency, and the ability to share iterations with remote supply chain partners, reducing the need for sample creation.

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Important Dates

November

December

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.

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A Look Ahead in the Newsletter



Expotextil Peru

View previous editions of this newsletter

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[TC]²
5651 Dillard Drive
Cary , NC 27518
www.tc2.com
Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181

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