TCBL BUSINESS CASE EVOLUTION
Michele Osella, Elisa Pautasso Istituto Superiore Mario Boella
TCBL 646133 – HANDBOOK RELEASED AS ANNEX 2 TO D6.10 (TASK 6.4)
12th July 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 3
2
TCBL INNOVATION LANDSCAPE.................................................................................... 5
3
FROM BUSINESS CASES TO BUSINESS MODEL PRACTICES ................................... 9
4
TCBL BUSINESS MODEL PRACTICES AT A GLANCE ............................................... 11
5
CONCLUDING REMARKS ............................................................................................... 17
INDEX OF FIGURES Figure 1 – TCBL strategic axes................................................................................................. 10 Figure 2 – Re-connecting business model journey ................................................................... 14 Figure 3 – Re-structuring business model journey ................................................................... 15 Figure 4 – Re-framing business model journey ........................................................................ 16
INDEX OF TABLES Table 1 – TCBL innovation landscape ........................................................................................ 6 Table 2 – TCBL business model practices ............................................................................... 11 Table 3 – Spectrum of enabling TCBL services ........................................................................ 12 Table 4 – Enabling services for TCBL business model practices ............................................. 13
2
1 INTRODUCTION In the wake of the project Recovery Plan, during Y2 the Consortium decided to zoom-in on a number of promising and on-the-ground pilots, known in the project jargon with the moniker of ‘Business Cases’. They were conceived as experimentation playground meant to generate immediate evidence of the tangible effects that TCBL ecosystem can unleash on T&C businesses. The starting roster of TCBL Business Cases encompassed six pilot experimentations1. Associate companies involved were considered to be TCBL ‘early adopters’. Such companies, in fact, have been active since the advent of these initiatives in co-creating the pilots thanks to an early access to new technologies, production facilities, know-how, and industrial partnerships. Associate companies involved have thus been working in shaping and adapting TCBL solutions to their needs and wants while providing continuous feedback to Consortium partners. To counterbalance possible risks and uncertainty associated to early-stage testing, Associate companies participating in Business Cases obtained preferential terms and pricing conditions. As the project approaches the end of Y3, Business Cases have swiftly evolved and have reached a significant maturity level, testified by a number of important achievements, for which the reader is referred to Annex 2 to D6.92, findings reported in coming sections, and various talks and testimonials at #TCBL_2018 annual conference3. In a nutshell, as documented by the TCBL evaluation report recently released, some of the Business Cases are currently approaching the completion of the piloting phase (Phase 1) while others have progressed solidly into their expansion phase (Phase 2) and are gearing up to their scaling phase (Phase 3). In addition, participation of Associate companies in Business Cases has expanded in Y3 and the interconnectedness with the rest of TCBL ecosystem has strengthened for all pilots. For instance, partners originally in charge of Business Case development engaged additional Labs to acquire needed competencies and technologies, transnational synergies between Business Cases have become reality, liaisons with other projects (e.g., CreativeWear4, RESET5) have been established, and several Business Case partners have decided to integrate TCBL platform services – especially Thela and Sqetch – into their core operations. Finally, not to be overlooked is that Business Cases already generated a number of concrete results that can easily be communicated, showcased, and potentially turned into tangible returns. Such visible results (e.g., products for sales, online services up and running) – which would be called Minimum Viable Products in the startup jargon – are a powerful catalyst to generate awareness of and interest in TCBL solutions in the T&C industry. All this was topped off by ‘TCBL True Stories’ session held at #TCBL_2018 conference in Prato: in such an occasion, business model innovation stories coming from TCBL Business Cases were
1
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots
2
https://issuu.com/tcbl/docs/business_pilots_evaluation_2018
3
https://tcbl.eu/tcblconference/tcbl2018
4
https://creativewear.interreg-med.eu
5
https://www.interregeurope.eu/reset
3
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
recounted by the voices of twelve TCBL Associate enterprises that explained how they are already harvesting the fruits of TCBL innovation. In view of this maturity level, Y3 witnessed the initiation of a key transition, one of the most significant ones on the way to the post-grant phase, when TCBL exploitation will be fully rolledout as self-sustainable initiative. This transition is the one from Business Cases to business model practices, which is underpinned by a two-fold goal: (1) identify business model journeys that TCBL wants to enable for Associate companies, and (2) connect each business model journey with a portfolio of pertinent platform services, Lab services, and advisory services. Against this backdrop, the present handbook – which is an update of Annex 1 to D6.76 – capitalizes on results yielded by the first three years of the project to set a roadmap for Business Case evolution. This is done by placing scalability – recognized as a prerequisite for materializing an EU-wide impact of TCBL ecosystem – at the heart of the envisaged roadmap. Concluding these introductory comments, it has to be said that the present handbook is intended more as an ‘input’ than an ‘output’. Strategic considerations herein contained, in fact, are not meant to rigidly constrain Y4 business development activities at Consortium-level but rather they intend to cultivate a common jargon and market vision inside the Consortium as well as to set a number of market hypotheses to be validated in Y4. Consequently, when the project will be approaching the finish line, a revised version – reflecting validation obtained through fieldwork activities – will be released, including ad-hoc materials for communicating to companies operating in the T&C industry.
