Apparel Supply Chain between Europe and China
A Guide to Apparel Sourcing and Distribution in China
Published on 20. October 2008
Book
Spiral bound
IX, 114 pages
978-3-924606-54-1 (ISBN)
Description
China plays a central role in apparel sourcing worldwide. There are many reasons why China accounts for such a big part of the sourcing volume. Besides the lower labor costs in comparison to other emerging countries, China offers many other advantages, e.g. relatively lower political, economical and financial risks, better conditions in terms of infrastructure, better qualified employees, etc. Moreover, the domestic demand in China keeps growing, which makes this market more attractive. "Sourcing in China" is slowly changing into "also selling in China". However, the apparel companies, who are entering the Chinese market for either sourcing or selling, and the international logistics service providers, who are active in China for apparel transportation, are facing challenges, such as different transportation systems, regulatory restrictions, historically grown fragmented distribution systems, limited use of technology in the logistics sector, etc.
Although there are plenty of publications about "China Sourcing" and the country's rising economic power, they are often rather general or focus on e.g. automotive or electronics industry. However, this survey captured the current development in the apparel industry. Through intensive interviews with about 50 business professionals from 35 firms, including apparel companies (as buyers or sellers), buying agents, apparel manufacturers, logistics service providers, banks, consulting firms and associations, this paper offers the readers a comprehensive guide for apparel sourcing and distribution in China.
In the paper, the processes along the entire supply chain between Europe and China and the main actors involved are described in detail. After providing the readers an overview of the apparel supply chain, three important issues - transport chain, financial performance and distribution logistics - are discussed in more depth. Besides the description of the relevant processes, critical aspects are analyzed and practical suggestions are given.
Although there are plenty of publications about "China Sourcing" and the country's rising economic power, they are often rather general or focus on e.g. automotive or electronics industry. However, this survey captured the current development in the apparel industry. Through intensive interviews with about 50 business professionals from 35 firms, including apparel companies (as buyers or sellers), buying agents, apparel manufacturers, logistics service providers, banks, consulting firms and associations, this paper offers the readers a comprehensive guide for apparel sourcing and distribution in China.
In the paper, the processes along the entire supply chain between Europe and China and the main actors involved are described in detail. After providing the readers an overview of the apparel supply chain, three important issues - transport chain, financial performance and distribution logistics - are discussed in more depth. Besides the description of the relevant processes, critical aspects are analyzed and practical suggestions are given.
More details
Persons
Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. Hans-Christian Pfohl studied industrial management and engineering from 1962 to 1968 at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, where he graduated as Dr. rer. pol. From 1975 to 1982 he held the Chair of Business Administration with responsibility for "Organization and Planning" at the University of Essen. Since 1982 he holds the Chair in Management & Logistics at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. Since 2000 he is also a professor at the Chinese-German School for Postgraduate Studies (CDHK) in Shanghai, China. In 1996 he received an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Veszprém, Hungary. He is also a Guest Professor and lectures at the University Veszprém (Hungary), Ecole Supérieure de Commerce Montpellier (France) and University Alcalá (Spain). Besides general management, logistics is Professor Pfohl's main research interest. Prof. Pfohl contributes very actively through his research activities to new development in general management and to the development of the logistics concepts. He cooperates intensively with companies of all sectors in applied research and consulting projects. Furthermore, Prof. Pfohl is head of the interdepartmental committee of "Air Traffic" at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. He is the head of the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Logistics Association (BVL), the head of the Research & Development Committee of the European Logistics Association (ELA) and member of the ELA Board. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of VDI - Society for Materials Handling, Materials Flow and Logistics Engineering (VDI-FML).
Xin Shen got her Master of Science degree in Industrial Enineering from Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) in 2000 and in International Production Management from Hamburg-Harburg University of Technology in 2003. Before she joined the Chair of Management & Logistics at Technishce Universität Darmstadt, she worked for Brose Corporate Group in the logistics and supply chain management area. Her research field is international logistics management with the focus on China. She supervised this research project of the "Apparel supply chain between Europe and China".
Xin Shen got her Master of Science degree in Industrial Enineering from Tsinghua University (Beijing, China) in 2000 and in International Production Management from Hamburg-Harburg University of Technology in 2003. Before she joined the Chair of Management & Logistics at Technishce Universität Darmstadt, she worked for Brose Corporate Group in the logistics and supply chain management area. Her research field is international logistics management with the focus on China. She supervised this research project of the "Apparel supply chain between Europe and China".