Technical product developer consultant

What is a technical pack? and is it efficient for today’s manufacturing?

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 11:39:58 GMT

A technical pack is a compilation of information about the product that will be manufacture.

A technical pack is a compilation of information about the product that will be manufacture.

A technical pack includes.

· Specification of measurements

· Bill of materials

· Sketches

· Artwork

· Packaging requirements

· Testing requirements

· Grading

· Labelling

· Fitting and production comments

· Fitting photos

Usually, this information is compiled in excel Microsoft spreadsheets that are called “workbooks or Technical packs”. These get shared back and forth with factories and internal teams to collaborate. Workbooks are the easy way to gather information and keep it in one place.

However, in my opinion it is not the most technologically advanced and efficient system to do this. The reasons being are, loss of productivity inputting information manually, risk to human error, large files that cannot be shared easily, risk for the files to get deleted or lost, files that get corrupted.

You would think that technology companies would have already picked up on this and created something better. Why haven’t they? Could it be because the companies who have the spending power are opting to create their own systems internally? or is there a lack of cohesion between doing business and manufacturing?

Most of the large systems that I have come across are built in for the commercial side of the businesses but not so much for the creative and technical. Some examples of these systems are SAP, PLM, PRIMA, CRM. Not only these systems are extremely expensive for SME’s but are not easily adaptable to cater for all the needs in a fashion business. Usually, businesses develop their own unique process to manage the creation and development of the product. Unfortunately, most tend to default to the good old excel workbooks because it’s more budget friendly and that is what everyone knows how to use.

Over the years working as a Garment Technologist, I have asked myself why isn’t anyone developing a software to improve productivity in the technical and creative departments? Then I finally worked for a company who had pickup on this productivity issue and were investing to do something about it! Instead of creating a new system for the technical/development team they were adapting their general PLM system and creating an extension instead. It was an eye opener for me to experience and see what a monster it is to take on and implement whilst expected to continue to do your job at the same pace(I will leave this one for another post). Even with all the money and resources, there were so many challenges along the way. One of the biggest challenges came to be the people who were creating the IT system did not work in production before. The main challenges that they faced were, lack of understanding the life cycle of the product, understanding communication between other departments, user experience when collaborating, change mindset to retrain/upskill personnel.

Not completely to the fault of IT people. Even if you have worked in the fashion industry, you know that the technical department seems to be a mystery to everyone. No one really understands what we do all day other than measuring samples. We come to the meetings and present amazing looking samples and then disappear. I have heard many terms to describe us some funnier than others, the unseen, the sales prevention team, the techies, the wear trial team, the rule makers, the gatekeepers. I believe many of us “techies” accept the nature of the role to be almost invisible because it gives us autonomy to make decisions and helps us avoid the power struggles that goes on at the office in the fashion industry.

However, it has been to technical personnel detriment because no one knows what we do and the importance of our role in the fashion business. Specially when it comes down to exploring and implementing sustainability. Technical teams seem to be perceived almost as human processors or data entry. That work culture is what makes change difficult not only in technology and processes but shared accountability, as it fuels the unwillingness to change. We have gotten so used to create, present, and meet deadlines that we seem to have forgotten to innovate one of the most important parts which is developing and manufacturing.

Why is this important? and why should we care to update systems? It is important because our productivity affects factories and suppliers. The way we pass on information is important because it puts pressure on the factories who depend on this. If they don’t receive efficient information, it results in financial repercussion and production mistakes that lead to waste. It affects the work wellbeing of people domestically and abroad.

There is a big need for operational innovation in product development and technical. The information we create is efficient in a technical pack, but our IT systems are not up to date with our times. This is not unique to a company but in my experience, this seems to be a working model that companies adapt for lack of viable IT options. Also, for the big financial implication that represents to invest in IT. We need technology that disrupts the old ways of working and is accessible to different size businesses if we want to see real change.

If you have more insight on this topic and would like to be featured get in touch.

The future of fashion is smart fabrics, 3 reasons why technology and fashion are the best partners in crime

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 10:26:10 GMT

Do you think smart fabrics have a future in our daily lives?

It is undeniable that our dependency on technology calls for products or services that can help us in today’s lifestyles.

A few companies in the past years have tried to get the attention of costumers to wear technology in their daily lives. The most successful ones have been smartwatches, health trackers and fitness trackers. However smart clothing has proven to be more complex to get the same attention. Mostly because of the aesthetics and practicality.

