In the fast-paced world of apparel manufacturing, efficiency and visibility are key to staying competitive. In this blog, we share how a leading Vietnam-based manufacturer simplified its operations using SAP S/4HANA® Fashion to overcome specific business challenges related to their manufacturing operations and business processes.

Since launching in 1995, this apparel manufacturer has grown into a major manufacturer, producing for the world's leading brands. The company wanted access to real-time data and analysis anytime, anywhere to improve efficiency, production, and visibility in its operations. They also wanted to implement barcode scanning and monitoring dashboards on the manufacturing shop floor to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Let's look at two use cases that show how Rizing implemented SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP to help this client improve:

• Operational excellence through a unified platform to create a single source of truth.
• Efficiency with structured process controls and data integration in its manufacturing locations
• Decision-making with real-time information
• Ease of use, control, costs, and processes through automation

Customer Overview

Location: Vietnam   |    Line of Business: Apparel Manufacturing

Rizing Solutions: Fashion Suite

SAP Solutions: SAP S/4HANA Fashion Manufacturing

Use Case 01: Grouping of Raw Material Requirements for Ease of Procurement

THE BUSINESS PROBLEM

Apparel manufacturers struggle to group raw material requirements. As a contract manufacturer, this customer produces goods based on specific customer orders, leading to many line items for each size.

Their trading manufacturing model includes manufacturing plants in Vietnam and a trading company in Hong Kong. The geographic diversity makes efficient manufacturing and raw material procurement important.

The current process made purchasing raw materials frustrating and laborious for their procurement teams.

THE SOLUTION

SAP S/4HANA for Fashion has a segmentation feature that groups requirements based on common criteria or attributes. This could be based on:

• Customer orders
• Specific styles
• Style and customer order combination
• Shipping destination

SAP S/4HANA's segmentation functionality allowed them to maintain the make-to-order line-item assignment while grouping common raw materials for customer or production orders. This yielded several benefits for the customer

Profitability Analysis: Analyze profitability at the segment level, showing insights for decision-making.

Streamlined Procurement: Fewer purchase order line items simplify the transfer posting of raw materials and goods issuance in the shop and warehouse.

Use Case 02: Integration with 3rd Party Systems and Applications

THE BUSINESS PROBLEM

Apparel manufacturers use CAD/CAM systems to make their fabric-cutting efficient.

Importing markers, marker lists, and cut ratios from the CAD/CAM system into their ERP allows them to create production orders. Some data, like custom and production orders, may need to be re-exported into the CAD/CAM system.

Integrating this information usually requires significant custom development work. This manufacturer had additional challenges in cut marker preparation due to a lack of integration with their CAD/CAM system.

THE SOLUTION

With the SAP S/4HANA Fashion solution, SAP now provides a range of APIs and interfaces that allow seamless integration of any third-party CAD/CAM system with S/4HANA Fashion. For this particular customer, leveraging the available APIs, they were able to import crucial cutting-related information, such as marker ratios, marker creation details, and marker lists, into the SAP system.

This facilitated the generation of necessary production orders within SAP. Additionally, any required information, such as customer order details, style information, and production order data, could be re-exported back into the CAD/CAM system as needed, ensuring a streamlined and efficient cutting process - saving a significant amount of development work and optimizing fabric utilization.

Why a Unified Cloud ERP is Non-Negotiable for Apparel Manufacturers

The apparel and footwear industry is operating in an era of unprecedented complexity—global production networks, shifting consumer expectations, and relentless market volatility. At Rizing, we’ve partnered with multiple apparel manufacturers to deliver successful SAP S/4HANA® Fashion transformations, enabling them to unify operations, gain real-time visibility, and accelerate decision-making.

As ESG compliance, supply chain disruptions, and the demand for speed-to-market redefine success, relying on fragmented systems or manual workflows is no longer sustainable. A Discovery Session gives your leadership team clarity on how integrated processes, advanced analytics, and automation can help you tackle these challenges head-on.

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Set up a discovery session with our retail and fashion experts to gain insight into the capabilities of SAP S/4HANA Cloud ERP and how Rizing can support you in this journey.

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