so what i’m saying is that unless the brand is focused on producing the BEST QUALITY clothes, as toyota is focused on the BEST QUALITY cars, then the toyota way would not apply. lastly, from porter’s 5 forces, the cost of changing suppliers is extremely low in the apparel industry.

Great article!… I have suspected for a long time that the part human nature plays in manufacturing is not so obvious to most people, and finally this article brings it to light.

The last couple of weeks I’ve seen first hand the effect that the economy has had on factories that didn’t adapt with the times….
The building we’re in had 4 companies (1 closed down 2 weeks ago, 1 decided to sneak out over the weekend, and my neighbour is planning on closing next week) and now it seems like we are the only ones left standing…. The main difference is that our company culture is completely result driven.
The hardest part of bringing employees into a culture that is so different from their previous employers is that it takes a while for them to trust that things won’t change as we grow…
Once they overcome their fears, the results speak for themselves.

Saying that, it has been a very steep learning curve (as in human behaviour, and psychological learning) and I know that there will always be room for improvement

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…

As for your subcontractor– they are your supplier. Toyota has had a strategy of supplier development for decades. They say, “If you want us to buy from you, you have to improve, and we will help you.” If the supplier doesn’t, they lose the business. Few companies have Toyota’s leverage, unfortunately. Anyway, the reason your subcontractor’s sewers don’t pay attention to quality revolves around practices that Kathleen mentions, but another way of looking at it is that the company’s culture and management are way off what you want. If you could identify a subcontractor practicing lean, in its correct sense, you could give them your business. And that success should motivate them to keep getting better and better, not to mention treating you — their customer — as the most important person in the world. But more importantly, you could start rating such companies and publishing your ratings, thus promising the learning company more business — which they will want if they are lean because they will have the productivity and capacity to take it on. The bad companies, in theory, will become dinosaurs and die off — or learn.

Do you know of any outstanding companies in the apparel industry?