Walk this way

Four industry groups. Three interested parties. One Vision. Assia Benmedjdoub delves behind the scenes of a revolutionary textile, clothing and footwear proposal.

Even the most hardened economist can make supply chains sound like a walk in the park - or, for the purposes of this story, a light stroll down the assembly line.

American numbersman Alan Deardorff once defined it as, "the sequence of steps, often done in different firms and/or locations, needed to produce a final good from primary factors, starting with processing of raw materials, continuing with production of perhaps a series of intermediate inputs and ending with final assembly and distribution".

But as any independent designer will object, this relatively simple sequence of steps can evolve into the Pasa Doble when short-run productions come into the equation. More complicated still, when ethical and environmentally sustainable production methods are as much a priority as speed to market.

Emer Diviney, a research and policy coordinator for the Ethical Business arm of charity group Brotherhood of Saint Laurence (BSL), says re-structuring in the local garment industry has seen a decline in the number of manufacturers willing to produce small runs. Little has been done to ease the burden since Diviney released her report into the sector 'Ethical Threads' in 2007.

"Changes in the industry, through the progressive opening of markets to imports and the relocation of many manufacturing arms overseas, has resulted in industry fragmentation and factory closures in Australia," she says. "As a result, designers often describe a loss of local manufacturing capability and technology and a shortage of skilled workers, particularly sample machinists and patternmakers."

These pressures, coupled with a growing desire to drive innovation in the local manufacturing sector, has seen (BSL) join a campaign to develop a state-of-the-art digital supply chain project in Victoria. The project is a joint venture between BSL, The Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA), Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA), Fashion Technicians Association Australia, RMIT University, University of Melbourne and Total Measurement Solutions. 

The goal is to open an innovative production and training facility that links small designers with garment outworkers and digital supply chain technology. According to a proposal put forward to the Federal Government, the facility will benchmark short-run production, sample machining and patternmaking using automated garment development tools. Diviney says it's important to note the program will build on the success of a recent patternmaking project for outworkers, delivered at RMIT's School of Fashion and Textiles in conjunction with English classes run by the TCFUA.

The initial project saw four out of 12 outworkers find full-time, ongoing employment after completing a 36-hour pilot program. This was extended to a 12-month program earlier this year with 13 outworkers due to complete the course early next year. Diviney says their skills will be an invaluable part of the facility's program.

"It is envisaged that the outworkers will be engaged together with designers and technicians in the development of the state-of-the-digital supply chain model," she says.

The implementation of this digital supply chain will allow companies who use the facility to save on the costs of manufacturing. TFIA economist Lachlan Caddy says most small textile, clothing and footwear companies struggle to finance the various stages of manufacturing a garment.

"The technology available today means that a garment can go from idea/concept to a fully formed product in a digital process - this allows for the expensive manufacturing process to be put off until the very last opportunity," he explains. "And, as a fully formed product has already been produced digitally, it can even be marketed before it's manufactured. This will further enable companies to predict to some degree how popular the product will be and therefore, gain an idea of the volume they will need to produce."

The convergence of advanced technologies and equipment for the home sewing industry - such as Bernina My Label software, Janomie embroidery machines, PC printers and heat transfer applications - with modulated technologies and equipment for big business - such as CAD programs that are affordable for small to medium enterprises, semi-automated machines, single ply cutters and digital printers - will also make for a highly innovative work centre.

"This is about benchmarking practices for the industry - creating customer focused activity, management of the design process, lean manufacturing in the context of one-piece flow operations and automatic garment development technology," says TFIA president Jo Kellock.

However, Diviney says the proposal isn't all about digital innovation - ethics also rate high on the agenda. The facility will aim to create secure, outgoing employment opportunities for outworkers under a system accredited by the Homeworkers Code of Practice, a union-industry initiative aimed at ensuring outworkers receive their minimum legal work requirements. Diviney says her own investigations into Australian garment outworkers revealed many are still getting paid as little as $2.50 an hour and working in poor conditions.

"The model will ensure these workers are provided with a safe and comfortable working environment. This means, designers that are using the production facility will also have the assurance their garments are manufactured under ethical conditions. Given the greater level of awareness of and consumer demand for socially responsible products, this will provide designers with a competitive edge in the market."

Moreover, the facility will provide additional training opportunities for both designers and outworkers. Diviney says this kind of program will ensure outworker skills are recognised and give designers the opportunity to access them.

"Outworkers will be given the opportunity to have their skills formally recognised, to upskill where there are identified skill gaps and to gain access to crucial language and literacy training. By working collectively, this program ensures workflow issues experienced by designers and outworkers can be addressed." The Federal Government's response to the joint proposal, lodged as part of its review into the sector, was unavailable at the time of press. 

By Assia Benmedjdoub