Report: Cut and Sew Contract Manufacturing Jumps 28 Percent

NEW YORK-Cut and sew contract manufacturing, used commonly for short-turnaround apparel production shows a 28 percent increase during the past 12 weeks. That’s the finding from a recent report by marketing insights group Thomas.

Delivered in a video update by Shawn Fitzgerald, the report finds that the continued demand for manufactured apparel with shorter lead times has driven some brands and platforms like Amazon to contract out to domestic cut and sew operations. Since these firms offer more flexible customization and heightened quality control, they help meet the needs of a hyper-competitive apparel industry, says the report. The findings also note that the apparel industry ranks sixth in reshoring manufacturing operations.

Efforts to re-shape the apparel manufacturing industry within the U.S. centers around automation, high quality, and customization. Technology firms like Sewbots, an Atlanta-based company that specializes in apparel-manufacturing robots, approach the new model as an automated industry overseen by skilled technicians. In June 2017, the automation technology firm spoke with Printwear on how they secured $4.5 million in funding to further their operations.