Garment Industry Should Gain Competitive Advantage From Three Aspects.

"The competition for China's garment industry will be global competition in the future, and the competition of global competition is the comprehensive strength of the industrial chain, which is essentially the competition of the industrial chain." Chen Dapeng, executive vice president of the China clothing association, said in an interview in mid 2011.

2011 of the past is a very difficult year for the entire garment industry. China's apparel industry is facing severe challenges because of the rising cost of production, the difficulties of the capital chain and the global economic downturn.

At the same time, the "demographic dividend" of maintaining China's manufacturing industry to fight the world market at a low price advantage has gradually disappeared under the "Lewis turning point".

In April 28, 2011, the National Bureau of statistics released the data of the sixth national census. The data confirm the predictions of many researchers about the decline of population growth and the acceleration of aging.

What we expected is that China's aging rate is faster than expected. As of November 1, 2010, at the age of 0, the population aged -14 years accounted for 16.60%, 6.29 percentage points lower than the 2000 census, and 13.26% of the population aged 60 and over, 2.93 percentage points higher than that in 2000.

According to Ba Shu song, deputy director of the Finance Research Institute of the State Council Development Research Center, the published data confirm that China has crossed the "Lewis turning point" and that the demographic dividend window period is about to close.

How to deal with this crisis for China's garment industry, which has long been winning by low-cost labor?

"2011 is the year of handover between the" 11th Five-Year "and" 12th Five-Year ", which has become a landmark watershed for the development of China's garment industry. The industry has entered the new development period of transformation and upgrading. President Chen Dapeng firmly believes that in the long run, transformation and upgrading will be an important issue for China's clothing industry.

The topic of "transformation and upgrading" is not new to Chinese costumes in recent years. How can we practice transformation and upgrading every year?

At the October 2011 China clothing conference held in October 2011, Du Yuzhou, President of the China clothing association, said that China's garment industry changed from "big" to "strong". It must rely on the industry to accelerate industrial transformation and upgrading, and establish a modern industrial chain integrated innovation system.

Therefore, the key step in the transformation and upgrading of the garment industry is to build an innovative industrial chain, which starts with the effective docking of all links in the industrial chain.

Docking first

"With the increase of the number of enterprises and the increase of product varieties, there is no way to achieve this kind of information docking by traditional methods. When we are faced with huge amounts of information, how can thousands of designers and thousands of fabric enterprises find information matching themselves? For garment enterprises, how to find suitable suppliers for many fabric suppliers? In order to achieve these goals, we must rely on effective docking. Feng Dehu, vice president of the China Fashion Association, talked about the docking of the fabrics in the "2011 Yangtze River Delta fashion women's clothing brand and the China fashion fabric enterprise special meeting". Clothing enterprise The importance of development, and the industry has also done a lot of work to achieve this docking.

In addition to the Yangtze River Delta women's fabric matchmaking conference, the industry has also done a lot of work for the effective docking of fabric and garment enterprises.

The two China international textile fabrics and accessories fair, held in 2011, the "2012/13 season fashion fabric and garment brand docking conference" organized by China Textile and garment brand pioneer park in December 2011, and the "2012 China Light Textile City boutique fashion show exhibition" which was just held shortly after the beginning of 2012.

For the exhibition docking this fast and effective way. Fabric and clothing The relevant people of the enterprise have expressed approval. "I think the form of this docking is very good, the cost is low, and the effect is good," Yu Pengfei, general manager of the silk fabric at the Hangzhou women's wear fabric docking conference, told reporters. We hope that we can hold more of this kind of docking in the future. {page_break}

At the "world wide" docking site in Shenzhen, Peng Xueli, director of design of Boro clothing, told reporters that so many high-grade fabrics on the exhibition site made her feel surprised. The fabric of textile city has made rapid progress, and compared with international fabrics, the same quality of textile city is the origin of fabric and the price is more competitive. She may go to textile city this year.

But docking will connect the relationship between "buyer's market" and "seller's market". In order to complete the deep docking of each industry chain link, we must do some research and communication work at the beginning of product development, and even the buyer and seller jointly carry out product research and development, so as to achieve seamless docking between the two sides.

