Mass Customisation and the real time corporation in the Clothing Industry

(11/11/2002 20:00)
Topic One: #

The fragmentation of demand, which brought about the demise of Mass Production in conjunction with the move to quality markets and the technological advances, unthinkable even a few years ago, will transform our industry in a profound manner.
The signals from the marketplace are, that customers crave for individuality, expressed in a plethora of ways, from financial services to individualised lifestyles and of course customised clothing. Deluged by an infinite variety of clothing ranges, it seems that they would like to take shelter to the `Just for Me` motto.

Topic Two: #

Diversity does not provide all the answers and marketeers; strategists and futurists argue that “Segments of one” should become the new creed in the Fashion Industry.
Mass Customisation subverts the mass production mindset by searching for individuality among customers and not commonalities, it satisfies “Actual Demand” and not “Forecasted” demand. Many will argue that this is easy to say, but technology can propel mass customisation as the business strategy of the 21st century. What is meant by technology is, a full range of electronic tools, from the ubiquitous Internet to the new powerful CAD systems which can deliver customised clothing at relatively short time spans and above all without incurring significant additional costs to the final customer (at least in theory at present).

Topic Three: #

Cotton Varietes , no doubt , play a prominent role in the success of cotton commercial production in any cotton producing country , and in Egypt in particular , as the world – wide reputation of Egyptian cotton relies primarily on the many varieties of high quality that emerged during the last one hundred and thirty years such as Ashmouni , Sakel … etc . When dealing with Egyptian cotton varieties , three main topics will be discussed; breeding new varieties , maintenance of commercial varieties , and a general overview of the important varieties that have been put into commercial production .

Topic Four: #

The two main components of seed cotton , from the economical and utilization points of view , are the lint and the seed. The lint usually comprises one third or somewhat more of the weight of seed-cotton while seeds provide the rest two thirds. The ginning outturn varies according to varieties and growing conditions. For Egyptian commercially grown varieties, the ginning outturn , on the average for the whole crop during the last years, was about 36.5 – 37.5 %. Market lint price per unit weight is nearly ten times that of seeds. However, because seeds are nearly twice the weight of lint, their share in the monetary value of seed-cotton is nearly twice their relative price and may by 15-20 % .

Topic Five: #

In cotton , as a field crop , quality is an economic value , parallel to yield , as they together determine the revenue the farmer gets from cultivating cotton. The value of higher quality, and accordingly higher price , is of special importance in Egyptian cottons as they are of generally lower yield potential than upland cottons. It is quality that compensates for the loss in yield potential. This explains, besides other factors such as marketing potentialities, the enthusiasm of Egyptian cotton breeders for maintaining higher levels of quality in the newer varieties they regularly introduce. On the other hand, quality of a cotton is not a simple criteria but , in fact , a rather complicated one. It includes numerous fiber properties that determine the field of utilization , the processing behaviour and the quality , and price , of the end product. These properties vary widely among different cottons. Also , the requirements of cotton spinners, the only client of cotton, vary widely. Improvement in one fiber property may sound as the required improvement for a spinner , but for another a balanced improvement in all fiber properties may be the real requirement. Methods of test and assessment are also important. Therefore , in this chapter , similar to what has been followed in chapter 4, the subject of quality will be presented broadly for cotton in general, and special emphasis will be given to Egyptian cotton.

Topic Six: #

The three activities ; ginning , classing , and marketing , are interlaced , and together play a prominent role in the cotton industry because of the services they provide to both the farmer , producer of seed-cotton , on one hand , and , on the other hand , the processor ; i.e. the spinner and the seed oil extraction industry. Classing provides the simple rule for assessing cotton quality to the benefits of the seller and the buyer . Ginning , besides converting seed-cotton into lint and seeds salable to processors , could promote the market value of cotton , while marketing makes it possible to the farmer selling his product and the processor obtaining his requirements . An efficient ginning , classing and marketing system could ensure fair price for producer thus enhancing production efficiency and farmers interest in cultivating cotton leading to a higher yield per unit area , total production and product competitiveness in local and export markets.

By: Konstantine Agrafiotes and Terrence D Bond

Submit Date: 11/11/2002 20:00

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