Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine May Issue 2019 | Page 31

EVENT REVIEW
inks, 3D on-demand manufacturing,
airborne fulfilment centre serviced by
drones, fabric storage totes for use in
manufacturing, tech to recognise hand
poses as computer interface and voice
controlled light switches,” elaborated
Craig. He, however, emphasised on the
fact that designers are still not working
in collaboration with pattern makers
and until this situation changes, the
trend of customisation, MTM can’t see
the worldwide growth. 
This was followed by an interactive
discussion by two of Lectra team
members: Frédéric Gaillard,
Product Marketing VP, Cutting
Room Offer; and Christine
Dandieu Sales Director, Fashion,
on ‘LECTRA STRATEGY FOR
FASHION & APPAREL: THE DIGITAL
TRANSFORMATION’. The crux of the
session was that there is need in the
fashion industry for collaboration,
automation and simplification. The all
new ‘Fashion On Demand’ system of
Lectra is a solution which caters to this
need. According to Lectra, the digital
revolution has prompted consumers
to demand personalised products
and experiences nowadays. This is
an advantageous business model for
fashion companies, as it allows them to
accurately match supply with demand,
and solve a host of problems that
regular business models usually face.
By simply knowing ahead of time what
and how much their consumers want,
companies can produce in precise
quantities and avoid overstocking and
markdowns. In addition, as consumers
pay upfront for their orders it improves
cash flow for businesses. Fashion
companies can use personalisation as
a way to outshine their competitors
and earn consumer loyalty, by offering
one-of-a-kind products that make
their customers feel exclusive. “This
solution combines 3 packages within
it including Made to Order, Made to
Customise and Made to Measure,” said
Frédéric.
‘Fashion On Demand’ is disruptive
offer which gives fashion companies a
360° view of the entire personalisation
process, providing them with the
visibility to streamline multiple
production processes and manage
complex individual demands from
custom order to cut piece. “Thanks
to the supply-chain flexibility that
companies gain with this innovative
Lectra solution, they are able to
expand their product range and offer
more variety, be it womenswear,
menswear or childrenswear, and
appeal to a broader audience and
jump on trends without interrupting
their existing production processes,”
explained Frédéric.
The ‘Fashion On Demand’ presentation
was followed by voice of customers
session in which master of ceremony
Mark Antoine took a small interview
of representatives of Lectra’s
customers Groupe Mark and Balsan
(uniform manufacturers). Both the
representatives underlined that
Lectra’s solutions have helped in
achieving greater productivity. They
stated that less consumables are being
used, also there is enormous cut down
in manpower, besides reduction in
fabric cost which is another significant
benefit they are getting out of Lectra
solutions.
Frédéric again came to the stage for
one-on-one interactive session with
Mark Antoine where he explained
about the packages offered in ‘Fashion
On Demand’ solution and also
responded on each and every question
asked by the audience. 
This QA session was followed by
the demo of Lectra’s VIRGA cutter.
Interestingly, this cutter does not use
any paper or flimsy material to hold
the fabric layer while cutting operation
rather it creates vacuum on the
cutter’s bed due to which fabric layer
gets adhered to bed. By this technology,
VIRGA saves cost of the paper and
plastic materials which are commonly
used during cutting process by apparel
manufacturers. 
After demo, a factory tour was
organised by Lectra in two different
groups. During the visit, the visitors
closely observed manufacturing
processes, assembly processes,
packaging and dispatch processes of
different machines offered by Lectra.
OMRON robot used by Lectra in its factory for material movement
‘Fashion On
Demand’ is
disruptive
offer which
gives fashion
companies a 360°
view of the entire
personalisation
process,
providing them
with the visibility
to streamline
multiple
production
processes and
manage complex
individual
demands from
custom order to
cut piece.
The factory is exemplary in the sense
that it uses as less manpower as it
can. For spare part and inventory
handling, Lectra is using Omron
robots which have 4-5 trays in it and
all trays carry some small metal
parts (rivets, nuts, bolts, spanners,
etc.) which are further used to
assemble machines. Omron robots
are studded with 2 sensors which
can sense a human’s movement
until 1.5 metre near the robot’s
zone and once sensed the robots
automatically get stopped. Lectra
has divided its factory into different
segments and each segment takes
care of a particular industry, for
example the machines for airbags
are manufactured and assembled
in a different zone in factory while
machines dedicated for garments are
being taken care in different area in
the same premises. 
After factory visit, the 2-day event
came to an end and Lectra bid adieu
to all its guests and customers with a
small token of thanks.
www.apparelresources.com | MAY 2019 | Apparel Online Bangladesh
31