Neil Towers

Lean or agile: A solution for supply chain management in the textiles and clothing industry?

The textiles and apparel industry has been neglected in terms of supply chain management research. Recently, the industry has undergone a great deal of change, particularly with global sourcing and high levels of price competition. In addition, textiles and clothing has market characteristics, such as short product lifecycle, high volatility, low predictability, and a high level of impulse purchase, making such issues as quick response of paramount importance. This article discusses characteristics of the textiles and apparel industry and identifies the perspectives of lean, agile and leagility (a combination of these) within existing supply chain literature, which have been proffered as solutions to achieving quick response and reduced lead times. Through case studies of textile and apparel companies, different approaches to supply chain management are illustrated.

Conceptual framework development: CSR implementation in fashion supply chains

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify the inhibitors and drivers of CSR implementation in fashion garment manufacturing from a supply chain management perspective.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study approach was adopted, using purposive sampling to select seven export garment manufacturers of varying size and business model in Sri Lanka. Primary data was collected through on‐site face‐to‐face interviews with managerial level and operational level informants within each company and through non‐participant observation within factory environments. Data analysis was conducted manually.Findings – Adopting SCM principles supports CSR implementation in supplier facilities in global fashion garment supply chains by overcoming the negative effects of retail buying practices. It also progresses supplier CSR performance beyond that which is achievable via a coercive, compliance‐based model by encouraging suppliers to be innovative and take ownership of the CSR agenda. Hence, aspects of supply cha...

Creating agile supply networks in the fashion industry: A pilot study of the European textile and clothing industry

Abstract Despite the rapid downfall in the European textile and clothing industry, strategic management research within the sector has been fairly limited. European textile manufacturers have had to work hard to sustain profitability and respond to large-scale imports from low labour rate sources of production. For the European industry to survive, further research is needed to support manufacturers, distributors and retailers in creating strategies for the global textile supply chain to be managed efficiently and effectively. This paper introduces agile merchandising as a new value adding strategy for the European clothing and textile manufacturing industry. Developed from existing theory and a case study involving 11 European textile manufacturers, the concept of creating strategic agile supply networks in the textile fashion industry has been investigated. The results suggest that by incorporating the cooperative advantages of European manufacturers into the sourcing process, retailers would be better able to respond to the volatile and unpredictable nature of fashion garment demand.

Assessing the future challenges in strategic sourcing commodity from China: a case-study analysis

There has been an increasing trend of global sourcing garment supply from South-East Asia but the challenges confronting retailers sourcing commodity and seasonal garments from countries such as China are less well understood. A supplier evaluation model developed from the Kaufmann and Hedderich (2005) framework assesses the delivery, flexibility, cost, quality, reliability and culture sourcing challenges from China using a case study approach of a UK-based garment sourcing company using a fuzzy logic method. The results have identified that the highest challenges include unforeseen risk in delivery process, rigid negotiability, language barriers and Chinese-style business customs. The most important challenges are improvement, sourcing location, languages barriers, unforeseen delivery risks and customer services.

Employing the participative paradigm as a valid empirical approach to gaining a greater understanding of contemporary supply chain and distribution management issues

Purpose – Social scientists have developed a number of ontological paradigms, including realism to describe their own perspective of the worldview under investigation where each is linked to an epistemology that deals with how the world is perceived and the relationship between the researcher and the known view. This paper aims to propose the use of a Participative phemenological paradigm in qualitative research for an empirical inquiry to compare developed theory to practise.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the epistemological belief elements of deductive, inductive and abductive paradigms applied to supply chain and distribution management research. It develops the participative approach, derived from realism as a valid methodology for gaining a greater understanding of the applied management subject area.Findings – This paper addresses the validity of the participative paradigm in phemenological social science research, suggesting it is a valid and rigorous research activity to gain grea...

Implementing manufacturing resource planning in a Greek aerospace company

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the supply and productivity improvements derived from implementing manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) practices.Design/methodology/approach – The approach is a case study in a Greek aerospace company, using Hellenic Aerospace Industry, SA (HAI). The closed loop business operating system, MRP II is recognized as being an effective management system that has an excellent planning and scheduling capability, which can offer an increase in customer service, significant gains in productivity, higher inventory turns and reduction in material cost.Findings – The implementation has included setting clear goals, following a formal implementation plan, using a project steering committee and project teams. However, some aspects such as limitations by Greek legislation, constraints in hardware, incomplete education and training of the personnel and the BOM data accuracy are discussed in the context of HAI Productivity and supply issues resulting from the impl...

Food allergies and the UK catering industry: A study of the training needs for the industry to serve those with food allergies

This study looks at the ability of retail food outlets to provide suitable meals for those with special dietary needs. Thus, some food allergies are described briefly and the personnel involved in food preparation and service are examined. Groups of owners of catering outlets were interviewed to discover from them their knowledge of food allergies and how readily they could feed such sufferers. The results of the surveys are reported. All establishments serving food in a small town and its surrounding area were considered, and many were then included in the sample. In addition, some restaurants and hotels in a seaside holiday resort were questioned. The results showed that the knowledge of allergies was varied, as was the ability to provide suitable meals. The food outlets in the holiday resort had staff so well‐trained that special needs would be reported to management. The proprietors recognised a need for greater education, but many did not perceive it to be a training issue, and suggested other potential providers.

An assessment of international strategic merchandising from China, post–quota elimination in January 2005 for the UK apparel market

Abstract On January 1, 2005, the Multi-Fibre Arrangement, which established quotas on different categories of apparel and textile imports to the European Union, was phased out.This article synthesizes the determinants of trade patterns in the absence of quotas and reviews their impact for the UK apparel retailermarket. It assesses international strategic merchandising from China, post-quota elimination for the UK apparel market with particular reference to global adjustment to apparel supply. However, to sustain their domination of global fashion textile supply, particularly to EU markets, China will need to face the challenges of anti-dumping, technical regulations or standards, preferential trade agreements, regional free trade zones and other non-tariff trading barriers. The article concludes that China is well placed to exploit her position of dominance but suggests that sub-optimal considerations of cost versus response time to the EUretailer will provide a challenge for the future supply of fashion retail products.

The supply chain management of production planning and sustainable customer relationships

Cites considerations to be borne in mind when reviewing a supply chain. Compares a number of models which consider customer relationships from the perspective of the supply chain. Suggests that the internal short‐term production planning controls underpin the relationship with the customer and that a sound relationship between production and sales is crucial.

Managing special dietary needs for food allergies in the hospitality industry; a survey based on the Coeliac disorder

Many people are intolerant of certain foods in their normal diet, with over ten million people in the UK suffering from one kind of allergy or another and where allergic conditions have increased four-fold over the past 20 years. The aim of this investigation was to increase the understanding of the influences on the provision of special dietary menus within the hospitality industry, using the coeliac disorder as an exemplar. Based on an English market town as the unit of analysis the survey highlighted that a large proportion of the hospitality industry possesses a very limited knowledge of food allergies, and may not be able to respond adequately to such requests. There was an almost unanimous agreement that more information must be provided to those involved in food preparation and serving, but much less agreement on who should accept the baton to discharge this responsibility. Staff awareness through education and training programmes together with making medical and food information available were identified as important issues that underpin the quality of service provision for customers with food allergies.