Potential organisation for coursework 2

Introduction

This is an idea for an organisation to be used for coursework 2. First of all because we do not have the permission of the company I have decided to use different names for the company and any clients to allow anonymity and protect the company’s interests.

Background

We can call the company Albion Fabrics Ltd and they are a clothing supplier based in London. There main business is to supply a range of children’s, ladies and men’s clothing to a number of high street stores and supermarkets. These items may then be used under the store’s own brand labels or as individual clothing ranges. The process works in one of two ways.
• The organisation designs clothes in-house and then sells the designs on to a retailer who will commission a number of clothing items to be made.
• The organisation receives designs for a range of clothes from a retailer and is instructed to create a specified number of garments.
In each case a retailer will expect the garment to:
• Be made in compliance with industry standard rules and regulations such as . This is especially important when dealing with baby garments and clothing for young children.
• Comply with the retailers own sizing specifications. Some of you may already be aware that the measurements for a size 10 ladies dress can alter dependant on what store you purchase it from.
• Be constructed using ethical practices when using factories both home and abroad
• Be properly tested in terms of wash care and fabric stress testing etc.

• Arrive on time!
The retailer will also expect orders and information about a style to be presented in their own propriety format. There are other issues but we can consider these the main areas.


Staff

The mainstay of the organisational workforce consists of garment technologists (GT) and buyers.
A GT ensures quality and fit of the garment within price range given by the buyer. The GT may ask for alterations to be made such as an extended hem line to improve the quality of the garment and will then will negotiate the best way to achieve this within the given price range
Buyer: negotiate prices for a particular style both with a factory and the customer. They also collect competitor information and look for new designs outside of the organisation that they can buy to sell on to retailers.
Staff are split predominantly into 5 teams with each team being associated with one of their 5 main customers. A team will consist of buyers a senior GT, and a varying number of GT’s.
Buyers are located in a different area of the office to the GT’s. A senior GT and the other GT’s within a team sit on a group of tables together.
Staff may need to give support to an alternative team if workload is high.

Products
The industry tends to produce garments in two main blocks that the call seasons: spring /summer and autumn/winter
Albion Fabrics has 5 main customers and there can be as many as 200 styles in a spring / summer collection and 180 styles in a autumn /winter collection for each customer

Technology
All staff have access to a networked computer system although Internet usage is not available on the floor where the teams are situated. The pc’s currently have ms office and e-mail and some propriety software.

Main issues
Training new staff: such as how to measure, fabrics and performances. i.e difference between fabrics construction and yarn
Comparing and sharing information on factories: problems and performances, new manufacturing processes, new fabrics, general fashion industry info.
Keeping up to date on new rules and regulations and changes in preferences from retailers.
Keeping up to date with rules and regulationss for other teams if need arises to work with another team for a short period.
Time is always tight to get orders ready for customers so little time for discussions and meetings

Current Practices

Informal discussions
Monthly or Bi –monthly combined team meetings usually focused on progress of orders with factories as all teams will tend to use a proportion of the same factories but for different customers.