David J. Tyler

Supply chain influences on new product development in fashion clothing

Purpose – This study sets out to focus on the textiles and fashion clothing supply chain with the objective of identifying factors that constrain company activities and inhibit competitiveness.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology for this research involves multiple case studies involving UK companies. Supply chain management theory and ecological concepts have been used to interpret the data and to identify significant blocks affecting dynamic performance of the participating companies.Findings – The research has identified seven significant blocks to responsiveness that were apparent in the observed supply chains: timing of fabric trade shows, lack of control of availability of fabric, forecasting, late stage product changes, geographical proximity to market, decision making decoupled from fashion trends, stock‐outs and slow selling products.Practical implications – The paper draws conclusions about the strategic directions of fashion supply chains and suggests the need to develop strong persona...

A simulation model of quick response replenishment of seasonal clothing

Stochastic computer‐simulation models have been constructed of the clothing supply chain and applied to retail inventory control. This quantifies the performance of quick response procedures for seasonal merchandise, thus creating an analytical tool. They are designed to investigate the effects of improved retailing and supply procedures on financial and other performance measures using two supply strategies: fixed quantity re‐ordering and fixed interval re‐ordering. These offer a wide range of options in experimentation. They permit an evaluation of both purchasing systems in relation to different quantities and lead‐time scenarios. Experimental work with both models has shown that if the replenishment time exceeds two weeks, the potential for lost sales greatly increases. This provides a benchmark figure for assessing the responsiveness of clothing industry supply chains.

Textile digital printing technologies

Abstract Textile digital printing emerged in the 1990s as a prototyping tool and a vehicle for printing small batches of fabric for niche market products. Developments over the past 5 years have been dramatic, with major practitioner conferences in the U.S. and in Europe, and a specialist trade press journal. We are now at the stage where all the ingredients are present for producing commercial print runs, but there are still many hurdles to jump for digital printing technologies to make an impact in world markets. This monograph reviews the technological issues and sets these in a wider commercial context. It explains how new markets are being successfully created and how digital printing technologies have provided a springboard for product innovation.

Simulation of flow lines in clothing manufacture. Part 1: model construction

Presents research into the improvement of flow‐line assembly systems. Aims to understand and improve the design and control of manually intensive flow‐line assembly in the clothing industry. A simulation model of the progressive bundle system has been constructed, incorporating operator performance variations and learning effects, machine failure and repair, operator absenteeism, quality failure and supervisory control. While the operator performance data and the stochastic variables are handled satisfactorily within the simulation, the problems of control are not handled well by conventional discrete event modelling techniques. Adopts a knowledge‐based approach to control in which an online computerized supervisor exercises control over the execution of the simulation run. Complex system models are not easy to validate and a four‐stage approach is used to demonstrate conformance with real‐world systems: qualification; face validity; modular validation; and time‐series system behaviour. Discusses applications of the model and the results of experiments with a line starting work on a new style.

Ethical practice and methodological considerations in researching body cathexis for fashion products

Purpose – The paper seeks to identify ethical issues arising from body cathexis research and analyse categories for attention. To also highlight methodological considerations in generating body size data through measurement for fashion products.Design/methodology/approach – This study presents instrumental activities and strategies for conducting and implementing focus groups for investigating body cathexis and related body measurements for fashion products. Five homogenous groups of 30 females aged 19‐44 years, were employed. Purposive and proportionate sampling procedures involving both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied and analysed by triangulation. Aspects of the methodology of measurement are presented in this paper but analysis of measurement data is presented in a subsequent paper. Key ethical principles by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), UK have been also evaluated in relation to the integrity of such a study.Findings – The study found that deciding on procedures r...

A Cross-Sectional Approach to New Product Development

The UK textile and clothing industry has to respond to rapidly changing market requirements dictated by fashionable change and customer expectations and demands. In addition, the sector is currently facing significant challenges associated with environmental legislation and overseas competition. The new product development (NPD) process is perceived as a significant area for reorganization, innovation and investment. However, previous research has shown that typically companies in this industry suffer from having a fragmented and inefficient product development process that adds unnecessary time and cost to the process. This paper illustrates how a two-year Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) funded project aims to improve the product development process in this sector by transferring knowledge and experiences from other industrial sectors, in particular, the electrical/electronics sector. Specifically, we are focusing on the use of teams to achieve concurrency in the new product development process an...

Constraint-Based Reactive Rescheduling in a Stochastic Environment

The problem of scheduling manufacturing systems where the capacity of a production resource is subject to stochastic change, is the subject of this paper. Resources which are dependent upon labour intensive processes provide typical examples. In the United Kingdom the manufacture of clothing garments is still dominated by the progressive bundle system. Garments are produced on a continuous-flow production line in which garment pieces are passed in succession through a network of workstations where skilled manual workers complete operations on garments using sewing machines. These production systems are subject to numerous perturbations caused by operator absenteeism and machine breakdown necessitating the need for reactive rescheduling to maintain line balance. In the approach described here, line balance is maintained via periodic schedule repair, based upon reassignment heuristics, supported by partial order backtracking.

Parade – exploiting the strengths of ‘Made in Britain’ supply chain

This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of domestic versus offshore supply chains in the clothing industry. It uses Parade, a UK company formed in 1999 which specialises in customised designs and small‐scale orders, for a case study. The results and their implications for the UK clothing industry are discussed.

Will the real clothing industry please stand up

Disputes the view that the clothing industry is in terminal decline, without denying the competitive pressures it faces, particularly through globalisation. Describes the work of the CAPITB Trust in indentifying a typology of successful clothing industry companies, resulting in the publication of an executive summary, Skills for Success, in 2002.

Simulation of flow lines in clothing manufacture. Part 2: credibility issues and experimentation

Explains that the improvement of flowline assembly systems provides the context for this research: to understand and improve the design and control of manually‐intensive flowline assembly in the clothing industry. Constructs a simulation model of the progressive bundle system, incorporating operator performance variations and learning effects, machine failure and repair, operator absenteeism, quality failure and supervisory control. Notes that, while the operator performance data and the stochastic variables are handled satisfactorily within the simulation, the problems of control are not handled well by conventional discrete event modelling techniques. Adopts a knowledge‐based approach to control, in which an online computerized supervisor exercises control over the execution of the simulation run. As complex system models are not easy to validate, uses a four‐stage approach to demonstrate conformance with real‐world systems: qualification, face validity, modular validation and time‐series system behaviour. Discusses applications of the model and the results of experiments with a line starting work on a new style.