Index Lean Manufacturing program at [TC]² Preadolescent Clothing Student Intern Program Review [TC]² Activity Important Dates A Look Ahead

Lean Manufacturing and the Importance of Cycle Time

July 17-18, 2006 – Cary, NC

Join [TC]²’s 2006 Student Interns for this two-day program discussing short cycle manufacturing’s important role in today’s environment and participate in the Penville Plant™ hands-on activity. Lean manufacturing systems reduce work-in-process, increase quality, and shorten lead times. You'll find out how to achieve these benefits as well as understand the commitment required at all levels of the organization. If your customer is requiring faster service time and responsiveness, this seminar is a must.

For more details, visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html.

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Preadolescent Clothing:

An Ever Expanding Challenge and an Untapped Opportunity
By Kim Anderson, Ph.D., writer/reporter for [TC]²

Today, kids are spending more on consumer goods than any other time in history, with a hefty amount going towards clothing. Retailers have realized the great potential in children’s wear by offering a variety of categories according to age—allowing parents to zoom in on their child’s needs. However, for the young adolescent whose body shape doesn’t fit into a neat mold, finding clothes similar to their peers can be difficult if not impossible.

Ironically, the children’s wear market is relatively new. The history of children’s clothing reflects not the activities of children but the parent’s attitudes towards their children. Throughout the 18th century, many parenting practices would be considered harsh by today’s standards. Often, infants were tightly wrapped in swaddling clothes which immobilized their limbs.

As the child grew older it was treated and dressed as a miniature adult with little regard given to their active and growing bodies. Even at the end of the 19th century when men and women’s ready-to-wear clothing was growing exponentially, children’s wear remained an untapped market. In fact, children’s wear was the last type of clothing to be mass produced—it wasn’t until the 1920’s that complete children’s garments (ensembles) were made.

Today, the vast majority of parents adore their children. Retailers have successfully zoomed in on the ever-changing needs and desires of the typical toddler. Apparel designers cater to them by offering brightly colored clothes with lots of texture and ornamentation. Most toddlers love adult attention and quickly learn their clothing is the perfect portal.

As children begin to assimilate into society via school and other activities, they care little about color, texture and ornamentation—their main goal becomes fitting-in with their peers. As they enter the teenage years, fitting-in remains the key motivator when choosing apparel, however, individual style becomes increasingly important—but not without caution.

Unfortunately, for the child that doesn’t fit the typical body shape, finding age appropriate clothes can be nearly impossible—sadly falling desperately short of fitting-in. Lynn Boorady, an Assistant Professor at the Univ. of Missouri-Columbia, has been well aware of the trials and tribulations of the young adult for almost 15 years. Having a friend with a daughter that reached 5 feet tall by the first grade and watching a young niece precociously develop, Boorady is all too aware of the difficulties kids face when trying to find age appropriate clothes.

Boorady explains that it is difficult for out-sized children to find clothing that is similar to their peers. She goes on to explain that a tall girl may have to buy a bathing suit meant for an adult woman because she can’t find good fit in her age appropriate size. Most adult bathing suits have high cut legs, low cut bodices and bra cups or shelves. “If you can find one modest enough for a young girl, it’s too matronly in style or color for her,” Boorady says.

Using a [TC]² NX-12 body scanner, Boorady plans to address these sensitive and important issues. She has received approval to scan both male and female kids eight years old and upwards and is in the process of setting up a study to assess children’s sizes.

Weight gain and obesity have been an expanding trend among adults for decades, and now it's affecting children—the percentage of overweight children has tripled in the last two decades. With childhood obesity rising, the challenges of finding age appropriate clothing for out-sized kids is not likely to disappear anytime soon.

The new methods of studying fit made possible by a [TC]² NX-12 body scanner and Lynn Boorady’s diligent research will hopefully meet the needs of this growing consumer market.

References

Cook, Daniel Thomas. The Commodification of Childhood, Duke University Press, 2004.

Meyer, Deborah and Heather Anderson. Preadolescents and Apparel Purchasing:Conformity to Parents and Peers in the Consumer Socialization Process. June 2000

Ryan. Mary Shaw. Clothing: A Study in Human Behavior. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1966.