6
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_Annex.pdf
4
2 TCBL INNOVATION LANDSCAPE Y3 has been a defining year for TCBL community since it witnessed a number of noteworthy advancements resulting in a reshaping of the TCBL innovation landscape. Going one step back and taking a snapshot of the TCBL innovation landscape outlined at the end of Y2, it appeared centered on Labs, which were in the process of scrutinizing projects in their portfolio trying to understand to what extent they could be serialized. This was done to turn some of them, deemed the most promising ones, into services to be provided in a repeatable and reliable fashion to the outside world (e.g., industry, community, other Labs). This service design pipeline7 follows a ‘push’ approach: outcomes of Labs’ R&D activities conducted so far are the main innovation driver – besides values and ethical motivations – of new service development, following a ‘path dependence’ perspective. On a parallel thread, building on the know-how residing in various competence centers within the TCBL space, six Business Cases were instantiated with the purpose of establishing a priority lane for impact materialization. In more detail, three of them were built as part of WP4 in a demand-driven manner (‘pull’) on the basis of needs and concerns coming from the more articulate Associate enterprises: •
•
•
‘Natural Cotton8’ revitalizes the cotton value chain – from cultivation to retail – as a reaction to the stimuli coming from companies interested in riding the wave of relentless interest of conscious consumers in purchasing ecologically and socially sustainable products. ‘Short Runs9’ establishes partnerships and digital services to support textile and garment manufacturers in implementing a sustainable downscaling of industrial production cycles allowing for local sourcing and production closer to market needs. ‘Eco-Friendly Production10’ inaugurates local consortia that systematically apply sustainability principles by rolling-out concerted actions to reduce chemical usage in textile production, including testing and certification.
