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Manufacturer of Apparel
Background
The firm is a manufacturer of apparel including men’s suits, sport coats,
trousers, tuxedos, and overcoats made of wool or quality silk. At certification the firm had 31 employees and annual
sales of approximately $3.57 million.
The U.S. apparel industry continues to face intense competition from imported
goods produced in low-wage countries in the Far East. Traditional sources of
supply such as Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, who may have exhausted their
product quotas or whose costs are becoming less attractive, are being replaced
by third-world nations not yet subject to many of these restrictions.
Domestic producers are now placing greater emphasis on technological innovations
and quick response time in order to maintain a position in the marketplace. The
objective will be to offset the cost factor with attributes such as quality,
style, and service.
Assistance Provided
To return the firm to an acceptable level of profitability and to ensure its
long-term viability, management knew they had to sustain an orderly, well
managed sales volume expansion into the foreseeable future. The major component
to recovery was to upgrade the "off-the-rack" purchase to a semi-custom purchase
through the development of a completely automated measurement system that would
modify a standard pattern. Although a semi-custom suit is only slightly more
expensive than an "off-the-rack" garment, it has much more attractive margins
for the firm. Implementation of this technology would enable the firm to expand
retail operations to other U.S. markets (i.e., Chicago, Beverly Hills).
Project Results
A total system was designed and included measurement training and
implementation. The system retains the "style" element and still allows the firm
to utilize a low-skilled individual to work with the customer. At the same time,
the system provides highly accurate measurements and takes into account the
variations between suit models. The firm can now quickly provide accurately
fitted garments to customer specifications consistently and efficiently.
Management is delighted with the results and expects success within the marketplace,
as the firm can now offer a semi-custom garment at a price point well below
custom-made offerings.
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