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Technology Boosts Value of Apparel Sourcing

Apparel Magazine produced its 12th annual assessment of the global sourcing market, Sourcing as a Value Center: Winning with Technologies, last month in partnership with Kurt Salmon, part of Accenture Strategy. The report, which incorporates survey data and results from more than 160 companies, includes responses that “were analyzed to determine what it means to excel in global sourcing and identify key trends shaping the apparel sourcing landscape especially those in the applied analytics and technology space.” The survey points to technology investments by sourcing companies as a key trend shaping the industry – a finding that aligns with NGC’s offering of a digital supply chain that allows customers to realize many of the benefits that were outlined in the report .

“See Now, Buy Now” Consumer Mentality Calls for a Faster Supply Chain

As technology continues to advance, the industry seems to be increasingly governed by instantaneous fulfillment. Quick processes like same-day delivery and on-demand services normalize a fast-paced culture, and the pressure to conform especially affects the fashion industry, where trends are constantly changing. While popular brands such as Forever 21, H&M and Zara are known for their “fast fashion” approach, producing replicas of fresh-off-the-runway items for sale in the time span of just a few weeks, shortening the apparel calendar is far from a quick-fix.

Proper Onboarding Is Crucial as Impending U.S-China Trade War Looms

U.S. companies that source materials and labor from China may have to make some changes to their sourcing strategies now that the U.S. added 25% tariffs on more than $30 billion of Chinese shipments earlier this month. The tariff spike doesn’t seem to be slowing down either; the Trump administration threatened up to $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, scheduled to take effect after Aug. 30, pending a consultation process.

Sourcing Journal Podcast: Episode 1, Speed Bump

In the first episode of Sourcing Journal’s new podcast, NGC’s Mark Burstein, Robert D’Loren, chairman and CEO of NGC customer Xcel Brands, and John Thorbeck, CEO and founder of Chainge Capital, discuss how retailers can successfully improve speed to market without sacrificing quality by executing a total transformation of the supply chain.

Shift to the Digital Supply Chain to Transform Design Productivity and Reduce Lead Times

Every year, WhichPLM publishes a buyer’s guide, highlighting PLM industry trends and predictions. It comes as no surprise to NGC, that this year, WhichPLM says that the approach to replacing your PLM has shifted. The guide compares the process to “replacing the operating system of a computer that everyone in the office shares: it requires an understanding of not just the capabilities of the different software environments themselves, but the needs of a variety of different stakeholders. Most importantly, it requires an acknowledgement that, to get the most out of a new environment, you need to fully understand the limitations of your existing one from every possible angle, and you need to identify how you and your colleagues visualize things changing in the future.”

PLM and the Digital Supply Chain

Because siloed information contains so many risks, companies are moving quickly to eliminate disconnected data siloes. The digital supply chain focuses on breaking down these barriers with a single cloud-based portal that centralizes and shares all the information that originates in legacy PLM, ERP, logistics and other systems. The digital supply chain unites all the disparate processes and information of fashion design and production into a real-time, connected digital enterprise system, and the advantages are significant.

Four Capabilities of a Synchronized Supply Chain

Keeping supply and demand in a constant state of perfect equilibrium is the #1 goal of every supply chain team. To deliver the right products at the right time to the consumers who want them, companies must continually rebalance supply and demand, then react with speed and agility to constantly changing demand signals. They must also improve supply chain execution in order to optimize sales, profit and inventory positions.

Digital Supply Chains: The Important Thing is to Start Now

The digital supply chain is one of the hottest topics in our industry right now, and with good reason. Companies that have digitized their design and manufacturing processes are winning the race in speed to market, increased sales and consumer satisfaction.

The Key Benefits of Digitizing Vendor Compliance

In today’s socially connected world, a whole host of issues at the factory level can turn into a full-blown crisis once customers and other stakeholders take to social media. And if the problem is serious enough, it could damage your business—even if you’re not directly responsible. However, if you properly manage your vendors from day one, issues can often be avoided, or at the very least mitigated, before they turn into nightmare scenarios.

The Key Benefits of Digitizing Quality Control

If not properly managed, quality is an area where your business can fail due to factors that are out of your control. Fortunately, quality control is an area that is quantifiable and closely tied to financial performance, and retailers and brand owners can easily and quickly see ROI.