"I once visited a Italy private male stocking enterprise, launched more than 2000 models a year, specially for Armani and other big brands, but its equipment is very old. It was only based on the actual production design needs, and joint with hosiery machinery manufacturers in the old equipment continuous improvement." President Chen Dapeng told reporters, "this is a very typical example of timely understanding of their needs and joint research and development. Seams grasp downstream needs, and equipment needs upgrading and upgrading.

It is true that the upgrading of production technology and upgrading of equipment depend not only on the "closed door" type of independent innovation, but also the targeted equipment transformation of equipment enterprises in the investigation of garment production problems. In this way, even the improvement of a small component will cause great waves in the market.

"At the beginning of our new product development, we will have specialized departments to conduct research on the use of our equipment, so as to serve as an important basis for new product development." At the CISMA2011 exhibition site, Xi'an standard booth staff briefed reporters: "at the same time, we will regularly visit the customer's usage, understand the user's situation encountered in the use of equipment, in order to improve in a timely manner."

For garment enterprises, the renewal cycle of clothing equipment is generally longer. Therefore, apart from paying attention to "disruptive technological breakthroughs", the industry is also concerned about the improvement and innovation of micro components.

In May 2011, during the selection of the "technological innovation award" held by the German Federation of machinery and equipment manufacturers during the TEXPROCESS2011 period, the X-FEED and VETRON technologies of the standard company made two awards.

The reporter understands that X-FEED is a continuous feeding design, so that the stitching tension can be reduced by 35% compared with the previous sewing machine product, the maximum stitch distance reaches 9mm, the double feeding structure is smooth and continuous, and at the same time, when the smooth thin material is used for sewing, it can effectively prevent the stitching material from staggered layer and make the stitching operation more fluent and efficient, while VETRON is a completely new concept. Sewing machine The functional modules are designed into large components respectively, and the conversion of different models and functions can be realized through the replacement of modules.

But for the two winning technologies, Yu Shouqi, deputy general manager of Xi'an standard, frankly, this is not a subversive technology, but a "subversive concept". The "subversive concept" of "creation" relies on the deep investigation and study of user needs, and from the deep docking of various links in the industrial chain, the technological innovation is spurred. And every technology innovation in turn deepens the docking mode of various industrial chain links, and "reshaping" the industrial chain.

Technology remolding

"The powerful country of clothing requires that the contribution rate of science and technology in the whole industry should be over 40%, and strive to achieve the goal of 80% contribution from the developed countries to science and technology. At present, the contribution rate of science and technology in China's clothing industry is about half of that in the United States, about 40%. Wen Lisheng, deputy director of the China Garment Association's science and Technology Committee, spoke out the importance of science and technology in the construction of "strong clothing country". The key to accelerating the scientific and technological transformation of Chinese clothing is to enhance the "contribution rate of science and technology" to the industry. The contribution rate of science and technology has become the high frequency vocabulary of the transformation and upgrading of the industry this year.

"To raise the contribution rate of science and technology is to create market opportunities with science and technology and create super value and efficiency through science and technology." Du Yuzhou, President of the China clothing association, said, "enterprises should arm themselves with the most advanced technology and increase investment in R & D."

In the view of President Du, technological innovation is the foundation of industrial upgrading and the main line of the current round of industrial upgrading. Any innovation can not be separated from the support of science and technology. Only when the level of Industrial Science and technology reaches the corresponding level, can the industries and enterprises successfully implement the brand strategy, going global strategy, capital strategy, collectivization strategy, differentiation strategy and industrial strategy transfer layout.

The technological innovation of clothing is not reflected in the clothing itself, but also in the various links of the industrial chain.

The key element of technological progress in clothing industry is the application of high-tech equipment. The high technology content equipment characterized by automation, intelligence, digitalization and informationization is becoming a universal demand of garment enterprises.

In recent years, automation equipment has become a decisive weapon for garment enterprises to cope with the "three high and two wastes". The typical representative of automation equipment is the mechatronics equipment widely used by enterprises in recent years. {page_break}

The so-called Mechatronics sewing machine, in short, is the sewing machine's spear cloth, thread picking, hook line, feeding and other executive components still use the original mechanical structure, while the control is electronic or microcomputer system. The image is that electronic or computer control is used to change part of the mechanical labor into automatic functions, such as automatic stop position, automatic track, automatic reinforcement, automatic color changing line and so on. This freed a lot of labor from the production line.

