Sync provides a software platform that can be used to manage the sourcing of garments for retailers, whether it is via direct sourcing, third-party sourcing or local manufacturing (fast fashion).
Sync has identified that the source of high cancellations fuelled by over-buying by retailers and under-delivery by suppliers rampant within the South African clothing industry is based on the low standard of design briefs or tech-packs that begin the sourcing process.
Many retailers within South Africa buy up to 20% more product than they plan for, knowing that someone's going to let them down along the way.
It's alarming to see how little information is passed on from customer to supplier during the sourcing process. The likelihood of garments being manufactured according to the customer's intended requirements is actually very low.
This accounts for many of the problems seen in South African stores, such as variations in same-size garments across various styles. This leads to unnecessary sample rework and slow quality assurance (QA) processes, resulting in long lead times, especially when compared to 'fast fashioned' international retailers.
Product life cycle management systems (PLM) have been part of the staple diet for overseas retailers for years, whereas South Africa is lagging heavily in this area. This is due to the limited number of systems available to meet this need, as well as the cost of implementing an international PLM system in SA and effectively having to throw out any existing buying, merchandising and planning system.
What makes Sync unique is that it specialises in the crucial area of garment costing, tech-packs and QA specifications. This allows retailers to keep their existing systems and plug in the elements that are missing without having to overhaul their entire IT architecture. At the same time, Sync allows for rapid deployment (six to 18 months), allowing retailers to get a jump-start over their competition.
What's missing in South African fashion retail is fundamentally the most important cog in the wheel, and without a proper brief or tech-pack, the suppliers of local, direct sourcing or third-party garments can't seem to get it right.
What makes Sync different to competing software is that the program is designed specifically for manufacturing and third-party sourcing.
While other PLM systems are essentially retail systems lacking sufficient detail in costing, tech-packs and QA, Sync is fundamentally based on the best practices of SA's top apparel manufacturing and sourcing businesses, making the sourcing process accurate and efficient.
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