I like the Toronto Fashion Incubator even though they ignore me. You’d think I’d rate a link but no such luck. Still, if I only wrote about people that gave me the time of day, you’d have very little to…

The Lean Certification is just one of the ways the Society of Manufacturing Engineers helps to improve manufacturing, particularly in lean.

But if you aren’t a manufacturer, why should you care? Well, lean methods keep costs lower and quality higher – if you use contract garment assembly companies, that ought to be important to you.

And lean can keep companies manufacturing onshore, not half a world away. So instead of a six-month lead time to place your orders, you might be able to get six weeks, six days, or six hours. Depending on what colors, sizes and styles your line includes, you can change the mix during the selling season. Do you know exactly what will sell six months before your designs hit the stores? Does your retailer?

Another issue with offshore manufacturing – respect for your intellectual property – your designs – can be pretty low. You almost guarantee the production cheap copies in some countries.

And what if there’s an interruption of service in a major port or transportation system. Will your entire season’s production be sitting it out in Long Beach, when it could be in stores?

Your initial order for the season can be smaller – tying up less cash (yours or your retailer’s) and leaving a minimum of unsold goods at the end of the season. You can reduce your retailer’s risk — could that make you a more favored supplier?

One of lean manufacturing’s key concepts is the value stream — everything that happens between the idea in your head to the end customer’s enjoyment of your garment is linked together. Wasted time, money or material anywhere in the value stream is your problem and will cost you money or lost sales.

While the Society of Manufacturing Engineers isn’t known well in the apparel industry, assembly is assembly, whether it’s a car or a shirt. And design is design. If you are ready to learn more about lean manufacturing, check out our web site at http://www.sme.org/lean. It will show you where to find people, events, books,videos and other stuff to help you on your journey.

Believe it or not, I am personally fascinated with lean and I’m not just placing this post because I have a job here. It is the reason why Toyota is profitable while our big three auto companies are in the red. And the people doing it are smart, funny and interesting – I love working with them.