This new buyer demand inevitably means that apparel factories have to shift their operations accordingly. The downside of small batch production for factories is that productivity will invariably drop with frequent order changeovers and production costs will rise. Smaller batches also mean ever shorter turnaround times. Factory management is faced with finding solutions to overcome the new challenges. Questions that must be answered include:

· - How can the factory produce efficiently with ever shorter turnaround cycles?

· - How can the factory manage frequent changeovers efficiently?

· - How can the factory ensure maximum utilization of its manufacturing resources?

· - What direction should the factory take to overcome the challenges?

To make the leap into small batch production with its smaller inventories and greater flexibility will in fact require less capital investment. The greatest challenge of small batch production is an effective quick changeover strategy. Factory management must employ new techniques for changing products with minimum negative repercussions on labor, machinery and space utilization while maintaining target performance levels.

This book provides the necessary guidance on how to develop an order changeover strategy with a specific focus on effective techniques and applied solutions that will lead to greater results in the apparel factory.