IPE and TexTempo, experts in production management, incentive payroll, and quality control solutions for fashion, furniture, and industrial sewn products manufacturers, announce that ORIGIN USA is upgrading its legacy production systems to IPE’s latest IP-Realtime™ Shop Floor Control (SFC) solution at its Asheboro, North Carolina manufacturing operation. The producer of durable fitness apparel, jeans, boots, uniforms and accessories expects the new system to provide executives, production leaders and teams with the real-time visibility and control they need to make better-informed decisions and optimize productivity.
Origin NC COO Jason Gaddy explains, “The pandemic exposed the many issues of reliance on global supply chains. We have acquired two North Carolina-based manufacturing businesses in the past year to rebuild a reliable, highly productive USA supply chain for the sewn products Americans want and need. We are now reshoring orders and jobs that moved offshore over the years. But instead of doing things the old way, we are creating a culture of inclusion and belonging and equipping our people with the tools they need to be their best. At Origin USA, our people come first.”
Origin’s North Carolina operation currently employs some three hundred (300) team members and plans to grow to five hundred (500) over the next twenty-four (24) months. The company has combined facilities from its 2021/22 acquisitions of the Wells Apparel and Fox Apparel (Texas Jeans) companies into a single manufacturing facility. Legacy batch (processed daily) production systems used in these facilities are now being phased out in favor of the always-on IP-Real time solution.
Gaddy continues, “The original batch systems were used primarily to manage the incentive-based payroll tasks of the sewing operations. While IP-Rea ltime also handles payroll, it promises to provide tremendous value beyond payroll. We plan to use it in all areas of our operation, starting with the fabric cutting room all the way through to finishing and packing.”
The IP-Real time solution combines the use of standard; off-the-shelf tablet computers positioned at each workstation or team to collect information on and timestamp every production activity. IPE’s custom Android app displays productivity, work pacing and training tools, and product and construction details for production workers and teams. Production leaders rely on always up-to-date information on production flow, downtime, quality, and other key performance indicators to react and pivot as needed to ensure proper line balance and uninterrupted order deliveries. Executives and remote stakeholders use convenient dashboards on mobile devices to monitor factory operations.
“We are pleased with the opportunity to play a role in Origin USA’s success and support their commitment to bringing work back to the U.S.A.,” said IPE Managing Partner Brad Mikes. “We applaud them for recognizing the importance of equipping their workforce with the real-time information and tools they need to achieve world-class manufacturing performance. As an innovator in our industry, Origin USA continuously exhibits a forward-thinking approach that sets an example that other companies can follow.”