"Mechatronics equipment not only reduces the number of workers, but also makes the quality of clothes more obvious because of the uniform size and uniform standards, and the details are closer to perfection." Fu Yanying, general manager of Tianjin Sheng Hong Garments Co. Ltd., decided to increase the investment of electromechanical integration equipment to cope with the current "labor shortage".

It is understood that garment enterprises are busy dealing with the transformation and upgrading of the market, and the equipment companies living in the industrial chain uplink will also launch a large number of automation and intelligent technology equipment for the market.

At the CISMA2011 exhibition site, automation and intelligent clothing equipment become the main products of enterprises, and have absolute advantages in the product mix.

The popularization and application of automated garment equipment helps to transform and upgrade the garment enterprises, and at the same time changes the appearance of production and operation of garment enterprises, saves production costs and improves enterprise efficiency.

The departments concerned carried out a survey on the industrialization application of science and technology, and tracked the usage of an automatic bag opening machine in garment processing factories. The result shows that if we need 8 people in the process of making the jacket pocket, if we need the original traditional process, we need only 1 workers after using the automatic bag opening machine, saving 7 workers.

Although automation and intelligence help a lot in energy saving and efficient production, but if there is no information, the competitive advantage of the apparel industry will still be greatly reduced.

In the five major strategies of the "12th Five-Year plan" of China's garment industry, the strategy of developing science and technology is a very important strategy, and its core task is information construction. President Chen believes that informatization is crucial to the transformation and upgrading of the industry.

"Competition in the future garment industry is the competition of the supply chain. In promoting the integration of the two industries and opening up the industrial supply chain, the information construction is very important. It is the most important part of our science and technology strategy. Information can bring the rapid reaction mechanism and product control mechanism in the market. "Rapid reflection" is a magic weapon for the brand to remain invincible in the market. "Fast" must rely on the support of new and high technologies such as information technology.

Information construction is based on digital information, relying on computer technology and network technology, collecting, integrating, transmitting and applying information in garment design, processing, sales and other links, so as to realize the optimal allocation of resources in garment enterprises and enhance the efficiency of enterprises.

In view of the importance of informatization to enterprises, clothing enterprises are also very concerned about the informatization construction of enterprises.

"We have ERP as the core of the financial system, as well as the design stage PLM and distribution system Ding Jie software, these three systems help us rebuild the value of the enterprise and integrate into the new business civilization." Metersbonwe CIO min Jie is quite satisfied with the achievements in information construction of enterprises. "ERP embodies the financial results and financial statements. PLM solves the problem of efficiency and synergy in the development stage, and the distribution system solves the problem of the back end of the supply chain, including the e-commerce operation platform."

The key of information construction is not whether the information system is advanced, but whether the business mode is ingenious or not. Han Yongsheng, vice president and CIO of YOUNGOR group, believes that the key to the success of information construction is whether the information technology can form an effective running in and interaction system with the enterprises. "The road to information flow from the front-end of sales front-end touches on the nerve center of enterprises. For YOUNGOR, manufacturing problems are not big, and there is still a surplus of capacity to some extent. The key is to activate sales terminals and design information supply chain according to business needs."

Obviously, advanced technology is important, but the customization of technology in enterprises is the key factor for enterprises to win in the market. The industry has always had a "no ERP is waiting for death, ERP is a death" joke, which also imply that information technology for enterprises is an inevitable choice, but it is difficult to embarrass the status quo.

In recent years, more and more supporting enterprises are concerned about the information needs of garment enterprises, and have launched the latest information products. At the CISMA2011 exhibition, Gerber introduced China as the first stop of its PLM solution in the Asia Pacific region. The supporting enterprises have seen the market potential of the informatization solution in China's garment industry, but whether they can design and provide supporting information solutions according to the actual operation of enterprises is the key to the market.

The scientific and technological rate of the garment industry should catch up with 80% of the developed countries from 40%. We should see that in addition to the future development potential, there are still challenges to be met, which requires the whole industry chain to cooperate effectively to transform technology into competitiveness. {page_break}

"Making" brand

Industrial docking and technology have strengthened the competitive advantage of Chinese clothing in the world market. But with the MADE IN CHINA sweeping the world, the clothing industry is not brand recognition, but cheap label.

