Improving supply chain management in the clothing industry

Abstract

The main objective of this project was to improve the efficiency of the supply chain in a Portuguese clothing company. After analyzing and describing the initial status of the company operations, in order to identify problems, a plan of action was developed and new procedures implemented according to the lean thinking principles. These reviewed procedures were based on paradigms such as lean, agile and leagile, as well as some collaborative practices (VMI and CPFR). Through a better coordination of the materials and information flows, using the Raw Materials Warehouse Management System, the company achieved significant reductions in the levels of excess stock and in the storage response time. Additionally, the processing times of raw materials in quality control were improved and the cutting station supply became more efficient.