China swaps sweatshops for smart tech in bid to reclaim lost ground
Manufacturers also acquiring established brands overseas in push to move up the value chain
A young woman walks into a booth and removes her outerwear. Six seconds later, a software programme linked to a scanner that plots 600 points displays her bust, waist and hip measurements on a computer screen.
Measuring – the first step in making a tailored dress – is done.
The scenario, played out at a factory run by Hong Kong company High Fashion Garments in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is the new face of “made in China”, where smart, small-batch production is replacing the old sweatshop approach of bulk manufacturing.
We’ve had enough of those days when we earned so little by making goods for big brands
And it continues when the dresses are made, with two robots, about half the size of a human, zooming in and out, wearing different-sized clothes, as they simulate the changing room experience. The company hopes that all the attention paid to mapping out the time and space needed for the process to work smoothly will see it adopted across China.
Chinese manufacturers are adopting newer technology, acquiring established brands and connecting to bigger markets through cloud-based networks as the country embarks on a quest to secure a higher position in the global production chain.
“I’ve spent a third of my 30-year career in the garment business at this Hangzhou plant, watching it grow from an OEM [original equipment manufacturer] to a producer with its own brand and design capability,” said company director Hilda Leung. “The knack is technology and innovation, so that we can sell clothes at US$45 [a piece] on average nowadays compared with US$10 about six or seven years ago. The earlier you adopt a suitable technology, the higher the possibility to survive.”