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Student Intern Program Review

As we start the third week of our summer internship, we’ve found the programs really interesting for all of us, not only what we’re learning from [TC]² but what we’re learning from each other. Prior to the commencement of the internship, we were not sure of how we would fit in. When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the broad spectrum of concentrations and talents within the group.

The first week was spent getting comfortable with our new homes and also with our new position. The presentations for the first week included overviews covering many of the topics that prepared us for what we’re learning for the duration of our time here in Cary. These included product development, concept development, business plans, and learning about seams and stitches. We also received our first assignment, which is a digital printing and sewing project to make a “professional” tote bag for a specific target market of our choice.

This past week we focused mostly on patternmaking, grading and touched on marker making. We drafted a pant pattern from our own measurements derived from the body scanner. We went on a company visit to Cotton Incorporated. It was an amazing experience to see first hand the process from “dirt to shirt.” We have all learned about these processes in our classes at our Universities, but never had the opportunity to actually see it in progress. On the way back to [TC]² we stopped at the weaving labs at NC State University, and upon leaving, we received gifts that were woven on the jacquard loom.

We also had a few visitors from the industry who are members of [TC]². On Monday Brian Francois came from Cognis to talk about the advancements in performance textiles. On Friday, Brad Beal and Melissa Stewart from Jockey International came and spoke with us about the company and also the transition that we will make between school and the working world.

Overall we’re very impressed with the amount that we have learned from [TC]² in such a short time. [TC]² has gone above and beyond to make us feel like a part of their family and we look forward to the next six weeks.

Comments prepared by Marluy Andrade, Florida State University; Meg Lahti, Univ. of Wisconsin-Stout; and Jennifer Lerczak, Michigan State University .

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[TC]² Activity

Regional Collaboration the Theme at Apparel Conference of Americas

AAFA (American Apparel & Footwear Association), AAPN (American Apparel Producers Network), CCAA (Caribbean Central American Action), SPESA (Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas), and [TC]² (Textile/Clothing Technology Corporation) joined together to present the Apparel Conference of Americas, held last week in Managua, Nicaragua.

The conference was opened by Juan Carlos Pereira, Executive Director of ProNicaragua, a public- private institution which supports foreign investment in Nicaragua.  Juan Carlos proposed that the goal for the CAFTA-DR region is to grow from 10% of the US apparel market share to 20%.  It will take collaboration among the countries in the region to make this happen.

Steve Lamar, representing AAFA, noted that CAFTA-DR is not completely turned on yet. The immediate need is to get all countries signed on to the trade agreement. The legislatures in Guatemala, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica have not approved the agreement. The next urgent step is for the US Congress to fix the implementation problems written in the legislation.
 
Mike Todaro, Managing Director of AAPNetwork, pointed out that all segments of the textile and apparel supply chain were represented at the conference and reminded the audience that the actions that needed to be taken to exploit the region’s advantages have been discussed for several years.  Now, Todaro stated, it is time for action to move to one market, one region, and one source.

The message from a fast growing retailer was emphatic.  Teresa Nersesyan, Director of Sourcing Operations for Pacific Sunwear said their resources are selected by the following criteria:

• strong product development and design capabilities
• technically competent in fit and sample production
• capable of producing multiple product types in multiple fabrics
• financially sound
• good communication flow (must have email, no faxes)
• appropriate infrastructure
• have a compliance program
• have a QA program – store ready merchandise required, no QC at retail
• must be “right sized” – big enough to supply their needs, small enough to see Pac Sunwear as an important customer

Nersesyan pointed out there are benefits and risks of doing business with a progressive retailer. Suppliers must be willing to change quickly as the fashion oriented market changes. Pac Sunwear is looking for strategic partners meet their needs.

A size perspective was delivered by John Strasburger, Managing Director of VF Americas Sourcing.  VF owns 37 factories in Mexico and CAFTA countries which employ over 27,000 employees and produce 200 million units per year. In addition they source 32 million units via 807 CMT (cut make and trim) and 58 million units via full package resources.  Strasburger’s messages to the region were:

• geography is on your side, use it
• your production process needs to be responsive, flexible, and short cycle
• you need to sample and quote prices as fast as Asia
• your competition in Asia is not just knocking off anymore
• need to have good follow-up and sense of urgency
• saying “no problem” is not enough; a purchase order acknowledgement is required that you can really do it

Strasburger closed with “When all is said and done, VF must have a reason to bring a program from Asia to Latin America.”