Conversely, three other pilot experimentations were built in WP3 on the potential of promising projects developed by Business Labs (‘push’): • • •
‘Bio Shades11’ explores the possibility to serve the industry’s color demand through natural dyes produced by bacteria in lieu of traditional, harmful chemical dyes. ‘Digital Heritage12’ turns the untapped knowledge contained in historical T&C archives into source of inspiration for marketing campaigns and new contemporary collections. ‘Independents13’ focuses on empowering and connecting independent designers and producers, which are supplied with innovative tools to be shared (e.g., pattern making
7
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ServiceConcepts_Annex.pdf
8
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/natural-fibres
9
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/short-runs
10
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/eco-friendly-production
11
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/bioshades
12
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/digital-heritage
13
https://tcbl.eu/business-pilots/independents
5
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
software, body scanners, e-commerce platforms, promotion services, quality certifications). This ‘push’ vs. ‘pull’ dichotomy, relatively clear at the end of Y2, was questioned in Y3 by some important developments. First of all, in continuity with the dominant mindset residing in TCBL Labs, ‘push’ is still considered the prominent perspective for generating Lab projects and converting them into market-ready Lab services. This seems to be reasonable since this process inevitably builds on core competencies and tangible assets that are in the possession of organizations and people behind the Labs. On the contrary, in Y3 all pilot activities – including the six Business Cases already active – were moved under the ‘pull’ umbrella. This decision has its roots in the firm belief that whatever TCBL pilot, regardless its leader, should be activated in response to market forces. Hence, the pilot selection should be done among the projects proposed by Associate enterprises in search for innovative and sustainable solutions to challenges related to design, production, manufacturing, and distribution in the T&C sector. More than 200 Associate enterprises were selected in the first three calls for Expression of Interest – in 2016, 2017, and 2018 – against criteria related to coherence of their business ideas with the TCBL principles and degree of their commitment towards innovating for a sustainable future. This value-based community of enterprises should be an active engine of the TCBL ecosystem by providing needs and concerns that are keeping their managers awake at night. As a result, they have the chance to stimulate the activation of pilots for experimenting with new value chain possibilities and different platforms made available by TCBL service providers. Moreover, the initial ‘push’ vs. ‘pull’ dichotomy was disrupted by the emergence of a third perspective, called ‘anticipate’, which made its appearance in Y3 to enter a relatively uncharted space. Whilst ‘push’ approach reflects Labs’ innovation impulses, ‘pull’ approach hones in on problem solving in a responsive way but this happens with no long-term vision. Not by chance, ‘anticipate’ approach is specifically aimed to cover forward-looking thinking not adequately addressed by ‘push’ and ‘pull’. ‘Anticipate’ is thus framed around the proactive establishment of business model opportunities capable of attracting T&C companies into an alternative, valuebased market space. To put the matter another way, ‘pull’ focuses on answering today’s needs and concerns expressed by the market while ‘anticipate’ proposes tomorrow’s business model destinations to T&C companies willing to test the waters of TCBL innovation as route to competitive advantage going forward. The resulting three-pronged innovation landscape is described in Table 1.
Table 1 – TCBL innovation landscape
PUSH Innovation driver
Channel Labs’ creative experimentation towards market exploitation
PULL
ANTICIPATE
Address needs and concerns expressed by Associate enterprises
Attract forwardlooking T&C companies into an alternative, valuebased market space
6
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
PUSH Initial result
(TCBL Y3)
Expected outcome (TCBL Y4)
ANTICIPATE
Lab projects14
Initial wave of pilots (i.e., Business Cases)15
Library of business model archetypes based on TCBL innovation dimensions16
Lab service portfolio based on (1) market readiness and (2) integration into TCBL ecosystem17
TCBL strategic axes (i.e., re-connecting, re-structuring, reframing) and related business model journeys
Business model magnets (e.g., Materials Lab, Design Co-Working, Short Runs Producer, CMT Hub, E-shop)
Self-sustainable Lab business lines
Codified yet flexible business model practices to support T&C companies
Business model destinations that lure T&C companies in the TCBL ecosystem
(TCBL Y2)
Maturity-driven evolution
PULL
Afore-mentioned table brings to the fore that an important maturity-driven evolution happened in Y3 for each of the three innovation approaches. Regarding ‘push’, not only promising Lab projects are morphing into Lab services (this was something ongoing in Y2), but also Lab services are now evaluated in terms of actual progress of implementation by means of the maturity model adopted in Y3 for TCBL services18. Given that the maturity model factors-in both market readiness and integration into the TCBL ecosystem, its systematic application allows to distinguish high-potential services in an evidence-based (i.e., taking into account criteria as objective as possible) and multi-dimensional (e.g., technological dependability, monetization opportunities, scalability potential, replicability) manner. To avoid repetition, for further details apropos of update and systematization of the Lab service portfolio in Y3, the reader is referred to Annex 119 and its visual summary (i.e., Annex 420).
14
https://tcbl.eu/labs
15
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_Annex.pdf
16
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/WP4_Primer.pdf
17
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_LAB%20SERVICE_PORTFOLIO. pdf 18
Ibid.
19
Ibid.
