Welcome to the [TC]² Newsletter!

Index Apparel Executive Forum Technology Outlook Webcast Supply Chain Sourcing Unimatrix Important Dates A Look Ahead

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Apparel Executive Forum - October 8 - 10

Recently, Mike Fralix, President of [TC]², was the keynote speaker at the Apparel Executive Forum held in Miami, Florida. The theme of his presentation was "Thinking Outside The Triangle."

The forum was a weekend gathering of more than 40 invited apparel executives who came together to openly discuss the issues their companies are facing. It was a time when ideas were exchanged and new avenues were pursued, as evidenced by Mike's presentation. Participants were challenged to change their thinking because it is important that individuals as well as organizations continue to evolve and develop the capability to look beyond the ways that goals have traditionally been accomplished.

Mike was followed by two speakers; Bob Skinner, President & COO, Kellwood Company, and Terry Lay, President & Chairman, Global Jeanswear Coalition, VF Corp.; who spoke about how their companies had to change their thinking by pursuing alternative product brands. Kellwood has acquired the internationally expanding urban lifestyle brand Phat Fashions and VF Corp. is the new owner of leading youth-oriented action sports brand Vans. These choices required some different thinking on the part of the executives who ran these companies.

Hudson's Bay, one of the oldest retailers in Canada, also shared how they revitalized their apparel line and improved collaboration among their buyers and vendors to achieve mutual success.

Overall, the forum was a productive brainstorming session with the apparel industry's highest level executives discussing the critical issues of the day in a spirit of mutual understanding and fellowship.

Apparel's 2005 Technology Outlook Webcast - October 12

Judson Early, Corporate Vice President & CTO of [TC]², participated in Apparel's 2005 Technology Outlook Webcast on Tuesday, October 12th. Peter Anderson, representing Jesta, I.S., spoke on Supplier Management and Frank Badillo of Retail Forward presented a Future Outlook.

Jud focused on the technology needed to achieve globalization. What is needed will depend on each company's position in the supply chain. Some of the technologies that will be needed are:

• Product Development Management (PDM) on the Web
• 3D Design and Visualization
• Product Life Cycle Management
• Wireless Technology
• Tablet PC
• Communication Capabilities - Blue Tooth; GSM
• Wireless Web Camera
• Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
• Container tracking and security

All of the presentations are available until January 2005 by registering on the Apparel Magazine website www.apparelmag.com. Click on Apparel's 2005 Business & Technology Outlook Webcast icon on Apparel's homepage.

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[TC]² Activity

Supply Chain Sourcing

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the overseeing of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. Supply chain management involves coordinating and integrating these flows both within and among companies. It is said that the ultimate goal of any effective supply chain management system is to reduce inventory (with the assumption that the right products are available when needed).¹

Supply chain management flows can be divided into three main flows:

• The product flow
• The information flow
• The financial flow

The product flow includes the movement of goods from a supplier to a customer, as well as any customer returns or service needs. The information flow involves transmitting orders and updating the status of deliveries. The financial flow consists of credit terms, payments, and consignment and title ownership arrangements.

There are two main types of SCM software: planning applications and execution applications. Planning applications use advanced algorithms to determine the best way to fill an order. Execution applications track the physical status of goods, the management of materials, and financial information involving all parties.

Some SCM applications are based on open data models that support the sharing of data both inside and outside the enterprise (this is called the extended enterprise, and includes key suppliers, manufacturers, and end customers of a specific company). This shared data may reside in diverse database systems, or data warehouses, at several different sites and companies.

By sharing this data "upstream" (with a company's suppliers) and "downstream" (with a company's clients), SCM applications have the potential to improve the time-to-market of products, reduce costs, and allow all parties in the supply chain to better manage current resources and plan for future needs.

[TC]² has several analysis tools to help users determine the best choices for their supply chain. These tools include:

1. Sourcing Simulator - a unique software tool to analyze manufacturing, retailing and sourcing strategies for seasonal and basic products. Data is input on retail price, wholesale price, lead time, forecast error, product assortments and other variables to show the effects on financial, inventory and service level measurements.

2. The Collaborative Industry Supply Chain Simulation Tool - focuses on planning and physical organization of a traditional versus a collaborative supply chain with the objective of reducing lead times and inventories.

3. Textile Supply Chain Business Model - consists of detailed flowcharts to see the interactions of business and production activities between fiber, textile, apparel, and retail companies in a soft goods supply chain.

4. The Textile Game™ - a team activity demonstrating how supply chain interactions from fiber through retail affect materials inventory, finished goods inventory and backlog, emphasizing the importance of communication throughout the supply chain.

¹Supply Chain Management as defined by searchCIO.com (Chief Information Officers), a TechTarget site.

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Member Profile

Unimatrix™ , L.L.C. - a new [TC]² member

Unimatrix is a full-service, full-package, supply matrix company specializing in consumer-driven products for the world's leading brands and retailers. It is a solution for the speed-to-market challenges facing today's apparel and textile companies.

Unimatrix is the ideal complement for companies looking to improve their sourcing function. It provides optimum solutions to deliver custom supply chains from better pricing to faster delivery to flexible financing to fiber innovation to global sourcing.

While traditional regional or mega-sourcing companies focus on what they can easily make, Unimatrix focuses on what the consumer wants. Trends are constantly changing and Unimatrix's unique supply matrix solutions deliver a corresponding increase in the speed-to-market of innovative, differentiated products. It provides access to full package financing alternatives to help customers grow as fast as their market demands. Unimatrix can provide regional sourcing, global sourcing, split sourcing - for lower cost, faster turns, and better response to the market. Unimatrix's global manufacturing footprint includes identical yarn production capabilities in five countries from the US to South America and the Far East, allowing them to consistently supply interchangeable yarns throughout the world.

Unimatrix offers expertise in consumer branding, product design, innovation, as well as sourcing relationships in every major textile and apparel-producing region in the globe.

Unimatrix offers comprehensive solutions to brands and retailers; solutions ranging from design differentiation at the fiber level to financing that goes beyond landed, duty paid terms. And, more services means that Unimatrix can provide the low cost global solutions to meet the needs of consumers - from quick turns to low cost to quota management.

Visit www.unimatrixsourcing.com for more company information.

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Important Dates

October

November

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

Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors Blinco Systems Inc., Gerber Technology and Methods Workshop.

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A Look Ahead

October 19 -20 High Volume Decorator Summit, Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta

October 20 AAFA Enterprise Competitiveness Council (ECC) Meeting, Waltham, MA

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View previous editions of this newsletter

[TC]²
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