Due to the uncertain economic environment, fluctuating consumer demands, cost pressures, and environmental regulations, the garment manufacturing industry is in a precarious position. Manufacturers are under extreme pressure to produce quality goods as fast as a speeding bullet, ensure exceedingly fast time to market, and deliver value. In order to thrive, the manufacturing industry must prepare effectively for the future.

This brings us to an important question – How can we future-proof garment manufacturing? Well, to succeed in the constantly evolving garment industry, manufacturers need to anticipate market shifts and incorporate flexibility into their business operations. You need to lead with innovation and adopt relevant strategies to drive resiliency.

Learn how to ensure the resilience of your garment manufacturing unit and position yourself as a leader in the industry.


The Need for Future-Proof Garment Manufacturing

According to Statista, the global apparel market’s revenue is estimated to grow from 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021 to nearly 2 trillion by 2026.

In the exponentially growing apparel market, factories face a fiercely competitive environment that’s constantly changing. Rapidly changing customer demands and continued disruptions in supply chains act as catalysts, compelling manufacturers who want to stay relevant in the coming decades to adapt to this shift – and do so fast.

However, manufacturers can take this as an opportunity to take their growth and success to a higher level. When faced with complex challenges, manufacturing units must rethink their processes and approach, so they can accelerate business results.

But how can you future-proof garment manufacturing? And is future-proofing synonymous with adopting 4.0?

Future-proofing is more than just adopting the latest IT solutions and Industry 4.0 technologies. Future-proofing your manufacturing operations means aligning technology, people, and processes so that you can tackle tomorrow’s challenges today.

Future-proofing garment production can help manufacturers achieve their future potential and solve the most pressing problems they face in manufacturing. Some of the key benefits of a future-ready factory floor are:

• Improved process efficiency
  
• Reduced downtime
  
• Increased overall equipment effectiveness and asset utilization
  
• Increased agility
  
• Enhanced product quality
  
• Improved worker safety
  
• Reduced waste
  
• Lower costs
  


So, to survive and thrive in the garment industry, you need to be prepared for sudden market changes and start introducing agility in your business. Here’s how you can future-proof garment manufacturing and emerge as a leader.


5 Pillars to Future-proof Garment Manufacturing

Manufacturers need to begin thinking about future-proofing their operations now to be well-positioned for success in the years to come. The following are the top pillars that can enable you to make your factory floor future-ready and give it the capabilities to stay ahead of the curve.

1. Embracing Digital Transformation

To remain responsive to dynamic market forces, manufacturers need to harness the right technology. You need to build an ecosystem that supports digital transformation that will stand the test of time.

If you haven’t started your factory floor’s digital transformation yet, it's crucial to understand that technology isn’t a choice for your business but an essential part of it.

If you do not initiate your journey toward smart factories, your customers will seek alternatives. Thus, it is essential to recognize the value of digital transformation and its ability to improve operations to reap its most benefits.

Digital transformation can enable you to automate production processes to drive greater efficiency by enhancing production capacity and reducing costs. Moreover, the use of data analytics can help you to better understand consumer needs and preferences.

The application of robotics, digital twins, and IoT can be very helpful in preventing failures and improving overall quality and productivity. Digitization can also enable manufacturers to establish new supply chain models based on nearshoring and vertical integration.

Now the challenge is that the path to becoming future-ready is different for every factory. This is because there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution that you can apply to every shop floor. You will need to decide which tech solutions will suit your factory floor’s needs best. Evaluate what different technology solutions can mean for your business operations and how you can leverage their power.

Adopt the technologies that provide a 360-degree comprehensive picture of what's happening on the shop floor in real-time as well as retrospectively. Integrating technology into your manufacturing operations will result in a powerful boost in your ability to predict and respond to changing marketplace conditions, enabling you to stay ahead of the curve.


2. Real-time Data Visibility

Modern-day manufacturing units are complex and expansive, thanks to labor-intensive manual operations running simultaneously and the pressure to shorten production lead times.

If one process does not function properly - for instance, an unexpected delay in delivering cut panels from the cutting department to the sewing department - it results in causing delays in subsequent processes.

Thus, the operations of an apparel factory require a 360-degree view to identify and rectify challenges quickly. Integrating the right technology can give manufacturers comprehensive real-time visibility into their factory floor.

Implementing a single platform that consolidates and converts data into actionable insight can enable you to plan production operations and boost capabilities efficiently. You can gain insights into production volumes, manufacturing inefficiencies, and more.

Real-time insights provide visibility and predictability. For instance, machines on the factory floor are prone to breaking down during the production process. Data collected from these machines can help manufacturers perform predictive maintenance, resulting in more efficiency, longer uptime, and reduced costs.

