New ways of working in teams

In the fashion industry, companies like H&M and Zara have revolutionized the speed at which new products are brought to market. Thousands of new garments are designed each year and no-one knows which products will generate the most sales.

Every day, sales data is instantly transmitted from local stores to headquarters. There it is analyzed and used to direct manufacturing and finishing capacity all over the world. Workers and resources are assigned to cut, sew and finish the most popular garments. Flexible delivery options, including air freight, are organized to ship garments where they are required as quickly as possible. When the new garments are shipped, they are hanging on display racks and the price tags are already attached, so they can be sold as soon as they arrive.

Cooperation and teamwork between Product Development, Marketing, IT, Finance and Supply Chain staff are at the centre of responding quickly to changing customer demands. The days when each department worked as an independent, self-contained function are gone forever.


Supply Chain Management