In the textile industry, where production cycles follow one another to the rhythm of successive collections with strong specificities between the different product families, the coordination of all the players in the Supply Chain is very important.
Mastering Lead Time is an essential issue because it determines compliance with the commercial objectives of marketing new collections or restocking distribution channels.
This article is aimed at supply chain managers, suppliers as well as textile company managers, by proposing concrete levers to optimize lead time while preserving quality and costs.
Lead time represents the total time between ordering raw materials and making the finished product available to the customer.
For Lead Time to be respected, each milestone in the supply chain must be on time so that the next one takes place in good conditions, from confirmation of the supplier order to delivery in store.
With e-SCM, an upstream Supply Chain management solution, we help manage the Lead Time until receipt in the warehouse, which makes it possible to optimize and secure the organization of the downstream Supply Chain.
The upstream supply chain in the world of the Textile industry remains very fragmented, which increases the risk of Lead Time slipping. With very careful management of operations, it is possible to anticipate deviations and above all to find room for maneuver to correct a deviation or cushion its impacts.
⋅ Availability of raw materials : fabrics, threads, and other components must be ordered and delivered on time.
⋅ The complexity of manufacturing processes : coordination between Tier 1, 2 or 3 suppliers to respect the general schedule
⋅ International logistics : supplies from remote areas have a significant impact on Lead Time due to the duration of maritime transport and can cause inexhaustible delays.
⋅ Management of unforeseen events : such as industrial and social risks, climatic hazards in the different production areas.
Lead time is calculated using the following formula: Lead Time = Delivery date – Order date, it indicates the number of days elapsed between receipt of the order and its delivery to the store.
Lead Time is calculated by breaking down the process to define the Lead time for each milestone. The sum of the Lead Times of the sub-processes constitutes the overall Lead Time until the productions are put into storage.
Each element must be measured precisely to identify areas for improvement. For example :
From an expected reception date, we define a retro-schedule by positioning all the milestones according to their own Lead Time. Thus the schedule put in place is coherent and can be managed as operations progress.
Managing Lead Time involves appointing a manager for each milestone so that he or she can follow his or her operational schedule but can also be instantly alerted of any hazards in the forecast schedule for the previous milestone. Thus, informed, he can anticipate all deviations and accordingly alert those responsible for downstream milestones.
Everyone can adjust their organization with the best possible anticipation to cushion the impact of any hazard.
Supervision in “Control Tower” mode of the upstream Supply Chain allows better overall control and the implementation of a continuous improvement approach to refine intermediate Lead Times, identify risks and implement workaround or reliability plans. operations.
To control deadlines, here are strategic approaches adapted to the textile supply chain:
Consider demand requirements and forecasts
⋅ Share, use predictive analysis tools to define the forecast marketing schedule based on consumption trends and turnover objectives
⋅ Collaborate with marketing teams to synchronize collection launches with production cycles. Collaborate with reliable and flexible suppliers
⋅ Share information in real time and put in place the means to monitor operations with alert levels to anticipate any deviation, whether in production capacity, production planning, qualitative monitoring of operations
⋅ Evaluate supplier performance using key indicators (quality, deadlines, costs).
Optimize internal processes
⋅ Standardize procedures and harmonize them between all suppliers to simplify monitoring, alert on potential deviations, limit non-compliance, and reduce the impact of unforeseen delays.
⋅ Invest in automation technologies to accelerate critical steps, such as stock management or orders monitoring.
Integrate an agile logistics
⋅ Book as much upstream as possible to transport to the best conditions and diversify your transport options to react very quickly in the event of a need to change or minimize the risks linked to delays,
⋅ set up regional hubs to reduce the distances between suppliers and production centers.
Adopt a supplier portal and a Supply Chain control tower
⋅ Supplier portal : Centralize interactions with your suppliers, by ensuring real -time monitoring of orders, productions of their routes and deliveries.
⋅ Supply Chain control tower : Monitor each stage of the supply chain thanks to a digital platform which offers total visibility and predictive analyzes.
E-SCM-Solutions is a collaborative platform that helps fashion and luxury brands to optimize the management of the supply chain, from order to warehouse delivery, while guaranteeing compliance, product traceability and Respect for delivery times.
Considered a real "control tower" by our customers, the solution secures and improves the lead time at each stage:
Real -time follow -up : visualize each step of your supply chain to anticipate and correct delays.
Centralized collaboration : promote fluid communication between all actors (suppliers, carriers, internal teams).
Collaborative planning : collaborate with partners to ensure optimal synchronization of operations.
Performance analysis : Quickly identify improvement areas thanks to personalized dashboards.
Digitalization of processes : automate administrative tasks, such as order management or documents control.
By adopting the E-SCM solution, your company will benefit from a more agile and efficient supply chain, thus meeting the requirements of a constantly evolving textile market.
Optimizing the lead time in the textile supply chain is not only a question of reducing deadlines, but also to strengthen the responsiveness and competitiveness of the company. Thanks to suitable strategies and high-performance tools such as E-SCM, Supply Chain managers and suppliers can transform challenges into opportunities and ensure a sustainable competitive advantage.
Lead time reduction offers significant advantages: