Garment sector needs to focus on supply chain management - Cooray
 

by Ramani Kangaraarachchi

"Companies need to look at the entire supply chain and provide services the customer expects from it in order to be successful in the global garment market in the future. Marketing alone is not sufficient if it does not accompany additional services".

General Secretary Joint Apparel Association Forum M.T.T. Cooray said, supply chain approach material sourcing is the first step to expanding apparel exports at the workshop for understanding apparel buyer.

Cooray said that marketing and soursing are the most important services offered by a garment manufacturer and need to be seen as an inseparable package.

He said that Sri Lanka are lacking these skills to a large extent.

The garment export industries have to satisfy customers, ever increasing demands and they face two challenges.

They are determining what those demands are and how to take necessary steps to meet those demands. The EU Sri Lanka Trade Development project will address these issues creating the knowledge and skills at the enterprise level to provide the services customers expect from them in the future.

It will also assist enterprises to find new customers in the largest European markets of France and Germany. International consultant David Birnbaum said that with the new GSP Plus in place, the European markets offer new opportunities for Sri Lanka that need to be tapped for the benefit of the industry and the country.

The project was funded by the EU and the International Trade Centre (ITC).