Recent activities

CTFL Sector Outlook for the next 12 months

23 July 2020

The cluster hosted a discussion on the outlook for the CTFL sector over the next 12 months, followed by our AGM. We heard from retail investment analyst, Christopher Gilmour, and had a panel discussion with representatives of major retailers.

 

Responsible and ethical employee cost optimisation during COVID-19

14 July 2020

Our recession recovery support programme continued this week with our focus on responsible and ethical employee cost optimisation during COVID-19 and the often difficult conversations and decisions around this subject.

 

Cost Optimisation Strategies

09 July 2020

Our recent working group session took place between the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster, the KZN Clothing and Textile Cluster, The Foschini Group Textile Cluster and the eThekwini Furniture Cluster to discuss best-practice cost optimisation strategies.

 

Framing the Next 12 Months

26 June 2020

Facilitated by Prof Justin Barnes (Executive Director, Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies), we welcomed an esteemed panel of experts to discuss and debate the economic outlook of South Africa and the manufacturing sector in light of COVID-19.

 

How to engage with Public Procurement

03 March 2020

In line with the KZN CTC’s vision of boosting the competitiveness of the local industry and increasing localisation, the Cluster conducted a Public Procurement Study aimed at understanding the public procurement landscape for clothing, textiles and footwear.

 

KZNCTC Export Training

28 January 2020 & 4 February 2020

The KZN CTC  conducted a 2-part export training workshop that will focus on costing & pricing for exports and export compliance. Export costing and pricing and export compliance have been expressed as the two most complex topics regarding exports by members.

 

KZN CTC Export Promotion Calendar

2019

 Export markets have become increasingly relevant to the clothing, textiles, footwear, and leather industry. However, the pursuit of these markets is hindered by limited knowledge of compliance, regulations and potential export markets.

The KZN CTC’s Export Promotion programme, in partnership with Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal, focused on developing export capabilities and opportunities for emerging and existing exporters through the following focused programmes over the course of 2019

 

KZN CTC Innovation Session: Eddels Shoes

14 Nov 2019

The KZN Clothing & Textile Cluster through it’s Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CIP) aims to create a group of globally competitive companies that will effectively maintain a sustainable business environment. The KZN CTC hosted an Innovation Session at Eddels Shoes with a focus on Total Quality Management (TQM).

 

KZNCTC Export Promotion Opportunities

02 Oct – 11 Nov 2019

The KZN CTC in collaboration with Trade and Investment KZN (TIKZN) invited members to apply to participate in a number of outbound missions to improve their firm’s ability to access export markets.

 

2019 SME Boost Tour

31 Oct 2019

The KZN CTC invited members, funding partners, buyers and procurement executives to attend the 2019 SME Boost Tour.

 

KZNCTC Export Week

14 – 18 Oct 2019

The Kwa-Zulu Natal Clothing and Textile Cluster (KZN CTC), in collaboration with Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) invited their members to the Export Week that took place between the 14th – 18th October 2019.

 

Office Lean Boot Camp

20 Aug – 01 Oct | 22 Aug – 03 Oct 2019

Productivity improvements should not be limited to manufacturing spaces exclusively. Instead, the same principles can and should be applied to every area of a business. These areas include design, pre-production, finance, sales, human resources, and general administration.

 

Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CIP) Overview

14 August 

The KZN CTC invited members to attend an information session on the next round of the Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CIP). The KZN CTC CIP is an intensive programme of support designed to upgrade the product, process and people capabilities of participating members. The CIP includes marketing and software investments, in-firm expert support, and skills training, with three-quarters of programme costs covered by IDC administered and dti funding.

 

Carbon Tax Seminar

08 August 2019 

The Carbon Tax Act (Act No. 15 of 2019) was promulgated on 1 June 2019. Entities that engage in activities that produce direct GHG emissions will be liable. In Phase 1 (2019 – 2022), entities with total installed thermal capacity that is equal to or above 10MW shall report their emissions and will be subject to the tax.

Introduction to Fabrics & Fibres

26 – 27 June 2019 | 9 – 10 July 2019 

Fabric is the most fundamental component within the clothing and textile industry, which has numerous implications on industry design, quality and costing. The Fabric and Fibres Workshop gave delegates a basic understanding of the stages and processes involved in producing fabric and the characteristics and properties of the most relevant fibre types.

KZN CTC Annual General Meeting: Global Digital Disruption - CTFL Industry

16 May 2019

This year’s Annual General meeting showcased:

• Clustering success stories

• Technology Disruption in the CTFL Industry

 

Back to the Basics: Lean Boot Camp 2019

4 March – 10 April 2019

One of the KZN CTC’s strategic objectives is to upgrade firm-level efficiency. LEAN is a systematic approach within the organisation to MINIMIZE and ELIMINATE waste in order to create a flow to improve customer value. The key to achieving this is through structured and continuous development of your valued employees. Unlock unprecedented improvements within your organisation through the Lean Boot Camp in 2019.

SME Boost Tour 2019

30 January 2019

A Call to All Sourcing Executives

The KZN CTC recently assisted four black-owned, small and medium businesses within the KZN region to improve their operations through professional support. The initiatives focused on business skills and Lean Manufacturing principles and practices.

Innovation Session: Lean Manufacturing Basics

23 October 2018

Lean manufacturing principles are essential to operating a world-class plant. A world class manufacturing plant determines a firm’s ability to compete against local and global competitors especially as we usher in the industry 4.0 evolution.

Industry 4.0 Policy Dialogue

18 October 2018

Advances in technologies are disrupting production processes in unprecedented ways across industries around the world. These changes are bringing new opportunities for improving productivity and competitiveness in various sectors but are also bringing new challenges. Clothing and textiles industry has been identified as a key sector where technology is changing production and where there is great potential to be unlocked.

Imraan Textiles Innovation Session

10 October 2018

The industry 4.0 evolution is transforming product development in the manufacturing industry; this will require new perspectives and practices to ensure sustained competitiveness. The KZN CTC will host an innovation session at Imraan Textiles with a focus on how data can be used to inform capital investment decisions.

 

Newcastle SME Boost Tour

19 September 2018

The KZN CTC recently assisted five black-owned, small businesses in Newcastle and Ladysmith, to improve their operations. The initiatives focused on business skills and Lean Manufacturing principles and practices.

 

Cape Town Innovation Session

10 September 2018

BEST PRACTICE TOUR
Best practice tours provide manufacturers with a unique opportunity to learn from other production environments and offer insight into improvement opportunities within their factories. We continue with our best practice learnings with a tour to the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster.

 

 

Preproduction Training: Common Costing Problems

7-8 August 2018

Workshop 3 – Common Costing Problems

The 2-day Workshop is aimed at unpacking problems associated with costing by using practical case study examples. Groups will discuss case studies and come up with solutions that will then be discussed as a class after each session.

 

Executive Training: Understanding B-BBEE in the CTFL Industry

1 August 2018

 The KZN CTC hosted an executive training session that focused on understanding B-BBEE in the CTFL industry, including enterprise and supplier development. Effective enterprise and supplier development can assist firms in building sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers and business partners.

Hesto Harnesses Innovation Session

24 July 2018

The KZN CTC hosted an innovation session at Hesto Harnesses, a multi-award winning automotive firm. Hesto assembles and supplies automotive harnesses. Similar to the CTFL industry, their production process is labour intensive, requiring the firm to be cognisant employee engagement.

Costing Preproduction Training

18-19 July 2018

Workshop 2 – Costing

The 2-day Costing Workshop was aimed at employees in the clothing, textile, footwear and leather value chain involved in the product costing process including influencers of the costing decisions. The workshop was a practical and included classwork examples.

Work Study and Costing Training

04-05 July 2018

Workshop 1 – WORK STUDY AND COSTING TRAINING

This 2-day Standard Setting Workshop was aimed at employees in the clothing, textile, footwear, and leather value chain involved in establishing and monitoring standards and the supply of information to costing and other decision-making processes, as well as those who make decisions that influence product costs. This workshop was a practical that included classwork examples.

Turkey Study Tour

 

Earlier in 2018, members of the KZNCTC and CCTC participated in a Best Practice Tour to Turkey. The purpose of the tour was two-fold:

To deepen our understanding of lean manufacturing principles and quick response applied in leading CTFL firms internationally
To explore the application of robotics, artificial intelligence and digitised analytics in a clothing factory (Industry 4.0 applied).

Sentinel Workwear Innovation Session

21 June 2018

Sentinel Workwear received the award for the most improved KZN CTC firm for 2017. The firm has achieved some great successes based on focusing on Work Study and Standard Minute Values (SMV).

Operational Performance Measurement System Launch Workshop

14 May 2018

The KZN CTC and CCTC were excited to announce the official launch of the Operational Performance Measurement System (OPMS). The OPMS is a short-cycle performance measurement and reporting system. The system is designed to assist CTFL firms in capturing key performance measures on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and convert this data into an intelligent dashboard, for proactive operational management.

Growth & Innovation Through Shared Learnings

2 May 2018

This year’s Annual General meeting showcased:

Clustering success stories 
The use of collective knowledge in identifying and applying innovative solutions
This year’s AGM  reflected on the performance and successes of 2017 and the benefits of shared learnings.

Executive Training Session - South Africa in 2030: The Latest Scenarios

6 March 2018

Dr Frans Cronje delved into an analysis of the current growth, investment, employment, education and policy trends, to name a few, focused specifically on the implications for manufacturers. He unfolded four possible scenarios for South Africa’s next decade which will prove particularly valuable for manufacturing firms with long investment horizons. The session concluded with a discussion regarding markers that indicate which scenario is unfolding and the major social, economic, and political trends that evolve under the scenarios.

KZN CTC: SME Boost tour 2018

15 February 2018

KZN CTC hosted a tour of the top three performing SME’s from the 2017 SME Boost Programme. All three firms have implemented significant lean improvements.

Executive Training Session: Unlocking Export Opportunities for Local Manufacturers

23 November 2017

The KZN CTC hosted a presentation on the Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN) Export Development and Promotion Unit, to understand how your firm can access Provincial Government’s export assistance and support programmes.

WCM Innovation Session: Celrose Clothing Lean Improvement

9 November 2017

Celrose Clothing has been involved in an ongoing Lean Improvement project, which has resulted in substantial improvements in various areas.

The main objectives of the project were to optimize Celrose Clothing’s lean manufacturing capabilities. The project focused on Visual Performance Management, Total Quality Management, Maintenance, as well as Production and Repairs.

 

Colour Management Workshop

26 October 2017

Dyefin Textiles hosted a Colour Management Workshop.

The workshop had the following objectives:

  • To give a clear understanding of the basic principles of the nature of colour, how it is sensed, measured and communicated
  • To give a clear understanding of colour measurement as well as colour communication hardware and software

Dyefin has previously conducted this workshop with their laboratory staff and found it to be both relevant and beneficial. It came highly recommended for staff involved with colour testing and measurement.

 

WCM Innovation session - Dyefin process improvement project

5 October 2017

Dyefin Textiles recently conducted a project to address a number of issues in the Fabric Receiving and Preparation areas of their factory. The project had two key objectives:

  • to train an internal team from on the process and methodology of process improvement
  • to improve process efficiency in terms of workflow, throughput and cost

This innovation session provided an opportunity to understand the methodology used and to observe the benefits derived from this project.

WCM Innovation Session: overview of lean initiatives implemented at Durban Overall

5 September 2017

Durban Overall has been involved in several Lean Improvement initiatives, which have seen the factory make substantial improvements in various areas. This innovation session showcased how the firm has identified and implemented these initiatives.

