TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

   Short Cycle Manufacturing

   3D Body Scanning

   Digital Product Development

   Digital Textile Printing

   Digital Knitting

  
 


What is a Digital Value Chain?

The dramatic changes caused by advances in computing and communications are revising the means by which economic value is created and extracted. Specifically, when buyer/seller transactions occur in an information-defined arena, information is accessed and absorbed more easily, and can be arranged and valued in different ways. Most important, the information about a product or service can be separated from the product or service itself. In some cases, it can become as critical as the actual product or service in terms of its effect on a company's profits.

Traditional products reside in a variety of physical marketplaces. Information about these products resides in a digital marketspace. A digital marketspace differs from a physical marketplace along three dimensions:

  1. Content - information about the physical replaces the physical,

  2. Context - electronic representations replace physical representations, and

  3. Infrastructure - computers and communications replace physical markets.

Within a digital marketspace information about a physical value chain can be integrated and used to create a parallel value chain of information, or a digital value chain. A digital value chain provides companies with a digital view of their value chains from back to front.

Thousands of visitors tour [TC]² annually for demonstrations of technologies and processes that support the transition to a digital supply chain, including a demonstration of sewn products developed in a totally digital environment. Emerging technologies in the soft goods industry that result in faster time to market and reduction of supply chain management costs are showcased.

[TC]² Modular Sewing Operation
[TC]² Modular Sewing Operation
[TC]² CAD Demonstration
[TC]² CAD Demonstration

Short Cycle Manufacturing Demonstration
Short Cycle Manufacturing Demonstration

Short Cycle Manufacturing

The need for short cycle manufacturing reaches beyond the small lot customized product offering for which it is often characterized. With the demands placed on manufacturers and contractors today, the traditional bundle system, with its inherent limitations no longer provides the response required to deliver rapidly emerging styles or to fill in missing sizes in a product line that has experienced unexpectedly high sell-through.

Since 1989, [TC]² has demonstrated the use of short cycle production, and has taught thousands of plant personnel the benefit of using team based production in both Unit Production Systems, or in Modular Work Groups. Drawing upon the best practices from around the globe, our personnel conduct seminars in-house, and coach both management and teams in actual plant situations where production must continue as the transition to short cycle is made. Where lean manufacturing is required, and the investment in equipment cannot be made, our staff will assess the capability of personnel and systems to adapt to low work in process concepts, and will ensure that processes and systems will support the planned change. Thus, it is possible to improve throughput times, decrease inventory of partially finished units and raw materials and still meet delivery commitments without fully changing to modular or unit production systems.

Our team can conduct plant and staff assessments, develop implementation plans, and work with plant personnel to effect a conversion to short cycle manufacturing. Short Cycle is more than manufacturing, It is a way of thinking, and a cultural change that requires development of interpersonal skills as well as an understanding of the financial and business concepts behind why such change is necessary.

For twenty years, [TC]² has operated short cycle sewing lines. Visitors to the technology demonstration center are allowed to interact with sewing specialists who are skilled in the assembly of sewn products, but who also form a vital teaching capability for those who attend seminars or short courses. In operation daily, and producing product that has strict quality and delivery requirements, this demonstration of short cycle sewing includes cutting and marker production.

  • 3D Body Scanning – [TC]² is the world’s leader in 3D body scanning technologies. Outputs of the [TC]²’s body scanning hardware and measurement extraction software can enable true apparel mass customization. Visitors can experience this process by being scanned and then following their personal scan data through sloper creation, pattern selection and alteration, and three-dimensional draping of a digital garment on a digital form. Learn how this technology has been used to create a sizing database of U.S. consumers and what future impact this data will have on the sizing decisions that face technical designers, apparel manufacturers and apparel brand owners.

    CAD Product Development Demonstration
    CAD Product
    Development Demonstration

  • Digital Product Development – The first step in the life cycle of a product is concept creation. Technologies are available to create a totally digital product. From fabric and yarn formation, to color and print designs, through silhouette specification and pattern development, products can now be digitally created, often eliminating the need to make a physical sample. The longer that outputs of the product development process can remain “digital” the more flexible each part of the process becomes. This increased flexibility can be translated into reductions in cost, risk and time when compared to the traditional product development process. [TC]² showcases many of the technologies that supports this digital product development process.


  • Digital Textile Printing - Digital textile printing is a flexible technology and a key enabler to the vision of Mass Customization. It allows the user to bypass the screen making process, providing the opportunity for quick changes to color or design elements prior to printing. Through application of this digital technology a manufacturer is able to rapidly respond to individual print preferences in an efficient manner. [TC]² operates a digital textile printing service that is supported by its short-cycle production facility. In addition to researching and implementing state-of-the-art technology in this area, [TC]² offers contract printing services for short-run customized products.

    Ink Drop Printing – - Using state-of-the-art digital textile printing technology, the InkDrop printing service provides digital print services to museum stores, artists, and designers. Visit us at www.inkdropprinting.com to learn more about our services in this area.

    Digitally printed scarves
    Digitally printed scarves
    Ink Drop Boutique products
    Ink Drop Printing products

     

  • Digital Knitting – Traditional supply chains require physical products to be manufactured and packaged prior to shipping by land, sea or air. The result of the digital knitting process is a garment that can be converted from a digital entity to the physical product, after being delivered to the customer. Such technologies support the concept that digital products can be delivered before they are manufactured.


  • Demonstration Center – illustrating the latest in apparel manufacturing technologies and processes including:

    • single ply cutting

    • leading Apparel CAD systems

    • overhead conveyer and stand-up hand-off production systems

    • digital print design and production technologies

    • supply chain software and technologies