20
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_LAB%20SERVICE_PORTFOLIO _Visual-Summary.pdf
7
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
When it comes to ‘pull’, the initial six Business Cases are evolving into business model practices. Such a transition lies at the core of the present handbook: explanations in this regard are in sections 1 and 1. Finally, as far as ‘anticipate’ is concerned, it is worthy of note that the Consortium in Y2 built a comprehensive library of business model archetypes based on the three TCBL innovation dimensions (i.e., sustainability, openness, data). This was done in an attempt to provide T&C companies of any kind with a ‘compass’ to orient their business model experimentations within TCBL ecosystem: making an analogy with set theory, that activity was meant to obtain (approximately) the universal set of business models powered by TCBL. Next step along the maturity journey of TCBL consists in moving from the universal set of business models that are feasible in the TCBL ecosystem to a restricted number of business model magnets whose market viability under certain conditions is proved by TCBL-related success stories. Such magnets are thus business model destinations supported by TCBL offerings, which can lure T&C companies in the TCBL ecosystem and, more in general, in an alternative market space characterized by an eye on sustainability, inclusion, and transparency 21. That said, as demonstrated by other success stories outside the TCBL space, such magnets are business models that are gaining traction also in traditional value chains. Given that the identification of business model magnets and their TCBL-related success stories is an ongoing activity that will be mainly performed in Y4, the present handbook illustrates – without any claim of being exhaustive – a subset of them, chosen as a function of their centrality in the TCBL ecosystem: •
•
•
•
•
21
Materials Labs are studios, equipped with a comprehensive material library, which explore possibilities for T&C projects, discover the latest trends and innovations, and provide expert advice to creative industries. Design Co-Workings are collaboration spaces where designers meet, share ideas, and exchange practices. The presence of TCBL Café and digital fabrication equipment makes them the to-be places for the vanguard of responsible fashion. Short Runs Producers are textile manufacturers that produce and sell smaller quantities at a competitive price; this includes mills that produce short runs during intermittent or structural overcapacities, wish to broaden their offer, or have leftover fabric to sell. CMT (Cut, Make and Trim) Hubs are small-scale garment producers with low-volume, flexible production, and high quality. They are often hired as contractors by fashion brands, though their penchant for experimentation with new production schemes makes them particularly responsive and agile on a local scale. E-shops are online marketplaces offering conscious consumers a one-stop-shopping access to diversified purpose-driven T&C brands.
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_Policy Brief.pdf
8
3 FROM BUSINESS CASES PRACTICES
TO
BUSINESS MODEL
As the project approaches the end of Y3, a number of evidence-based results testify that Business Cases have reached a significant maturity level: • • •
Feedback coming from external entities involved as ‘early adopters’ (e.g., testimonials at #TCBL_2018) validated the problem-solution fit. Value modelling analysis explained Business Cases’ capacity to unpack the complex process of value creation for multiple stakeholders 22. Tracking and evaluation activities delineated directions along which impact exerted by Business Cases unfolds23.
It goes without saying that the awareness of this condition has triggered reflections about next steps. The driving force in this business development action has been scalability, recognized by the Consortium as a prerequisite for materializing an EU-wide impact of TCBL ecosystem. Along these lines, to make a (quantum) leap in the capacity of TCBL ecosystem to meet the demand for innovation in the T&C realm, each Lab should be in the position to act as front-end for (almost) all TCBL offerings by connecting local demand with a decentralized supply coming from diversified angles of Europe. Each Lab, acting as proximity touchpoint with T&C enterprises and local communities, will be in the position of offering comprehensive innovation advisory packages to its target market. To turn this ambitious vision into reality, the outcomes of TCBL Business Cases have been elaborated with the intent of crafting three business model practices, namely re-connecting, restructuring, and re-framing. These three business model practices came to light by pairing the six Business Cases according to emerging strategic axes (Figure 1), as already hinted at in Annex 1 to D6.724. •
•
•
Natural Cotton and Eco-Friendly Production operate value chain re-construction to introduce natural fibers and reduce chemical usage, resulting into the ‘re-connecting’ strategic axis. Short Runs and Independents are re-organizing the production process of small workshops and manufacturers in the quest for agility and rediscovery of local sourcing, bringing to light the ‘re-structuring’ strategic axis. Bio Shades and Digital Heritage are working on reinventing the consumer experience by exploring new creative possibilities situated along the ‘re-framing’ strategic axis.
