Latest News
The Fielding Group Expands FastReact Project to Improve Supply Chain Visibility
The Fielding Group (TFG) is a major supplier to the high street of mens, ladies and childrens clothes. Employing over 3500 people worldwide, TFG’s major customers include M&S, Sainsbury (Tu clothing) and BHS. Having been a FastReact user for many years, this latest initiative will expand the FastReact project to several new locations and link overseas offices in 6 countries to the Dunstable Head Office.
Sustainability - It's Not Only The Environment!
Sustainability, in the environmental sense challenges the fundamentals of how a business operates, to achieve improved and responsible use of natural resources. Sustainability, in a business sense (survival and growth), applies the same rules. Unless we tackle the fundamentals, the end result will not improve.
Risks in the Fashion Supply Chain Due to Price Pressures
The Fashion industry is under tremendous price pressure from both the highly competitive retail marketplace and from Global currency fluctuations.
Increasing Customer Loyalty in The Fashion Supply Chain
In the current economic climate, many vendors are worried about the risk of a drop in their order book, even if they have not yet felt much direct impact from the downturn.
Coping with Changes in Buyer Behaviour - How to stay in control of your Fashion Supply Chain
In the current climate retailers are protecting capital and cash-flow. This leads to: minimising of stockholding by customers - aimed at reducing write downs increased options and delayed commitment by Buyers = more styles, smaller orders increased change to existing styles/orders in response to market trends …
Coping with Changes in Buyer Behaviour - How to stay in control of your Fashion Supply Chain
In the current climate retailers are protecting capital and cash-flow. This leads to:
- minimising of stockholding by customers - aimed at reducing write downs
- increased options and delayed commitment by Buyers = more styles, smaller orders
- increased change to existing styles/orders in response to market trends
- severe pressures to respond more quickly - dramatically reduced lead time
The above conditions combine with huge pressure to hit 'price points'. This typically leads to:
- huge work pressures on merchandising and sourcing teams, working with excessively manual systems (an estimated 90% of companies still use spreadsheets)
- excessive fire-fighting to cope with the failings of disparate manual systems
- a total lack of any coordinated, business level visibility and 'early warning' system
- increased risk of failure, additional expense e.g. poor coordination= delayed production start and ultimately cancelled orders, excessive air freight costs, lack of product on shelf.
To maintain an effective supply chain in this environment, excellent visibility and coordination are essential, not jusy 'nice to have' options.
Excessively manual systems severely hinder the ability to respond and manage
priorities = increased risk of non performance and errors = even more
fire-fighting and excess costs. Increasingly companies are concluding that they
cannot continue with their existing methods. i.e. There has to be a better way.
Get the right tools for the Job... TOTAL VISIBILITY, COORDINATION, CONTROL....
with FastReact
