Recent consumer trends such as increased online shopping activity have changed supply chain requirements, with growing demand for mass customization and short turnaround. The combination of SHIMA SEIKI’s pioneering WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology that allows a garment to be produced in its entirety without the need for linking or sewing afterward, along with the SDS­ONE APEX series 3D design system yields revolutionary game­changing flexibili­ ty in the knit supply chain to support such trends.

At the core of SHIMA SEIKI’s “Total Fashion System” concept, ultra­realistic simulation capability on the APEX series allows virtual sampling to streamline the sample­making process, reducing time and cost. With this new manufacturing model, the production cycle can be shortened significantly, realizing on­demand production and allowing the product planning stage to be extended for accurate analysis of consumer demand. Moreover, virtual samples can be used at the retail level to gauge consumer acceptance of upcoming products, data for which can be used for forecasting demand. Such feedback can be used to adjust production and optimize inventory, preventing leftover stock that would otherwise go to waste. If stock runs out mid­season, on­demand production capability of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting can replenish inventory to prevent lost opportunity. In such a way, the Total Fashion System maximizes profit while achieving zero left­ over stock, zero lost sales opportunity and most importantly zero waste through smart, speedy and sustainable produc­tion.