Harry Brautigan, President of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, is ready to provide infrastructure loans to the region through bank shareholders like, Columbia, Argentina, Mexico and Spain. The bank has $42 billion in assets and is interested in large projects like ports, airports, bridges, electric power and buildings.

The President of Nicaragua, Enrique Bolanos, greeted everyone at the meeting and said the revolution in Nicaragua which ended 15 years ago, set the country back 50 years. They are now trying to catch up.  Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Central America next to Haiti, however, a United Nations study deemed Nicaragua the safest country in Central America.

Norm Anderson, President & CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure LLC, added there is a huge opportunity to create infrastructure, and there is a need for a consensus vision for the region on electricity, roads, rail and ports.  Anderson likes the idea of a Central American railway from Panama to Texas where everyone participates instead of a port in one country.  He believes that the region needs to lower the risk factors by raising standards to a U.S. level which attract investors.

Jim Borneman, Editor of Textile World magazine, introduced John Bakane, President & CEO of Cone Denim LLC, an ITG company.  Jim Borneman asked a series of questions to understand the thinking behind Cone’s announced $100 million investment in a denim plant in Nicaragua.  Cone is the largest denim manufacturer in the world and strategically invests for the long term.  Bakane believes that Cone will have a 20-30% market share in the region, but needs to have partners for spinning, finishing, cut & sew and laundry.  Cone will put in the denim plant, its own power infrastructure with electricity and waste water treatment.  Bakane believes that in the longer term, Central America will have lower labor costs, lower logistics cost, and lower expatriate costs than China.

Julio Barea moderated a Four Country panel with representatives from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.  A range of issues and opportunities were discussed. Edwin Zamora, from CAMTEX in El Salvador, pointed out that education is lacking and a regional technical school should be pursued.  He suggested using Cone, Sara Lee, Fruit of the Loom and Russell Corporation to force integration of the supply chain.  Roberto Bequillard, from the Argus Group in Nicaragua, said that the capacity in Central America today is 6 million woven yards per week and 20 million knit pounds per week.  He suggested that El Salvador is becoming a knits country and Nicaragua is more of a woven country.  To capitalize on this, there is a need to lower customs requirements between countries. Carlos Arias, from Koramsa in Guatemala, noted that China started as a full package country and Central America with cutting, sewing and finishing in separate countries, but the market is demanding integration. There are good industry associations working hard, but need an integrated focus.  CAFTA has become a brand and should be capitalized on.  Guillermo Bendeck from Grupo Beta in Honduras, stated that CAFTA is a good start, but he warned that integration will not happen fast. The proposed technical institute in Honduras is a good idea.  Product development and design capabilities are needed in each company right now.

A panel focusing on Accelerating Technologies was coordinated by SPESA and [TC]², with Mike Fralix as moderator. Charlie Gilbert of Charles Gilbert and Associates, discussed the need for using PDM now and in the near future, PLM and RFID technologies.  Farid Handel from Agencia J.E. Handel SV de CV, said that basic sewing machines are fading away fast and enhancements like direct drive for speed and touch screen panels for usability and automated functions are replacing existing technology.  In addition Handel pointed out that there are pocket welt machines now that can be modified to attach the left and right flys on men’s pants without resetting. These enhancements to the sewing process can significantly increase productivity.  Kurt Cavano, from TradeCard, opened his statements with “vamanos or adios.” He said global sourcing was expanding at a faster rate and retailers and apparel brands are looking for financial networks to be as responsive and efficient as their supply chain networks.  Mike Fralix summarized and mentioned the 3D to 2D and 2D to 3D tools that are changing the way product development is viewed.  In Japan Mike learned about the development of a “Magic Mirror” where a person could see themselves trying on apparel from an electronic catalog.

The Apparel Conference of the Americas was well received by all the attendees. On the last night, the US Ambassador to Nicaragua, Paul Trivelli, hosted a reception at the embassy residence to offer his support for the industry initiatives.

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Important Dates

June

July

For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com

Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Intentia, Lectra and Methods Workshop.

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A Look Ahead in the Newsletter


SizeUSA Users Group Meeting
Student Intern Program Reviews

View previous editions of this newsletter

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