Are you LEAN in Product Development???

Posted by administrator on 2011/06/20 · Leave a Comment

I had the pleasure during the past edition of the Apparel Sourcing Show of giving a presentation about two basic concepts for our apparel industry. The first one is the beginning of the productive chain for any garment… that is, where ideas are “born” to later be transformed into a reality: product development…

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Enticing European Companies to Look West Rather than East

Posted by administrator on 2011/02/01 · 2 Comments

Several decades ago, when the United States companies started to source in Asia, the Western European companies went to East Europe, the Middle East (especially Turkey) and North Africa. Turkey, parts of East Europe and North Africa remain important contracting regions for Western European companies but in the past five years considerable production migrated to China and other parts of Asia…

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Understanding and Marketing to the Outdoor Sports Industry

Posted by administrator on 2010/12/08 · Leave a Comment

Two critical factors for success in marketing and selling in any industry is building personal relationships and clearly understanding and appreciating the client’s business environment. This article addresses some of the elements that distinguish the Outdoor Sports Industry and provides insight into some …

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Helping Santa Clause The Advantages of Sourcing in CAFTA-DR for Seasonal Deliveries

Posted by administrator on 2010/10/19 · Leave a Comment

It is not uncommon for a retailer to suffer through nine or ten months of disappointing sales, even losses, in hopes that the last few months of the year would suddenly make up for the earlier draught as consumers rush to the stores to complete their Christmas shopping. We have heard this story repeated over and

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ERP for Medium Sized Retailers

Posted by administrator on 2010/09/21 · Leave a Comment

A few years ago, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems were considered the domain of only the largest retailers and manufacturers serving the apparel industry. With newer and less expensive technology, with greater flexibility and modules that can be implemented in phases, the range of …

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Is Your Designer On-board or On an island?

Posted by administrator on 2010/08/16 · 1 Comment

There are many articles espousing the benefits that technology integration within the supply chain, especially Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems, can bring to an Apparel or Footwear company. Most C level Directors understand the inherent value

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Valuing and Cultivating Relationships

Posted by administrator on 2010/08/09 · 1 Comment

We all know the world has changed and business is more difficult. There are more demands on Retailers and on Suppliers. There is a heightened sensitivity to reducing product costs while operating costs continue to rise. Credit is tough, cash is scarce …

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Rewrite your future

Posted by administrator on 2010/06/09 · 2 Comments

The world has changed. That is no surprise to anyone. What is surprising is that many businesses have not adequately changed to compete in the current business environment. Most have not adapted processes as they wait for the slump to correct itself. The bad news is, the slump won’t …

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The human aspect of LEAN in practice

Posted by administrator on 2010/06/09 · Leave a Comment

We all strive to be better, more efficient, less prone to mistakes… to provide the best for our customer without causing damage to our company. That is what employees of Toyota sought for in 1978, when they began to realize that if they were able to link all productive elements at the specific …

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