"Our comprehensive hard power is not bad. The core of current value creation is soft power, which is brand value. Chen Dapeng, executive vice president of China Apparel Association, said.

From OEM to ODM, from low-end manufacturing to luxury foundry, China's apparel industry chain is constantly improving in the market competition. Although we have the production line of luxury goods, we can not bring the overvalued value of luxury goods. The reason is the lack of soft power in the industry.

To this end, the industry has been vigorously promoting transformation and upgrading in recent years. Upgrading and upgrading requires not only the improvement of garment quality, but also the enhancement of soft power of the industry, with a view to increasing the added value of clothing.

"Our production cost is generally between four hundred and five hundred yuan, but the selling price to foreign countries usually ranges from eight hundred to nine hundred euros." Said a person in charge of a luxury apparel company in Guangdong.

Luxury goods enjoy a high premium rate in the market. Zhao Zhongxiu, vice president of University of International Business and Economics and chief consultant of Cheung Kei luxury Research Center, University of International Business and Economics, recently said that the direct cost of luxury goods, including raw materials and manufacturing costs, will not exceed 10% of the price.

The key to creating a high premium is the brand. Therefore, to enhance the soft power of the industry, we must first create the brand.

Of course, the brand can not be built overnight.

The World Luxury Association recently announced the ten top fashion brands in the world, all of which are concentrated in Europe. This is another reflection of the brand, especially the creation of top brands, which requires good technological heritage and cultural accumulation.

To explore the history of the world's big names, it is easy to see that most brands will rely on the brand effect of industrial clusters. It is because of the British wool fabric that Italy's handwork and French design have provided "fertile ground" for the gathering of European clothing.

The accumulation of culture needs to be tempered by time. The key to the manufacturing of Chinese brands is excellent technological heritage. This is not only the prerequisite for the formation of historical accumulation, but also the foundation of brand building. Only the inheritance of good technology can form the effect of industrial cluster, and the brand building of every link in the industrial chain is the most powerful driving force for "making" Chinese clothing brand. The lack of brand in China is the brand effect in all aspects of the industrial chain.

Just like the Lycra fibers that make DuPont Co's reputation impatient, many people are very puzzled, because spandex is almost unknown. Some people sigh that DuPont is good at creating standards and making fashion. But in the final analysis, it is inseparable from the brand effect of DuPont.

The clothing brand is actually the aggregation of the industrial chain brand, and the manufacture of clothing brand can not be separated from the promotion of the industrial chain.

The quality of China's apparel industry chain has been proved by the luxury goods such as PRADA, ARMANI and so on. The key to the industry's failure to form an international luxury premium is the lack of our brand. Just imagine, in China's industrial chain, fabrics have Lan Jing, zippers have YKK, sewing machines have BROTHER (Brothers), CAD has Rick, PLM has Gerber, so will the manufacture of Chinese clothing brand be far away?

The industrial chain can not only help the manufacture of clothing brand, but the development of the brand industry chain can even guide the trend of the garment industry.

People who are familiar with advanced customization must have heard of SCABAL (Shi Jiabao), which is known as "the best fabric that money can buy".

For decades, SCABAL has been especially famous for its research and development of new fabrics. Almost all major technological breakthroughs on fabrics have been initiated by it. From 16.5 micron wool technology, super150 fabric, and the "super two hundred and fifty" (super250) woolen, now known as "summit", the price is up to 2000 pounds a yard. Every innovation of SCABAL brings a new fashion trend to advanced customization. Almost all advanced customization will update the product with the trend of SCABAL fabric, flaunt the trend of high-end.

The secret of SCABAL brand building may be seen from its corporate dogma: we never cut costs on raw materials. It is the constant innovation that has been controlled over the years that makes such high-end brands.

In recent days, the Internet has widely spread the fashionable ICON tag of Kim Jong-il, the late leader of North Korea. For his favorite tailored suit, it is not a high-end custom brand store, but a SCABAL fabric. This shows the strength of the brand.

Just like leaving the SCABAL's advanced customization will be a lot of darkening, the links in the industrial chain are very critical to the shaping of the clothing brand, and the fabric is absolutely essential and important in it.