22
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_Annex.pdf
23
https://issuu.com/tcbl/docs/business_pilots_evaluation_2018
24
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_ValueModeling_Annex.pdf
9
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Figure 1 – TCBL strategic axes
From a practical standpoint, delineating these three business model practices passes through the collection and codification of all competitive insights cumulated in the last three years of TCBL project, including the generalization of lessons learnt from fieldwork activities in Business Cases. All this is geared towards (1) identifying business model journeys that TCBL wants to enable for Associate companies, and (2) connecting each business model journey with a portfolio of pertinent platform services, Lab services, and advisory services. These two themes will be dealt with in the next section.
10
4 TCBL BUSINESS MODEL PRACTICES GLANCE
AT A
Regarding the first objective underpinning the establishment of TCBL business model practices, namely identifying business model journeys that TCBL wants to enable for Associate companies, Table 2 outlines the profiles of the three business model practices (i.e., reconnecting, re-structuring, and re-framing).
Table 2 – TCBL business model practices
Re-connecting
Re-structuring
Re-framing
Business opportunity
Embrace integrity across the supply chain to deliver high-quality and environmentallyfriendly materials
Establish collaborative production processes inside a trusted community of likeminded businesses
Reinvent the consumer experience by exploring new creative possibilities
Innovation drivers
Radical transparency, green inputs, sustainable processes, certified supply chain
Agility, responsivity, resource sharing, rediscovery of local sourcing
Product turned into experience, radical new product meaning, disruption/tradition mix
Target audience
T&C companies, especially the ones situated along a specific value chain (e.g., cotton, silk)
Small workshops and manufacturers
Fashion designers, fashion brands
Sector under the lens
Textile
Clothing
Fashion
Focus
Value chain
Value network
Value proposition
Alignment with TCBL impact
20% footprint reduction
5% of manufacturing capacity returned
Customer-driven service environment
When it comes to the second objective driving the formalization of TCBL business model practices, that is connecting each business model journey with a portfolio of pertinent services, it has been addressed through a meticulous clustering resulting into a service portfolio for each business model practice. To this end, Table 3 recaps enabling services, including possible TCBL business model destinations that may help in setting a strategic direction for service selection. For instance, business model destinations having to do with re-connecting place sustainability at the core of any business endeavor and look at the supply chain for meaningful partnerships. Business model destinations falling under the banner of re-structuring are meant to establish horizontal mechanisms of frugal innovation among small workshops and manufacturers to promote local 11
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
production in a low-volume, high-quality manner. Business model destinations connected to reframing, for their part, consider only the B2C perspective with the purpose to surprise and delight customers through cutting-edge creations imbued with symbolic value that transcends the product itself. As far as advisory services are concerned, worthy of notice is that six of the seven macrocategories reported in Table 3 have been established by aggregating the areas of expertise of the 30 top-ranked TCBL advisors. The roster of macro-categories includes also TCBL Welcome Service25, introduced to integrate new TCBL Associates into ecosystem activities and services; TCBL Welcome Service will be provided in Y4 to 70 new TCBL Associates recently on-boarded in the 2018 Call. For a granular view on advisors and their areas of expertise, the reader is redirected to the TCBL Advisors Guide 201826.
Table 3 – Spectrum of enabling TCBL services
Enabling TCBL services Business model destinations27
Available options •
• •
[Sustainability-driven] Absolute Green, From Waste to Value, Eataly of Sustainable Fashion, Social Responsibility as Flagship, Second Life, Closet Sharing, Transformable Clothing [Openness-driven] Crowd Design, Extended Workshop, Do It Yourself, Make to Assemble, Crowd Promotion [Data-driven] Digital Makeover, Mass Customization, Predictive Offering
SSO platform services 28
•
Thela, Sqetch, Wave
services29
•
RemoKey, Reverse Resources, Circular Fashion, Provenance, Sourcebook
•
[Practice-based research] Workplace of the Future, Digital Archives Curation [Design & production] Open Source Fashion, My Yorkshire Wardrobe, Felt the Future, Laser Cutting as a Service, Makers Playground, Responsible Production [Business support] Waste Not, TCBL Trends [Education & training] Fabricademy [Community management] TCBL Café, TCBL Hackathon
Other platform Lab services30
• • • •
25
https://issuu.com/tcbl/docs/advisors_guide_2018
26
Ibid.
