Apparel makers are about to emb拿海race a sweeping digi黑家tal revolution

Fashion retailers have begun to follow黃火 the digital footpri國很nt of consumers, but the di音頻gital transformation of apparel ma好錯kers has only just b票坐egun.

McKinsey, a global research report poi大著nted out that the German c腦姐ompany for today's fashion費少 industry base is shift from the origi開鐘nal supply to demand driven, the sit一風uation for a lot of clothing purchas弟黃ing executives are starting to 店哥focus on the production 熱們operation of the digita志事l revolution. Digital changes c西些an not only keep pace with The 這好Times, but also bett分購er cope with shrinking問玩 minimum orders and chang謝的ing trends.

McKinsey survey for the $135 billion又樹 under management, procure她錯ment funds 135 billion senior executiv紙術es, 83% of them said that the future 業謝of the company clothing purchasin男嗎g digital can accelerat頻體e decision-making, reduce production e冷笑rrors, better fit the custo理聽mer's location. Achim Berg, sen水中ior partner at McKinsey's fash看器ion consultancy, said: &q技答uot;there is huge potential for來熱 digital development, such as shorter紅著 delivery times. In addition, adv鐵也anced analysis can be us信快ed to select production locations, t音通echnical cooperation with suppl遠多iers, or virtual prototyping.

McKinsey points out that討拍 most manufacturers' exe慢著cutives want to cut the buying北的 time from six weeks to 請但four weeks by digitizing. Colin年土 Browne, director of 得音Under Armour brand supply 花我chain, said: "the sp體紙orts product industry u商技sed to have long lead times for even r相海elatively simple produ美快cts. Accelerating the digi票可tization process can b信的etter manage the purchasing time.

The problem is that the雜公re is still a "湖說significant gap" between t業理heir current actions山票 and future expectations. McKinsey 用紅points out: "end-to-end process m坐日anagement is a very good 業什example, more than 80% of the pu購議rchasing executives be到討lieve the greatest influ子件ence on the future development of this畫我 field, but only 25% of people媽雪 think that their company is i我水n this area has achieved a high degr高嗎ee of digital."

McKinsey points out tha市火t companies are better off investi男快ng early in integrating aspect快和s such as product lifecycle management和區 software. It is reported that 他金integrating product life cycle managem房子ent software can increase 銀但productivity to 10 ti計小mes the current level. Ma裡亮rtijn Hagman, PVH's Euro國在pean markets chief and Tommy是對 Hilfiger's global ch快關ief financial officer, ackno要費wledges that PVH is trying to dr們這astically reduce deliver哥木y times through proce白懂ss optimization and digitisation, but討木 that most of the tools needed are &朋去quot;not in place". Take章家 3D design, for example, whic呢村h provides services 雜都such as digital graphics, fitting明商 and rendering, but there is no她話 program in the market that manages t慢家hese separate elements.

Automation is still an option for 來讀the buyer's company. By 2025, mor道會e than half of purchasi樂畫ng executives say, automation 農離will outstrip cost consideratio刀熱ns and become a key factor in their慢員 sourcing choices. Compared with the t見到raditional labor, automation te頻鄉chnology can not only improve 鐵友production speed and efficien技厭cy, also can promote the rapid growth o關兒f "purchase" to the ne喝放arest trend, from fashion compan信個y headquarters closer regional cost體水umes. McKinsey report co-a慢商uthor Saskia Hedrich 村那said: "there is a 明學person out of every two executives 科坐agree that, in order to sa有訊tisfy the desire of the consumer視快 hope that buy goods more quick機答ly, to purchase will be increas林火ingly important."

But the garment industry is not (at lea厭藍st not yet) moving towa事他rds full automation an什麗d local sourcing. Over th大放e next decade or so, says Col師科in Browne, "it's 行白going to be a model of p厭放roduction in low-cost coun靜街tries, with the help of AI and technolo兒信gy." He also noted 快去that the old haggling procurement m白黃odel was no longer there a廠術nd that fashion companies now w水費anted "a fully integrate男就d relationship" with supplier都文s.

Source: China textile network