Preproduction training: pattern development

12-13 July | 19-20 July 2017

The four-day pattern making course was aimed at upskilling employees involved in the pattern development component of preproduction in the clothing and textile value chain and exposing them to new technologies in product development.

Preproduction training: compiling tech packs

28-29 June 2017

The two-day tech pack course was aimed at employees in the clothing and textile value chain involved in the compilation of tech packs. During the course employees were trained on preparing tech packs to ensure that costings are accurate, customer specifications are met and production targets are achieved.

Preproduction training: basic fabric understanding

14-15 June | 21-22 June 2017

This four-day “basic fabric understanding” course was aimed at employees in the clothing and textile value chain. During the course, trainees were introduced to the basics of fabric types, finishes and applications.

Executive engagement session

9 May 2017

Dr Justin Barnes presented his four day plus four day (4+4 day) operating model, developed in conjunction with leading clothing and footwear manufacturers.

KZN CTC AGM 2016

19 April 2017

The AGM was utilised to inform members of the 2016 activities completed by the KZN CTC as well as the strategic focus and planned activities for 2017. A variety of stakeholders from the clothing, textiles, footwear and leather (CTFL) industry attended.

CMT tour 2017

29 March 2017

This activity, aimed at sourcing executives, was a tour of the top three performing cut, make and trim (CMT) manufacturers from the 2016 Boost Programme.

KZN CTC 2017 Planning Workshop

8 February 2017

The KZN CTC hosted a planning workshop for member firm executives. The purpose of the workshop was to design high impact programmes for 2017.

WCM Innovations Session: implementing Total Quality Management

13 October 2016

Total quality management is a management system for a customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the organisation.

WCM Innovation Session: Optimising Line Layout using TAKT Time

17 August 2016

TAKT time is a methodology used to optimise the flow of production lines according to customer demand. Members joined us for a tour of the Sentinel workwear plant followed by an introduction to the concept of TAKT.

Executive Training Session: AGOA & The South African Clothing and Textiles Industry

20 July 2016

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) provides duty-free access to the USA market for a wide range of products exported from South Africa. AGOA aims to promote a free-market system and expand USA-African trade and investment.

Excel Clothing: TAKT Flow line layout

13 June 2016

The KZNCTC hosted an innovation session focused on TAKT Time at Excel Clothing. TAKT time is a methodology used to optimise the flow of production lines in keeping with customer demand. Presented by Jan Visagie, a lean expert, the session was intended to assist firms in reviewing their own line layout.

Sixth Retailer, Clothing and Textiles Imbizo

25-26 May 2016

The 2016 Imbizo will bring together major South African retailers and clothing and textile manufacturers.

During the event we will discuss the status of the value chain, major development requirements and roles and responsibilities in achieving these requirements.

Dyefin Textiles: Management Control Systems

19 April 2016

During 2015, Dyefin Textiles implemented a Management Control System (MCS). It is used to track the perfomance of all divisions against capacity on a daily basis, with divisional supervisors meeting regularly to discuss variances and major improvement requirements.

The KZNCTC and Dyefin hosted an innovation session to inform cluster members about the design and implementation of the MCS, including a tour of the Dyefin factory to observe the MCS in practice.

CMT Tour to most improved CMT

8 March 2016

The KZN CTC hosted a tour of the top 3 CMTS’ that particiapted in the 2015 CMT BOOST Programme. The primary focus of this tour was to show member firms the significant lean improvements these CMTS had made.

The firms which were visited:

  • Aspire Fashions
  • Verulam CMT
  • Windor Trade

The Practical Implementation of Quick Response presented by a Turkish National Arzu Ensari

22 February 2016

On 22 February 2016 the KZN CTC hosted Arzu Ensari. She is the former senior regional sourcing director of George at ASDA.

Arzu presented a series of workshops on the responsibilities of different value chain actors in implementing QR. Arzu has also merchandised for ESPRIT, Liz Clairborne and NIKE during her career.