It was only when I attended the wearable technology show in London a few years ago that I really came to believe perhaps technology and textiles can work alongside. The reason being is that smart fabrics are offering to take something that already exists, but technology is aiming to make that performance better to fulfil a need.

If we think about it our textiles haven’t really changed since industrial times. However, our needs and behaviours have changed. Decades ago, people didn’t use central heating or travel abroad on holidays as much as they do now. They didn’t own a washing machine. They probably didn’t buy a new outfit for every occasion for fear of getting that picture on social media wearing the same dress.

What I like about smart fabrics is that they are focusing on the end user, how is the fabric going to perform in different scenarios. There is some similarity of this in how extreme sports and active wear textiles are developed. To me this concept sounds more promising.

Some of the interesting active smart fabrics that I could see potential in evolving into something more are; 3D KnITS MIT researchers have created a form fitting fabric that recognises the wearers activities and uses in their fabrication conventional digital knitting technology. Another one is conductive yarns like the brand Cutecircuit these type of yarns can be woven into most conventional fabrics. More recently UK researchers have created a yarn SRMs that changes colour and shape in response to light, temperature and electricity.

Technology promises to give textiles added value and improve the possibilities of functionality and longevity. However,the question remains what is truly a need vs. entertainment today?

Do we really need a jacket that picks up a phone call from our sleeve? Or would we rather have a jacket that auto cleans itself? What about a top that plays music through sensor yarns, it may not be so important for someone that has perfectly good pair of ears, but it could be a life changer to someone that is deaf. Who decides?

The three reason I believe technology and fashion have things in common and make them compatible are;

1. Product focus

Technology and fashion are both products that focus and are designed for one or all three categories; want, need and entertain.

2. Future driven

Technology and fashion are both visionaries and are looking for the next new thing that will capture the costumer’s attention.

3. Growing passion

Technology and fashion are both driven by passion in breaking boundaries and thinking outside the box.

Technology and Fashion both make us feel better about ourselves and potential.

Could smart fabrics be the future of fashion and sustainability?

What is a garment technologist? and why do you need one?

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 23:06:43 GMT

A garment technologist is someone that supports the process of creating a product from prototype to production. The role’s responsibility may be varied depending if you work for a brand, supplier or factory/studio.

Many garment technologist come from a fashion design or textile background but there are also specific certifications available in the UK to be trained for this profession.

Key skills that a garment technologist should have are;

-Pattern making

-Understanding of garment construction

- Grading

-Foreign languages advantageous in the UK are Chinese, Italian or Portuguese

-Knowledge of international fabric testing requirements

-Technical sketching

-Good people person both verbal and written

-Problem solving attitude

-Team collaboration and proactive mindset

This role in the fashion industry is one of the most important ones in the process of product development yet it is often unseen and lessen down to just measuring garments. This view makes the job unpopular and misunderstood for people who are looking to work in the industry. However the ones who have chosen to go down this career path like myself, I personally have found a wealth of technical knowledge that cannot be thought in a class room, has given me a bigger picture of how my decisions affect the supply chain and most importantly job stability. If you are a garment technologist most likely you will be one of the last teams to be made redundant, that is how important you are to a business.

The industry is changing. Companies are starting to realise that to be able to create a sustainable supply chain, they need strong technical skills and knowledge to push their ideas forward. Some brands traditionally have merge their technical teams and product development together due to the complexity of their products. These brands seem to be the ones who are now leading the market in innovation because they have transition and adapted much more earlier than the rest of the industry. Some examples of these brands are; North face, Musto, Nike, Adidas.

Having a good garment technologist can help the success of a business. Good design is important but if the product cannot be made to a good commercial standard and delivered on time all the money and effort put into a business could be wasted.

It is important to have continuity with someone who understands the garment from start to end. A garment technologist can also give support in sourcing fabrics, labelling, assessing test reports, packaging, and compliance. She/he can help a business save money and become more sustainable by improving fit to reduce customer returns, reduce sampling during development and have effective communication with the factories during production to avoid mistakes.

If you are a business that is focusing on bringing innovation in the existing traditional production system, it would be ideal to consider having a technical product developer that already understands the current process and can help your business evaluate and test whether your ideas are commercially doable and whether the technology exists to make it possible.