Using factory-level digital tools to improve quality and productivity in garment factories
Name
1119537482-MIT.pdf
Size
10.61 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
3fa8aaed3bf7156f4bf51b484a283e61
Author(s)
Hsu, Kevin(Kevin Ta-Zhi)
Advisor(s)
Maria Yang and Charles Fine.
Date Issued
2019
2019
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The retail landscape is rapidly changing as evolving consumer habits are resulting in smaller batch quantities and shorter lead times, requiring Li & Fung to have a more digitally connected, nimble vendor base. Li & Fung uses a supplier network of thousands of garment factories around the world, the majority of whom are still capturing quality and production data manually, resulting in incomplete and inaccurate records. Factories see the value in making their operations digital, but most are low margin businesses that do not have the capital to make significant investments. This project is focused on the development of a cost-effective, digital tool to capture quality and production data at the end of a production line. This new tool will: -- Allow managers to quickly access real-time data analytics on their factory, -- Enable factories to make immediate root cause corrections in the sewing line, -- Serve as a gateway for Li & Fung to more proactively manage its vendor base,--
Give Li & Fung visibility to eliminate unnecessary inspection activities and reduce costs. The project began with an initial hardware prototype created in 2017 that evolved into the Phase One version of a mobile application which was delivered in early 2018. User testing was performed in three factories in India and Malaysia, where feedback was incorporated into a comprehensive redesign in Phase Two. The thesis will detail the needs and challenges from both the factory and Li & Fung viewpoints, and how this digital tool seeks to address them. For garment factories, the tool is cost-effective and simple, enabling factories to become digital in a very accessible way. The tool introduces garment factories to technology and Internet of Things without over-complicating their operations.
For Li & Fung, the tool provides much-needed insights into the actual performance of the vendor base, allowing Li & Fung to achieve many of its strategic initiatives related to inspection cost reduction, vendor selection, and production tracking.
Description
Thesis: M.B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019, In conjunction with the Leaders for Global Operations Program at MIT
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 66-67).
Subjects
Sloan School of Management.
Mechanical Engineering.
Leaders for Global Operations Program.
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Leaders for Global Operations Program
Terms of Use
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
