Group Summary on Industry Practice

QUICK RESPONSE 

Types/Examples

Quick response is a reduction of manufacturing time.  It arose when clothing producers realized that during 55 of the 66 weeks of manufacturing, clothing materials were just sitting untouched. This revealed that not enough communication was taking place between the different people involved in production. 

To increase communication and fix the inefficient system, companies started using some of the following strategies:

Pull system: Companies get to know customers' needs and wants in a timely manner.

Computer-aided design (CAD): Clothing is designed on the computer before it's created physically.  This helps to eliminate mistakes and reduce the time and material waste that results from the trial-and-error of physically designing new clothes.  Companies are also able to lay out the clothing patterns digitally and have computers cut them out of the fabric rolls so that practically no fabric is wasted.

Barcodes: When items are bought and scanned, automatic inventory notifies manufacturers when supplies are low so they can immediately ship more in and keep sales going.

Exporting and Importing:  To reduce costs, materials are often imported or exported from the US so that labor is done in places that require less pay, and to get materials from places that don't charge as much for them or where taxes are cheaper.

Advantages

Quick response allows faster, less expensive clothing manufacturing.  It leads to higher sales because companies are able to bring their goods to the market on time (while the style is hot).  Companies also save on materials because they don't have to use paper and because they save on fabric. 

Disadvantages

Companies that participate in different parts of production have to trust each other to do their jobs right.  Though efficiency increases, the quality of clothing might decrease. Also, allowing online shopping may mean that clothing size and appearance ends up as something different than what the customer wants. Finally, it also opens up the possibility that jobs and money are being given to other countries instead of our own.

Future Implications

Using this strategy may overall reduce the cost of clothes for customers.  It will also increase globalization through importation and exportation.  However, it may also reduce the prevalence of unique cultures throughout the world as certain styles of clothing become less expensive and more accessible.  It may eliminate the need for some jobs in the US and reduce competition between companies as they employ the same design programs and join together in large firms that specialize in different aspects of production.