ApparelTech, improves annual productivity by 9% and increases OTDP by 7% with Coats Digital’s FastReactPlan

Founded in 2000, Seoul-headquartered apparel manufacturer, ApparelTech Co. Ltd. is a globally leading producer of expedition insulated and Down jackets, foul-weather clothing and lifestyle garments including vests, swim shorts and trousers for large retail brands such as: Columbia Sportswear, VF, Timberland, Vans, Champion, Walmart, Lands’ End, Nautica, J.Crew, Costco and others. The company is headquartered in South Korea and has factories in Vietnam and Indonesia. ApparelTech produces over 11.5 mn pieces a year and boasts an annual turnover of over 158 mn USD.

Prior to implementing FastReactPlan, ApparelTech found that the lack of automation and real-time visibility in the production planning process not only meant there was limited information sharing between different departments, but also that manually produced capacity plans based on unreliable historical data, were time consuming and cumbersome to produce, scattered across multiple sources, and did not deliver the accuracy required to make optimum production decisions.

Jay Jung , Factory Managing Director, ApparelTech Co. Ltd. said: “As our product history and planning data was actioned and stored across many different departmental locations, it was not only difficult to find and collect specific product data, it was also exceptionally time-consuming to confirm product information, draw up production schedules and quickly confirm quotes and timings to customers. We also had no clear visibility to fully understand the production status of our 54 sewing lines, which meant a lot of unnecessary time was also, spent trying to identify the status and availability of each production line in turn.”

Following the implementation of FastReactPlan, ApparelTech’s planning and scheduling teams have quickly benefited from access to a single, unified source of real-time information, which provides all stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of what production lines are available and the capabilities and limitations of each line. The solution has consequently enabled ApparelTech to easily compare and contrast different capacity plans and select the most optimal plan based on factors such as cost, efficiency and delivery time.

J.W.KIM, CEO, ApparelTech Co. Ltd. added: “FastReactPlan has significantly optimised production efficiencies, supported OTDP improvements and helped reduce lead times including the order confirmation process… We have the comprehensive visibility we need to proactively predict problems and adjust product lines accordingly, which means effective line schedules can now be planned based on accurate order information and delivery expectations. FastReactPlan has surpassed all our expectations by improving our productivity efficiencies by an annual average of 9% and improving our delivery performance by 7%, which has impacted our profit margins in an extremely positive way. The automation of all our planning processes has also freed up time for staff to focus on other business-enhancing activities, such as supporting continuous improvement programmes, which have also helped to accelerate our business growth plans.”

Part of Coats Digital’s core Manufacturing Solution Suite, FastReactPlan is a dynamic, visual production planning and control tool that optimises delivery, efficiency and lead times. Designed and developed specifically for footwear and apparel manufacturers, it helps companies integrate capacity, critical path and materials into an integrated planning system.

Irene Won, Customer Success Manager, Coats Digital, said: “We are absolutely delighted that ApparelTech has experienced such strong and consistent results since its adoption of FastReactPlan. The solution has provided greater visibility and one version of the truth for core sewing planning, so that all relevant departments can communicate easily to eliminate problems quickly. We look forward to continuing to work closely with ApparelTech to ensure it remains a beacon of digitization best practice across Asia-Pacific.”