With growing competition and diversifying markets in the volatile clothing and fashion world, companies are looking at gaining market share by increasing product diversity in apparel. It becomes difficult to manage the product with respect to time and cost.
Additionally, global outsourcing makes the Apparel Supply Chain even more complicated. It is necessary to get the right product at the right place and at the right price. Hence, focusing on the impact of product diversification on the operational structure of the Apparel Supply Chain becomes important.
A right product mix also requires an increased number of lots at various stages of production. This multiplicity in manufacturing batches complicates the nature of operation in terms of; loss of productivity, value loss, difficulty in assortment planning, and poor asset management.
A high degree of variability is present in the retail segment due to the changing fashion scene and the short season windows. Product lines multiply with the introduction of new segments every season.
Retailers need to manage this diversified product line through different stages like product development, outsourcing apparel, sample approval, production, distribution and merchandising, etc., across vast geographical distances