International Production Programme May we join you in China?
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Introduction AMFI-Amsterdam Fashion Institute educates students to Bachelor level to fulfil management positions across the whole international fashion industry. As production and sourcing knowledge is slowly disappearing in Europe and the Netherlands, AMFI runs an international programme in China in which students can experience and learn about apparel production and business in China. This will bring back production knowledge to Europe and it offers students an excellent working experience in China, Europe’s market of the future. For this programme we need you to help us... 03
“The working experience goes well & we have a really good cultural experience too.�
The programme
The students
The one-semester programme starts at the beginning of February. In Amsterdam students receive three weeks of intensive preparation for China: classes in supplychain management, logistics, sustainability, quality, intercultural communication and Mandarin for beginners. They will also visit companies who produce, buy and sell in China to learn how the organizations work and to hear what can be done to improve the processes involved. During the first week of February the students will follow a 40-hour social-compliance audit course given by WRAP in preparation for taking part in this project. After intensive training in Mandarin and production management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the assignments will start.
The programme has been developed for selected third-year students who aspire to working in clothing production, product management/ buying and see themselves working in, or with, China in the future. Students who are selected to join this programme are vetted by AMFI professionals. They are high-achieving and motivated students who can bring added value to companies working with China. The students will be accompanied by an AMFI coach during the introduction period in China. By that time any transitional problems are resolved. As in any traineeship situation, the company is not responsible for the students outside working hours. The students are very keen to follow this programme. They pay their own fares and accommodation which shows their commitment to this work. In return it would be appreciated if the students receive an allowance for their 12 weeks of work (a minimum of 250â‚Ź per month is usual).
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How can you help us? Over the years a number of companies have joined our programme, such as O’Neill, Mexx, McGregor and Hilfiger. They have successfully placed students in different parts of their organisations in China. But... with so many enthusiastic students we need more companies to join the programme. So if you also want to benefit from the excellent opportunity to place AMFI students on temporary assignments in order to improve the work process in the future, then wait no longer and let us support your business in China. We are constantly looking for work places for the students. Each assignment will be carried out by two or three students during a period of 12 weeks. Assignments can have various topics such as Vendor Rating, Quality Management, Sustainability Audit or Supply Chain Planning. More detailed examples about the different assignments can be found on pages 5 and 6.
Planning january
Get-together-event
Study, company/assignment mid jan – mid feb preparation and exams in Amsterdam Introduction to Chinese end feb – end mar Language & Culture at Hong Kong Polytechnic University Assignments in companies in beg apr – mid jun Hong Kong and China Presentation of Assignments to end jun – beg jul companies and AMFI
What to do? So what to do if you and your company are interested in joining AMFI’s Honours Programme? First contact Angela van den Eijkhof at AMFI. She can provide you with all sorts of information customised to your company. Think about assignments that can be done within your company and think about projects or research that you want to be carried out in China. Of course AMFI can be of help with this too, so do not hesitate to contact AMFI and discuss the possibilities. When that has been worked out, please come to our “get-together-event” to meet the students and other companies that have joined the programme. Angela van den Eijkhof: a.van.den.eijkhof@hva.nl
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The Production Programme was a great opportunity to experience and work in a Chinese environment. I learned a lot about the production and manufacturing side of the apparel industry, worked closely with merchandisers and quality control and managed to deepen my knowledge on how to work with different nationalities and leadership styles. Thanks to this experience, I have a clearer perspective of my next career steps and a better qualification and knowledge to reach my goals. I already noticed that the network I created over the past few months helped me to get my next work placement in Hong Kong and I believe that it will prove helpful in the future as well. The Production Programme is a once in a lifetime experience and I am incredibly grateful that I got the opportunity to participate.� Maxie Weber - AMFI Fashion&Management student
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Assignment examples Vendor rating assignment Implement a Supplier Based Management System including Vendor Rating at the merchandise department. Currently they work without any system support (decentral files, business cards and contacts). This should be replaced by a database accessible for all merchandisers and management.
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Quality management assignments Assessing our vendors in the Peoples Republic of China in order to assess, standardize and implement the quality audits. Study the existing QC (Quality Control) system, process and inspection forms used. Give input/suggestions for improvement of current QC system. Implement a Quality Manual for trimmings and support the suppliers with information to be provided (product material passport definition). Define the segregation of the different products (clusters) for the passports to the suppliers, so they know how many passports they have to sign and return. Define tests for the different product groups. Organize the process of receiving and processing of the passports. Identify all the steps, issues and risks that can come up when implementing the manual.
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Sustainability audit assignment Provide an Audit Manual meeting the Fair Wear Foundation standards and which also meets the Phillips-VanHeusen Human Rights Program “guidelines for vendors�. First for health and safely but, if possible, also for management interviews, worker interviews and document check. This manual should include the way of reporting and a database system which will give management the tools to check the status of the compliance.
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Production improvement assignment Production process improvement and efficiency (suggestions to improve productivity, output, routing, working methods and procedures at owned factories.
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Human Resource management assignment Staff motivation and retention (What are we already doing to motivate and retain quality staff? How does this compare to other employers in the region?) and gaining information from own staff.
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ICT implementation assignment Roll-out of ERP / SCM system, integrating the supply chain planning.
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Supply chain planning assignment Understand the production planning of the manufacturers in China and improve communication between them and the brands.
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Logistic service provider assignment Provide transparency to the total supply chain cost offered to potential customers of a supply chain service provider. This should facilitate these prospects in making the trade-off or business case comparison with their current situation. The objective would include a decision model (tree) for deciding upfront which routing (DC in China) should be used for a specific customer. Considering the complexity of this decision tree and cost structure, the objective is to establish all relevant factors and trade-offs, design a high-level approach and decision model, start detailing the decision model and filling the elements of the cost model. 09
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Before being located in China, I was extensively prepared in the Netherlands. We received all sorts of training, such as the WRAP course, courses on Chinese culture and the business environment and courses on the Chinese language. That all turned out to be very helpful. During my assignment I was part of a research team on a sample consolidation project and worked for Intres in Shenzhen, China. I was assigned to investigate the current situation of the sample management and to improve its workflow. My enthusiastic coach was willing to share a lot of information and literature with me for which I am very grateful. I realise that my experience and achieved knowledge from this programme is an advantage I will have for the rest of my professional career. Due to my placement at this office, I know more about linked workflows between offices in a global environment. Furthermore, working in China showed me cross-cultural communication difficulties. I learned to pay great attention to these differences in order to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretation. Kim ter Harsel - AMFI Fashion&Management Student
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AMFI-Amsterdam Fashion Institute is part of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and offers three Bachelor degree programmes:
AMFI-Amsterdam Fashion Institute Mauritskade 11 - 1091 GC Amsterdam - The Netherlands
International Fashion & Design International Fashion & Management International Fashion & Branding
www.amfi.nl www.hva.nl/amfi-int
amfi - amsterdam fashion institute
T. +31(0)20 595 45 55
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