Supply Chain Management Checklist
Understanding your Business- What are the most important factors for you supply chain strategy?
- Price Point
- Speed and Market- How Long
- Location for Logistical or practical purposes
- Extra values offered by the factor or company
- Quality
- Other Factors
- Stability
- Design
- Technical Advisors
Make sure you are comparing apples to apples!
- Same Fabric &Trims to your samples
- SameTrim, constitution and sewing (Tech packs)
- Same specs (Tech packs)
- Same terms
- Same social compliances
- Samples or swatches
- Tech pack
- Standards – Sizing
- PO Terms and Conditions
Tech pack- information needed for consistent pricing and delivery
- Fabric weight, construction, and content
- Trim detail with spec including buttons, zippers, embroidery stitches, labels, hang tags
- Sewing Details
- Packing Details
- Size specs graded and size range defined
- Chemicals applications and washes and finishes to apply including the standards
Company standards:
Some common standards that may differ for knits and woven will include you minimum ratings and test methods to use:
- Shrinkage
- Crocking- Wet and Dry
- Colorfastness to laundering
- Colorfastness to light
- Torqueing
- General Appearance test
- Pilling
- Seam strength
*The more requirements and tests needed, the higher the garment coat and coat to the buyer
Other Company Requirements That May Affect Price
- Social Compliance Requirements
- Terms
- FOB Point- Factory, Freight Forward or other
- Document Filling Costs such as 10+2
- Inspection requirements- Important timing
- Payment Agreement for testing
- Payment Agreement on samples
- Payment Agreement on Sample Freight
General Overview: what to look for in a Factory
- Social Certification of compliance
- Factory overall capacity and available capacity for customers
- Minimum orders by fabric, color, and style
- Location- country and distance to port
- How long has the company been in business?
- Past and present customers with similar products
- In house facilities and where is the outsourcing done
- Average turn time for specific styles after all approvals
- Inventory of their equipment and maintenance schedules
- In house auditors, auditing procedures and records of audits
- Technical staff available for assistance
Communication
- Do they write and speak English?
- Response time?
- Do they have a complete understanding of your questions and comments?
- What W.I.P reports will the provide
- Sample Quality- any issues due to poor communication skills