For the Business of Apparel Decorating
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/670957
Ed Levy is the director of software products at Hirsch So- lutions Inc. and owner of Digitize4u, an embroidery and digitizing operation. A 23-year industry veteran, Levy has owned screen printing, embroidery, and digitizing business- es. In 2001, Levy began consulting and founded EmbForum, a professional Tajima DG/ML by Pulse software users group. THREAD ... ACCORDING TO ED B Y E D L E V Y 28 || P R I N T W E A R M A Y 2 0 1 6 T he apparel decorating industry is deadline based. Today, customers expect you to shorten your overall lead times, meet delivery promises 100 percent of the time, and of course have perfect quality. If you can improve your delivery per- formance, you'll not only increase your odds of keeping existing business, but also improve your chances of getting new and referral business. But, managing a production schedule and providing on- time delivery can be a daunting task. There is nothing worse than a customer showing up for a finished job, only to find that their order is not ready. Additionally, every company needs a sound production plan to maximize productivity. Effective planning is a complex process that spans a wide variety of activities to ensure equipment, materi- als, and human resources are available when they are needed. There are many variables involved with every order, and any hiccups can create a domino effect toward disaster. Developing a roadmap for production planning helps you know where you are going, and the time that is needed for you to get there as well. Managing Deadlines