For many senior people, apparel manufacturing is synonymous with disconnected and misbalanced processes, copying and patching solutions, pre-designated jobs, and misaligned management. Furthermore it is characterized by decentralized functions composed of many profit center divisions which don’t factor in the performance of individual buyers or different products. This in turn means unit costs and profits cannot easily be monitored nor can deviations be improved upon. In other words, the common belief is that the manufacturing structure and management role and systems in the apparel industry today is stuck in the past.
The essential future needs of the apparel manufacturing are radically different. The sector requires an image makeover to present itself as a modern 21st century industry. Yesterday’s factory must be replaced with advanced production concepts and an objective-focused structure. It must possess a dedicated and trained workforce, greatly supported and aligned with the management team and all key support staff. Everyone must be engaged in maintaining the organization’s core objectives. Furthermore, factories must introduce a flat organizational structure where a just-in-time approach allows both middle and line managers real-time decision-making authority when confronted with problems which could potentially cause costly delays.
