High-end fashion manufacturing in the UK - product, process and vision: Recommendations for a Designer and Fashion Manufacturer Alliance and a Designer Innovation and Sampling Centre

The Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) was commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to undertake a feasibility study to explore fully the market need for a new high-end production hub. This was in direct response to the need highlighted in the DCMS report, Creative Britain - New Talents For The New Economy, published in 2008. This study has confirmed that there is a need. However the need is for a sampling and innovation facility rather than a production hub. Designers reported a shortage of high quality sampling capacity in the UK, as well as difficulties in getting small quantities produced. Additionally, they do not know where or how to source appropriate manufacturing in the UK, Europe or globally, at the quality the market requires

Promoting fair globalization in textiles and clothing in a post-MFA environment

The working paper reports on the current trade conditions in the textile clothing industry in the post Multifibre Agreement era. Additionally, the paper advocates for a fairer globalization, promoting better work conditions, labor wages and general social equality in producer countries

Pending U.S. and EU Free Trade Agreements with South Korea: Possible Implications for Automobile and Other Manufacturing Industries

[Excerpt] South Korea has negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States and the European Union (EU), but neither agreement has yet been approved. The U.S. Congress must approve the United States and South Korea free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) and the European Parliament must vote on the European Union and South Korea free trade agreement (KOREU FTA) before the FTAs can take effect. If the FTAs are ratified, it is possible there could be a “first mover” advantage for either the United States or the European Union, depending on which FTA is approved first. Some argue that both agreements have shortcomings and should not be approved. This report provides U.S. lawmakers with a comparison of the manufacturing components in the KORUS and KOREU FTAs. Congressional interest in an FTA between the European Union and South Korea mostly centers on those U.S. industries competing with European industrial sectors, especially motor vehicles. The two pending FTAs raise questions about what it could mean for U.S. manufacturers if the United States takes longer, or fails altogether, to implement the KORUS FTA, while the European Union and South Korea possibly move ahead to approve and implement their outstanding FTA. In such a case, the possibility exists that the removal of tariff and nontariff barriers between the European Union and South Korean markets could result in U.S. manufacturers losing South Korean market share to European competitors. On balance, most U.S. and European manufacturing sectors, with some auto manufacturers in particular among notable dissenters, argue that the pending FTAs will be beneficial and are largely supportive. On the other side, labor unions in the United States and the European Union are considerably more skeptical, claiming that South Korean companies could be the biggest beneficiaries, since they could gain even greater access to the significantly larger U.S. and EU markets. Labor union leaders say the FTA will result in further job losses as their respective manufacturing workforces compete for market share with competitive South Korean manufacturers in their own domestic markets

Bangladesh’s Access to the Canadian Market: Implications of the New Canadian LDC Initiative and Prospects for Export Diversification

The focus of the paper is to examine the implications of the new Canadian LDC tariff initiative, approved by the Canadian cabinet in December 2002 which provides zero-tariff, zero-quota market access for a large number of exportables from Bangladesh. The possibilities of expansion of Bangladeshi exports in the Canadian market have also been critically analysed in the paper.Export, LDC, International Relation, China, Bangladesh

Sustainable manufacturing in the fourth industrial revolution: a big data application proposal in the textile industry

Purpose: Design an industrial production model with a focus on industry 4.0 (Big Data) and decision-making analysis for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the clothing sector that allows improving procedures, jobs and related costs within the study organization Develop a sustainable manufacturing proposal for the industrial textile sector with a focus on Big data (entry, transformation, data loading and analysis) in organizational decision making, in search of time and cost optimization and environmental impact mitigation related. Design/methodology/approach: The present research, of an applied nature, raises a value proposition focused on the planning, design and structuring of an industrial model focused on Big Data, specifically in the apparel manufacturing sector for decision-making in a structured and automated way with the methodological approach to follow: 1) Approach of production strategies oriented in Big Data for the textile sector; 2) Definition of the production model and configuration of the operational system; 3) Data science and industrial analysis, 4) Production model approach (Power BI) and 5) model validation. Methodological design of the investigation. 1) Presentation of the case study, where the current situational analysis of the company is carried out, formulation of the problem and proposal of solution for the set of data analyzed; 2) Presentation of a solution proposal focused on Big Data, on the identification of the industrial ecosystem and integration with the company's information systems, as well as the solution approach in the study and science of data in real time; 3) Presentation of the Model proposal for SQL structured databases in the loading, transformation and loading of important information for this study; 4) Information processing, in the edition of data in the M language of Power BI software, construction and elaboration of the model; 5) Presentation of the related databases, in the integration with the foreign key of the Master table and the transactional Tables; 6) Data analysis and presentation of the Dashboard, in the design, construction and analysis of the related study variables, as well as the approach of solution scenarios in the correct organizational decision making Findings: The results obtained show an improvement in operational efficiency from the value-added proposal. Research limitations/implications: Currently, the number of studies applying Big Data technology for organizations in the textile and manufacturing sector in organizational decision making are limited. If analyzed from the local scene, there are few cases of Big Data implementation in the textile sector, as a consequence of the lack of projects and financing of value propositions. Another limiting factor in this research is the absence of digital information of high relevance for study and analysis, which leads to longer times in data entry and placement in information systems in real time. Finally, there is no data organizational culture, where there are processes and/or procedures for data registration and its transformation into clean data. Originality/value: This research integrates, as well as the correct organizational decision making For the verification of originality, the project search and systematic review of literature in the main online search engines are carried out for this research; In addition, the percentages of coincidence with online reviewers such as turnitin and plag.es are reviewed in the transparency of this study projectPeer Reviewe

Can Malaysia escape the middle-income Trap ? a strategy for Penang

How can Penang upgrade and diversify its economy? This paper addresses this question using a number of methodologies that have been developed for assessing competitiveness and identifying the direction of future industrial evolution. The results show that although Penang was successful in attracting foreign direct investment to the electronics industry, this has not translated into a deepening of industrial capabilities or the nurturing of innovation capacity in Penang. No large Malaysian firms in Penang have taken the lead in innovation and there is little new entry by local firms, despite incentives provided by local and national governments are generous. Universiti Sains Malaysia, the principal university in Penang, is contributing through provision of skills, and it is beginning to multiply university industry linkages. However, the university’s research activities are too limited and too diffuse to significantly initiate innovation by local industry. Under the current circumstances, and given its relatively small size, Penang will have to try much harder to strengthen its competitive advantage in its most important industry -electronics- through actions that build research capital. It will also have to increase its efforts to develop the potential of other value-adding activities, such as medical services and tourism. A strategy focused on localization economies is likely to be the most feasible option.Technology Industry,Tertiary Education,E-Business,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems