Today’s fashion manufacturing isn’t just about keeping up with the newest trends; it also involves innovative responses to change. The garment industry’s digital transition is being driven by rising labour costs in Asia, inconsistent quality inspections, and environmental concerns. In Southeast Asia, a hub for clothing manufacturing, factories need to take forward-thinking measures.
Automation in factories comes with its own set of pros and cons. Going full steam ahead can lead to higher initial investment costs but potentially a larger market share. On the other hand, a slower transition doesn’t mean missing out on opportunities; it just requires a more measured approach. Whether fast or slow, industry reports underline the challenges faced by the apparel sector. These reports also suggest potential solutions through smart manufacturing, with production automation being a prominent one.
Understanding the Apparel Industry
The garment industry is intricately related to the global supply chain. Global supply allows different countries and areas to play to their strengths, and in the case of garment production, many countries offer specific manufacturing technology, low-cost labor, or specialized raw materials. As a result, distinct stages of manufacturing may take place in different nations, allowing for more efficient production. Furthermore, the raw materials used to make garments may come from all around the world. Cotton, for example, may originate from India, the United States, or other countries, but wool may come from Australia or New Zealand. A worldwide supply chain allows these raw materials to be transferred to where they are needed, enabling a smooth production process.
Cheap labor is also a key factor. Certain countries have low labor costs, which has led to a significant shift of manufacturing activity to these countries, particularly in Asia. This allows manufacturers to produce clothing at a lower cost and thus offer more competitively priced products. Of course, there are other factors such as the manufacturing capacity of the factory and the relationship with the supply chain, how to establish effective distribution logistics, or the diversity of manufacturing from different countries with different needs.
Embracing Automation
With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, digitalization and automation have become the hallmarks of the new era. Automation in the apparel industry has become a must. Automation means using software to optimize the production of traditional equipment, such as using automatic fabric pulling machines to pull fabric quickly and stack it neatly, and recording the pulling time, length, and standby status while pulling the fabric; or minimizing fabric waste by using cutting machine nesting systems; or reducing the number of factory workers by using automatic bonding machines or automatic needle detectors.
Whatever the stage of automation, the introduction of automation will undoubtedly increase production speed and efficiency, reduce labor costs, ensure quality consistency, and thus reduce defects and returns. For the environment, automation helps reduce waste and energy consumption, contributing to sustainability.
The Growing Role of Machine Manufacturers
As automation technology develops, traditional equipment needs to be optimized to meet new production requirements. As a result, the role of the equipment manufacturer becomes even more critical, as they need to have expertise in the respective industry and understand how to interconnect with the entire production system.
In the apparel industry, there are many factories that have automated solutions to improve production efficiency. For example, a textile factory with various factories around South East Asia implemented an automated cutting machine and has not had machine downtime. In another case, a Sri Lankan manufacturer uses heat press machines to replace the inefficient pressing process, which results in a faster procedure. These examples demonstrate once again the importance and potential of automation.
However, it is also important to realize that finding the right hardware equipment and software system supplier is not simple, and requires constant cross-testing and evaluation to ensure that the equipment selected is perfectly adapted to the production needs and to avoid unnecessary costs in the future.
Machinery manufacturers play a key role in automating production, and their expertise and technical capabilities will have a significant impact on the performance of the equipment and the operational efficiency of the entire production system. Therefore, finding the right manufacturer is critical to the success of your automation solution.
Conclusion
Automation will shape the future of the apparel industry. To remain competitive and resilient, the apparel industry needs to recognize the benefits of automation and take proactive action. One solution is to upgrade equipment and optimize production lines through automation, digitization and intelligence.
Industry 4.0 is no longer a slogan, smart manufacturing has become a must. If you’re ready to upgrade your production line, reach out to us for the most suitable smart manufacturing solutions.
Contributed by: OSHIMA Taiwan, an internationally recognized professional apparel machinery manufacturer, has accumulated half a century of experience in garment equipment manufacturing. We offer a complete range of automation solutions for apparel production, from AI fabric inspector, IoT fabric spreading, to automated fabric cutting machine, auto ironing, auto heat press, auto needle detector, etc., which have been well received for their efficiency, accuracy and quality. Our value is not only in the provision of equipment, but also in the complete 360-degree service, including installation and after-sales service, aiming to provide customers with a convenient and stable experience.
{Contributed by OSHIMA Apparel Machinery (Taiwan)}
