Kenneth A Fogg & Son of Hazel Grove, Cheshire, England, is a successful children's wear manufacturer for George Clothing (ASDA), Woolworths, Tesco, Adams and Mothercare. All these retailers are seeking reduced lead times for fashionable products (to respond to fashion trends and to avoid stockouts) and smaller batch production (to reduce the risk of unsold stocks).
"With the increasing pressure from customers for continuously changing ranges we looked at CAD some years ago", said director Ken Fogg. "At that time the systems we looked at were difficult to get to grips with and they contained far too many irrelevant add-ons. We decided our best policy was to be patient and wait for new developments."
The first phase of investment was in a Lectra Systems facility for grading, marker planning, and costing. The software packages used are Modaris and Dianamo. This is now the real work-horse for post design activity.
Some time later, the company did identify a suitable CAD system for their design work. The criteria that a system must fulfil were identified as follows:
| Following an evaluation of
different CAD systems, the directors selected STYLEit
from Option Systems Ltd as the most suitable for their
company. In their view the chosen system met all their
criteria for purchase. According to Nicholas Fogg, "With this sophisticated system, we can ensure - at the click of a button - that on-screen and printed results are a true representation of the original designs. We've also reduced the time schedule from concept design to manufacture - a special factor that is making our company more efficient." |
 |
All graphical work is now done with STYLEit: including embroidery and printing designs. Service companies are used to create the programs to control production machinery, such as the state-of-the-art ZSK embroidery machine that the Company has in its Wrexham production unit.
The IT tools used by the Company are kept under continuous review. The next phase of introduction, scheduled for late in 2000, is the installation of computerised cutting: for enhanced quality and flexibility.
For over a decade, supply chains have been utilising EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to send data between organisations (Business-to-Business or B2B). The retailers have led the way on this and clothing manufacturers have installed the systems that their customers wanted to use. Kenneth Fogg & Son Ltd. have the ability to use EDI, but they have found their retail customers have not been motivated to develop its potential. EDI appears to be an out-dated communication system.
Instead, interest is focused on the potential of the internet and secure intranets. The company has its own public web site (http://www.kenneth-fogg.co.uk/) together with a password-protected intranet. These web facilities are currently being redeveloped.
The pace of change is substantial. Kenneth Fogg & Son works with a graphic images company in Manchester. "Suppose we wanted a graphic with a different teddy bear head from the one we used last year" said Kenneth Fogg, "Then, we travelled into Manchester and picked up a disk. Today, we exchange files using the intranet." This facility results in significant lead time reductions in the development of new garments. Kenneth Fogg is looking to work with other companies that have a similar approach to responsiveness and are utilising electronic images in the same way: "Companies are going to have to use this technology and to ensure that their systems (including image archives) can be integrated with it."
A significant part of the Company’s ability to achieve short lead times must be attributed to their IT strategy. CAD work can be accessed by printers via the Company intranet. For example, a company in Spain can download the graphic images, create strike-offs quickly and send them back via DHL to Kenneth Fogg & Son Ltd. within 48 hours. Another example cited involved a printer in Hong Kong. The Company is looking for more UK textile suppliers and printers who can operate in this rapid response mode.
When asked what would be at the top of a shopping list of priorities for the UK suppliers, Kenneth Fogg said: "the ability of dyers and finishers to do lab dips and strike-offs quickly. Also, for printers to have a good range of base fabrics available so that strike-offs could be done quickly". In his view, much of the textile supply chain in the U.K. is operating in a long-gone world. Today, we need to be masters of responsiveness and flexibility.
Sources: The CAD system investment is based on a report in the February 2000 edition of World Apparel. Coverage of the other IT applications is based on personal interviews with Kenneth Fogg.
Report prepared by David J. Tyler, August 2000, North West Advanced Clothing Systems.