__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ alsico must forecast trends and predict changing customer behaviors, then create collections that attempt to meet every anticipated need. This requires large production runs and extensive warehousing- all before knowing what customers will want. The model then relies heavily on marketing to push these pre-made products to market,” explains Vincent.
“ Fundamentally, demand-driven is the opposite,” he continues.“ We don’ t have the catalogs or stocks. Instead, we go to the customer, we listen, we bring our expertise to the table, and together we agree on what is needed. At that point we put the production in place, and when garments are complete, they go straight to the end user.”
This approach requires a completely different supply chain set up, a high degree of flexibility and fast reaction times.“ When we get an order, six weeks later it must be with the customer. While there are always some constraints on what we can do at a realistic price point, we must be extremely nimble, both up and downstream. That is another reason why we have our own production units to support our demand driven model. It would be very difficult to manage otherwise,” adds Gauthier.
This demand-driven philosophy helps alsico deliver to targeted industries.“ We focus on large, complex businesses- pharmaceutical and semiconductor manufacturing where we’ re number one in Europe and the US, and healthcare where we’ re the main supplier for the NHS,” says Gauthier. Blue-chip clients such as Deutsche Bahn, DHL, openreach and Volvo know that if they have a workwear challenge, alsico can help.“ The customer feedback helps us create even more innovative garments,” he adds. This approach also helps to eliminate overconsumption and vastly reduce stocks of finished goods. It is becoming more popular, particularly in Europe where legislation is pushing the market to produce less waste.
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