The future of fashion is increasingly linked to customization. On-demand production is a business model with limited financial risk and it has many advantages for companies: It allows adapting the offer exactly to the demand by producing precise quantities, avoiding stockpiles or having to resort to price reductions. 74 percent of millennial & generation today is interested in purchasing personalized clothing.
From an economic perspective, there are many positives to on-demand production. On the plus side, it requires lower capital investment and leads to smaller inventories and more flexibility and agility. Shorter-turnaround cycles can reduce demand uncertainty and contribute to a more sustainable small-batch production cycle. However, production costs are generally higher, due to the smaller batch sizes, as are transport costs if production is nearshore or offshore.
Rising take-up of on-demand production will lead to a spike in personalization, and a new generation of customized clothing start-ups, creating a new definition of “made to measure.” In the technology space, automation intellectual property will continue to develop, with patent approvals likely to be a critical success factor in the years ahead.
To respond to new market trends and help fashion companies to meet new challenges, Lectra has developed the Fashion on demand solution. The result of the research of more than one hundred experts during the last 4-5 years, stems from the principles of the Industry 4.0 and it automates the entire process of customization, from product development to the final cutting phase.
Consumers are now driving trends
Thanks to 24-hour connectivity, consumers are making faster, more informed purchasing decisions. Not only are they defining the value proposition of products and services, but they are also empowered to impose their demands on the market. Brands, retailers and manufacturers wanting to succeed in this new business environment will have to change their focus to be more customercentric, adopt industry 4.0 best practices and invest in smart technology to keep up with consumer trends.
Conventional supply chains can no longer meet consumer demand
The conventional fashion supply chain model is too opaque, fragmented and slow to respond to diversified consumer demands quickly enough to satisfy customers. As a result, consumers will look to the nearest competitor to get the personalized products and exceptional customer experiences they want. This inability of the conventional supply chain to meet new expectations puts established fashion companies at risk.
The on-demand business model is now
The on-demand model is a way to make factories smarter and bring business closer to the consumer. The key to meeting the needs of the new consumer is learning how to integrate state-of-the-art digital technology and real-time consumer data into daily business operations. Brands, retailers and manufacturers with the flexibility to produce quickly and on demand are successfully winning consumer loyalty.
On-demand business benefits
• Generate positive cash flow: Take pre-paid orders, optimize operational overhead, gain material savings and minimize excess stock
• Achieve operational agility: Respond and react quickly to new market opportunities around on-demand production and personalization—small series, customization and made-to-measure orders—without disrupting existing revenue models
• Acquire competitive advantage: Integration of innovative technologies at each step of the product lifecycle lets you build and manage a powerful, efficient on-demand supply chain to speed your products to market and strengthen your position
• Think globally and act locally: Create, develop and produce more sustainably for specific regions, adapting your production to business models and/or individual consumers by taking advantage of nearshoring
Fashion on demand by Lectra
The industry’s first end-to-end solution to develop individualized products and automate production—is designed to help the fashion industry overcome the challenges of scaling and/or implementing made-to-order and personalized offers.
A complete solution
• Lectra Digital Cutting Platform: A powerful cloud-based solution including business applications
• Virga smart and connected single-ply cutting line
• 3 packages for a modular and scalable offer: Made to order for sampling, small series, quick assortment Made to customize for customization orders Made to measure for made-to-measure clothing
• Powerful automatons that automatically process the various activities from preparation up to cutting
• Seamless automatic synchronization between cutting line, digital platform, ERP and Lectra CAD
What you will gain
Fashion on Demand by Lectra is a game-changer in this space because it automates the go-to-market processes to expedite development while concurrently enabling manufacturers to expertly manage fabric cutting, even for complex, patterned designs. By shortening the cycle, fashion companies will be able to produce the high-quality personalized garments consumers want faster.
Improved time to market
• Simultaneous management of multiple individual orders
• Automation of production rules
• Identical cutting speed for both patterned and plain fabrics
Cost savings at every stage
• Material savings: Powerful nesting and high productivity per square meter
• No plastic and paper consumables
• Multi-line and multi-site management
Operational efficiency
• Streamlined production processes
• Pre-set cutting instructions
• Configurable workflow with rules you can change at any time
Full operational control and 360° visibility
• Supervision controls
• Vertical IT system and horizontal process integration
• Data monitoring integrated into dashboard
Flexible and secure management of personalization offers
• Management of any variant or component
• Automatic matching of orders to product catalog
• Line-item product monitoring made possible by unique product ID numbers
Optimized management of a broad range of fabrics and patterns
• Powerful scanner with fabric pattern positioning
• Material library management: Set attributes for individual fabrics
• Automatic parameter set-up for cutting
Consistent fit and sizing across products and markets
• 2D patternmaking
• 2D industrialization (including special grading)
• Reliable alterations system with automatic consistency controls
Enhanced user experience thanks to an easy-to-use solution
• Intuitive touch-screen interfaces
• Controlled sequencing of cutting jobs
• Visual loading and off-loading assistance
Why Lectra?
Lectra has more than 40 years of experience innovating in the fashion industry. It works together with major fashion and apparel players in over 100 countries. Drawing from its experience and expertise, it is continuously reinventing the value chain so that businesses can become more pro table, sustainable and agile.
