Everything is ready except the main labels
The fabric is in, the cut is done and the bundles are on the line. On the second morning the supervisor comes up: no main labels for the second colourway, and only half the care labels. The label supplier says the artwork approval came through late, which is true, because the brand approved it by replying to an email nobody forwarded.
The line switches to another order, then switches back when the labels arrive. Both orders lose time.
Trims are treated as small things
Trims are cheap compared with fabric, so they get less attention. But a garment can have a dozen separate trims (main label, size label, care label, swing tag, zip, buttons, poppers, elastic, tape, thread, polybag, carton), each from a different supplier, some needing brand approval, all needed before the line can finish.
- Requirements are worked out by hand from the tech pack, after the order is confirmed.
- Wastage allowances for trims are applied inconsistently.
- Brand-nominated trims need approvals that sit in someone's inbox.
- Deliveries are received without being checked against what was ordered.
- Nobody checks all trims are in before an order is cut.
What a missing zip costs
A stopped line is expensive, and switching styles to fill the gap costs efficiency on both. Garments finished without labels have to be reopened later, which risks damage and takes time. Late trims push the ex-factory date, and if the brand has air freight clauses, can turn a sea shipment into an expensive flight. And the merchandiser spends their week chasing small suppliers by phone.
Over-ordering to be safe is the usual workaround, and it has its own cost. Boxes of branded labels and zips in a discontinued colour build up in the trims store, paid for and never used, because nobody trusts the quantities enough to order exactly.
The trims tracker we build
- Each style's bill of trims is held with the quantity per garment and your wastage allowance, entered from the tech pack once and checked by the merchandiser.
- When an order is confirmed, the tracker calculates trim quantities per colour and size, including size labels by size.
- Purchase orders to trim suppliers are drafted from those quantities, for a person to check and send, and any trim that needs brand approval is listed with its approval status.
- Supplier confirmations and delivery dates are recorded, and anything overdue is flagged with the order it will hold up.
- Goods in records what arrived against what was ordered, and short deliveries are raised immediately.
- An order shows as ready for cutting only when fabric and all trims are in, or when a person decides to release it anyway and records why.
| Stage | How it slips now | With the tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Working out quantities | By hand, late | Calculated at order confirmation |
| Brand approvals | In an inbox | Listed with status per trim |
| Supplier follow-up | Phone calls when it is late | Overdue items flagged against the order |
| Receiving | Signed for, not checked | Checked against the purchase order |
| Release to cutting | When fabric is in | When fabric and trims are in |
Lines that keep running
The merchandiser sees the missing labels two weeks before cutting, when a call to the supplier can still fix it. The cutting room stops releasing orders that will stall on the line. Short deliveries are caught at goods in rather than at the machine. The planner can load lines knowing the work that goes in can be finished.
Checklist
- Lines have stopped or switched styles for lack of trims.
- Garments have been finished without labels and reopened later.
- Trim quantities are worked out by hand from the tech pack.
- Nobody checks all trims are in before cutting.
- Brand trim approvals get lost in email.