27
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/WP4_Primer.pdf
28
https://tcbl.eu/business-services
29
Ibid.
30
http://www.ismb.it/sites/default/files/Documenti/Research_Docs/TCBL_LAB%20SERVICE_PORTFOLIO. pdf
12
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Enabling TCBL services
Available options •
Advisory services31
TCBL Welcome Service, TCBL Textile Production & Materials, TCBL Design & Creativity, TCBL Supply Chain Management, TCBL Community Management, TCBL Digital Transformation, TCBL Business Development & Innovation Management
On the basis of the ‘strategic fit’ between enabling services and the three business model practices, three specific service portfolios have been elaborated (Table 4).
Table 4 – Enabling services for TCBL business model practices
Re-connecting
Re-structuring
Re-framing
Business model destinations
Absolute Green, From Waste to Value, Social Responsibility as Flagship
Extended Workshop, Eataly of Sustainable Fashion
Closet Sharing, Transformable Clothing, Second Life, Crowd Design, Digital Makeover, Mass Customization, Predictive Offering, Do It Yourself, Make to Assemble, Crowd Promotion
SSO platform services
Thela
Sqetch
Wave
Other platform services
RemoKey, Reverse Resources, Provenance
Circular Fashion, Sourcebook
Circular Fashion
Lab services
Responsible Production, Waste Not, Felt the Future
Workplace of the Future, Open Source Fashion, Laser Cutting as a Service, Makers Playground, TCBL Trends, Fabricademy, TCBL Hackathon, My Yorkshire Wardrobe, TCBL Café
Digital Archives Curation, TCBL Trends
Advisory services
TCBL Welcome Service, TCBL Textile Production & Materials, TCBL Supply Chain Management, TCBL
TCBL Welcome Service, TCBL Community Management, TCBL Digital Transformation,
TCBL Welcome Service, TCBL Design & Creativity, TCBL Digital Transformation, TCBL Business
31
https://issuu.com/tcbl/docs/advisors_guide_2018
13
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Re-connecting Digital Transformation, TCBL Business Development & Innovation Management
Re-structuring TCBL Business Development & Innovation Management
Re-framing Development & Innovation Management
With the purpose of elucidating how the business model practices look like from the point of view of a T&C company interested in exploring the possibilities of re-connecting, re-structuring, and re-framing, distinctive traits of the three business model journeys have been visualized by means of the Business Model Canvas 32. Figure 2 illustrates re-connecting business model practice, which has its epicenter in the partnerships forged along the supply chain with other textile businesses as well as service companies supporting compliance and integration at supply chain level (‘key partners’). Such strategic alliances, coupled with green and transparent operations (‘key activities’ and ‘key resources’), result into natural, high-end materials that stand out from the rest (‘value propositions’) and allow to overcome ‘going-rate’ price (‘revenue streams’).
Figure 2 – Re-connecting business model journey
Figure 3 portrays the outline of re-structuring business model practice, which hinges on the connection with a trusted community of local independents, small ateliers and manufacturers
32
Osterwalder, A., & Pigneur, Y. (2010). Business Model Generation. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
14
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
(‘key partners’). The company becomes part of networked and collaborative production processes carried out in constant osmosis with this informal value network: coordination and resource sharing (‘key resources’ and ‘channels’) among like-minded businesses is the recipe for flexible and reactive production (‘key activities’) of small lots (‘value propositions’) performed closer to market demand (‘customer segments’).