Real-time data visibility can provide you with a single data model to maintain synergies between automated systems and manual operations, anticipate and prepare for risks, ensure consistency in data flow between stakeholders, and improve decision-making.


3. Focus on the Customer Experience

Another pillar to future-proofing garment manufacturing is to ensure that your digital transformation is aligned with benefits for the end customer.

Digital technology in garment manufacturing is changing the nature of customer services, and personalized experience is becoming a norm. Therefore, in addition to producing and delivering products, you must focus on providing exceptional customer experiences that promote loyalty and business growth.

A positive customer experience is essential for the success of a business. This is because happy customers become loyal, helping companies boost their revenue. To ensure a positive customer experience, you need to implement an up-to-date customer communications platform that is flexible, scalable, and future-proof.

According to Statista, the global revenue of the customer experience personalization and optimization software and services industry is expected to increase to 11.6 billion U.S. dollars by 2026 from an estimated value of 7.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

To future-proof manufacturing, you will also need to identify key points of contact along your customers' journey, gather customer feedback to improve experiences, and analyze trends to improve customer satisfaction.

Adopting a customer-centric approach, thus, can help you achieve better sales and happy customers, create your brand name, and ultimately boost your business.


4. Reskill, Upskill, and Empower Talent

Garment manufacturing is constantly evolving. Like many other industries, the only constant in apparel manufacturing is change. While change may not always be welcomed in this sector, it is well expected.

Supply chain disruptions, fluctuating consumer demand, and quickly changing workforce dynamics are becoming a norm in the manufacturing landscape. So, how do manufacturers navigate turbulent times? Well, it is possible by having a skilled and adaptable workforce that can cope with these changes.

The 2021 Deloitte Global Resilience Study highlighted that 57% of manufacturing respondents reported using advanced technologies to redesign job tasks, such as automating previously manual tasks. Automation helps achieve higher levels of productivity, but it requires manufacturers to upskill and reskill workers quickly to adapt to the new technology.

In addition to hiring and upskilling the right talent based on needs, apparel manufacturers must empower workers with the skills and tools they need to succeed in their day-to-day work.

Another study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute estimated that the manufacturing skills gap in the U.S. can lead to 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. Thus, to become future-ready, manufacturers also need to pay attention to resolving current talent scarcity

If you’re looking to meet evolving business demands and boost innovation, upskilling, reskilling, and empowering talent can help address these. By using skill mapping and skill matrix, you can identify skill gaps and potential solutions, including the creation of new roles or training that focuses on specific areas of the manufacturing unit’s need.

With the adaptability and readiness to take on modern-day market challenges, manufacturers will be able to generate the critical momentum necessary to bridge the skills gap as well as stay ahead of the curve.


5. Moving Toward Sustainable Manufacturing

The fashion industry ​​is faced with resource constraints and other negative environmental and social impacts. According to The Ellen Macarthur Foundation, over USD 500 billion of value is lost each year due to clothing underutilization and the lack of recycling.

In light of the growing awareness of sustainability and fast fashion, garment manufacturers need to ensure their operations are future-proof.

By becoming more conscious of sustainability and the impact of the fashion industry, manufacturers will be well-positioned to prosper in the future. A shift towards more sustainable patterns of production and a circular economy can enable manufacturers to remain competitive and continue to meet the needs of consumers in the future. But to achieve that, you will need to reinspect how you design, source, manufacture, and deliver your products.

Using sustainable fabrics, making design and prototyping processes less material intensive, and reducing waste during the production phase are some of the ways for manufacturers to improve their sustainability performance. Besides, a more sustainable factory floor also emphasizes the use of renewable energy, minimizing water usage, and adjusting energy loads.

You can also automate transparency in the entire supply chain using technologies such as IoT, blockchain, and AI. By utilizing these technologies, you can ensure data authenticity, secure multi-party transactions, and sustainability measurements. For instance, IoT sensors allow you to track a garment as it moves from its sourcing point (fabric) to its manufacturing point (production) to its warehouse distribution point (storage) to its retail point (shop).

With a sustainability mindset, apparel manufacturers can carry out predictive maintenance, reduce waste, and boost production while reducing costs associated with raw materials and assets needed for production.


The Way Ahead

Future-proofing garment manufacturing is essential for businesses to remain responsive to dynamic market forces in an ever-changing industry. By adopting new technologies, implementing sustainable practices, and fostering a culture of innovation, apparel factories can ensure their operations are efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. Additionally, by staying informed about industry trends and consumer preferences, manufacturers can anticipate and adapt to changes in the market and secure a prosperous future for their business and the industry as a whole.

Solvei8 can help you future-proof your garment manufacturing businesses. By utilizing our established technical proficiency, your apparel factory will be equipped to address both current and future challenges. Get in touch with us to learn how we can help you be more proactive with your apparel manufacturing business.

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