Next Level: Made-to-Measure

LECTRA NEXT LEVEL: MADE-TO-

MEASURE The term on demand contains a promise. A promise to customers that they are directly involved in the product development process, as well as a promise to the industry that increased efficiency counteracts overproduction and return rates. Digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and technological support – solving complex production processes is the field in which French company Lectra has established itself as a pioneer. Now it is pushing on demand to the next

level. Text: Isabel Faiss. Photos: Lectra

Quite suddenly, you are no longer a letter or a number. No standardised L or Size 38 is inscribed in the collar. It says what your measurements really amount to: you. When relevant technology and a thorough understanding of the logic of on demand converge, it results in something that solves many problems within the fashion industry. That is the theory, anyway. Lectra provides a very concrete proposal for feasibility and implementation. The French company has a background in upstream production and has made a name for itself by supplying cutting machines, CAD software, and pattern-making solutions. Meanwhile, the focus at Lectra has gradually shifted to the consumer, a change in thinking that Lectra’s Jacqueline Claudia Kellner identifies as a megatrend throughout the entire industry: “In the past, the industry made an offer on to the consumer, today the consumer himself determines the nature of that offer. The industry now listens to the customer, not the other way around. The focus is now on product customisability.” The headquarters in Bordeaux-Cestas has reacted to this trend by offering the fashion industry holistic concepts for the practical implementation of products on demand, which makes customisation scalable. For Steffen Meiler of Lectra, the potential lies in applying the model already learned in made-to-measure clothing to all product groups via new technologies. Lectra has already embarked on this journey with a number of international customers.

AGILITY IS KEY

“On demand can be interpreted as a useful tool for short-term flash programmes and smaller batches, and for readjusting topics in the market at short notice, but it can also be applied to customised production (madeto-measure) and/or customisation (only changing the model, without changing the dimensions),” says Meiler. In his opinion, there are two essential catalysts that everything hinges on. On the one hand, how well you know your customer, because individuals have long replaced target groups. On the other hand, how quickly you can produce to their specific preferences across all levels of the upstream stages. Given that timing is crucial, maximum agility is a prerequisite, by which he specifically means “small to medium-sized production capacities on site.” As specialists in digitally controlled cutting technology, Lectra has developed three modules to make implementing “on demand” as simple as possible for its fashion industry customers: a made-to-order programme for small batches and flash programmes featuring standardised

products, a made-to-customise solution that integrates configuration tools and clearly defined design options, and – last but not least – a made-to-measure platform that offers the highest level of customisation that Lectra, as a 360° supplier, can provide.

CUSTOMISATION FOR THE MASSES

“We already serve a number of customers who have installed cutting machines that are synchronised by us via the cloud at various European production sites in order to allow dual-track production in their factories. The mindset of managing a cloud-based virtual production environment alongside a physical one is becoming increasingly prevalent. We are currently collaborating very closely with smaller brands that are more direct-to-consumer oriented. Yet customisation and made-to-measure production is, in fact, also a fast-growing field for global brands and retailers,“ explains Meiler. The fact that Lectra’s solutions offer attractive entry points to sharing economy models is something that Kellner experiences on a daily basis in the form of numerous enquiries from the start-up scene that reach her via the company’s cooperation with the German Fashion Council. However, this does not quite represent reality yet. Meiler believes the challenges involved in such micro factories based on the copy shop principle still lie in access rights, but it could be a step in the right direction nonetheless: “The fashion industry is currently going through the painful experience of discovering how crisis-prone a production and sourcing strategy that relies on allocating production slots in factories on the other side of the world can be.” He sees on-demand production as a huge service boost – not only for the end consumer, but also for his customers in terms of sustainability, company growth, and a more efficient use of resources. “Retailers, too, benefit from swift re-delivery capability and a demand-driven restocking of particularly sought-after pieces that can replace gigantic NOS programmes.” Essentially, what Lectra offers its customers in terms of customisation and on-demand manufacturing reverses the logic fashion has learned and followed since the beginning of mass production. Concrete demand is something the industry simply needs to learn once more.