Figure 3 – Re-structuring business model journey
Figure 4 deals with re-framing business model practice, which intends to reinvent the consumer experience in a creative way. ‘Soft innovation’ (‘key activities’), driven by the search for a new product meaning (‘value propositions’), is a hotbed for fashion creations that resonate with educated and conscious consumers (‘customer segments’), who tend to be loyal (‘customer relationships’) and not price sensitive (‘revenue streams’) as they look for meaningful relationships with brands.
15
TCBL Business Case Evolution
646133 - TCBL Textile & Clothing Business Labs
Figure 4 – Re-framing business model journey
16
5 CONCLUDING REMARKS Drawing on the rich body of knowledge related to TCBL Business Cases, the present handbook casts a light on one of the most significant transitions on the way to the post-grant scenario, namely turning Business Case outcomes into business model practices ready for market application in real-world contexts. Re-connecting, re-structuring, and re-framing have thus been elaborated with the intent of codifying key business model journeys that T&C companies can undertake by standing on the shoulders of TCBL ecosystem. A common thread runs through all afore-mentioned approaches. That common denominator is the attempt to eschew competition on price – often resulting into delocalization practices and ‘race to the bottom’ problems – and move towards competing on knowledge. Along these lines, through re-connecting, re-structuring, and re-framing, TCBL ecosystem aspires to be recognized as the go-to place for T&C businesses willing to turn sustainability into competitive advantage. As anticipated in the introductory comments, activities conducted in Y3 apropos of Business Case evolution consisted in ‘planting seeds’ for ecosystem growth and amplification of societal impact. Building on this, Y4 activities will work on fine-tuning the business model practices through the iterative validation of a number of market hypotheses. Incremental next steps for Y4 can be as follows: • • • •
Update of Lab services and platform services associated to the three business model practices, taking into account new project developments. Allocation of advisory services on the basis of the experimentation with TCBL Welcome Service. Structured revision of the TCBL offerings associated to the three business model practices through interaction with a group of selected Associate companies. Preparation of ad-hoc materials (e.g., brochures) for communicating TCBL business model practices in a visual manner to companies operating in the T&C industry.
17
DOCUMENT INFORMATION REVISION HISTORY This document is Annex 2 to TCBL Deliverable 6.10, “Value Exchange and Governance Framework Version 3”. Authors: Michele Osella (ISMB), Elisa Pautasso (ISMB), Jesse Marsh (PRATO), Thanos Contargyris (MIRTEC). This Annex is written by Michele Osella and Elisa Pautasso.
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY This deliverable contains original unpublished work except where clearly indicated otherwise. Acknowledgement of previously published material and of the work of others has been made through appropriate citation, quotation or both.
COPYRIGHT This work is licensed by the TCBL Consortium under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, 2015-2016. For details, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ The TCBL Consortium, consisting of: Municipality of Prato (PRATO) Italy; German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research - Center for Management Research (DITF) Germany; Istituto Superiore Mario Boella (ISMB) Italy; Skillaware (SKILL) Italy; Oxford Brookes University (OBU) UK; imec (IMEC) Belgium; Tavistock Institute (TAVI) UK; Materials Industrial Research & Technology Center S.A. (MIRTEC) Greece; Waag Society (WAAG) Netherlands; Huddersfield & District Textile Training Company Ltd (TCOE) UK; eZavod (eZAVOD) Slovenia; Consorzio Arca (ARCA) Italy; Unioncamere del Veneto (UCV) Italy; Hellenic Clothing Industry Association (HCIA) Greece; Sanjotec - Centro Empresarial e Tecnológico (SANJO) Portugal; Reginnova NE (Reginnova) Romania, Centexbel (CTB) Belgium, Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) France, IAAC (FabTextiles) Spain, Cleviria (Cleviria) Italy, and Sqetch (Sqetch) Netherlands.
DISCLAIMER All information included in this document is subject to change without notice. The Members of the TCBL Consortium make no warranty of any kind with regard to this document, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The Members of the TCBL Consortium shall not be held liable for errors contained herein or direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The TCBL project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme for research, technology development, and innovation under Grant Agreement n.646133.
18