bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Alain Wu

The impact of the global pandemic on small and medium-sized enterprises runs deep, with factory shutdowns, supply chain disruptions and supply shortages in many parts of the world. But for SME manufacturers in China, Covid-19 has given them cause for a rethink about the need for greater agility, less wastage and a more consumer-centric approach.
Such a change is needed to tackle long-standing structural issues in the manufacturing sector. While Covid-19 will pass, fundamental problems in the industry will remain. Addressing them is hugely important. SMEs are the backbone of the global economy – creating jobs, driving trade and fuelling growth. In China, SMEs account for over 80 per cent of urban employment and more than 60 per cent of gross domestic product.
Many Chinese manufacturers, along with many others across Asia, are looking for a lifeline to revive their businesses. The good news is new business models do exist. One in particular is turning old systems on their heads, while also doing social and environmental good.
Take the apparel industry, one of China’s largest manufacturing industry sectors. It’s a huge industry, but it has multiple pain points that need to be addressed. One of its biggest problems is scale. For many manufacturers, the only way to produce economically is at a scale that very often far exceeds demand. They also struggle to adjust production lines to quickly get the latest styles to the market to meet current consumer appetite, reflecting a lack of agility.
It typically takes an apparel brand roughly 30 weeks to take a design from the catwalk into production. In that time, consumer tastes may have moved on. It means high wastage, a lot of landfill and an oversized carbon footprint.

For merchants, it’s high-risk. Without the right tools and information, there is usually a reliance on past sales records to guesstimate what and how much to produce next. Such a “guessing game” can be risky. Getting it wrong can result in losses, extra overheads, swollen inventory and massive wastage.
The global fashion industry accounts for 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, producing around 2.1 billion tonnes of these emissions in 2018, according to research by McKinsey and Company. The figure is forecast to grow to 2.7 billion tonnes by 2030. Meanwhile, around 40 per cent of clothes purchased go unworn and 85 per cent of textiles go into landfills each year. Less than 1 per cent is reused to make new clothes.

The solution is a new business model that can be leveraged by manufacturers of all sizes, but especially traditional SMEs that lack an effective line of communication with consumers. It empowers SMEs to respond quickly to shifting trends and fulfil consumers’ growing demands for personalised goods through the use of advanced algorithms and vast amounts of data, driven by artificial intelligence.
“New Manufacturing”, for the new economy, is well suited for short-turnaround sectors, such as apparel and fashion, where speed is of the essence. Customer needs are revealed by sophisticated analysis of hundreds of millions of data points about consumption patterns that produce very accurate forecasts.
This is the starting point of the manufacturing process. Thereafter, each step of the way from start to finish is then optimised using data, the internet of things and artificial intelligence. Cloud-based, it’s very much a consumer-to-manufacturer approach.
How China can ensure critical aid to the small firms vital for recovery
The findings are empirical and real-time. New Manufacturing links manufacturing-related data and consumer insights with factory production and management systems to boost efficiency and productivity. The result is manufacturing “to sell” rather than simply “to stock”. What’s produced reflects consumer need.
In September, Alibaba formally opened its first New Manufacturing pilot, Xunxi Digital Factory, in Hangzhou. Earlier, in the winter of 2019, one of its early successes was to identify a rising trend for heat-generating jeans. Viya Huang, one of China’s most influential live-streaming hosts, used this insight to pre-sell over 100,000 pairs in one night. The plant was able to customise order sizes and specifications, and able to produce the exact number of jeans that had been sold. It meant no unneeded inventory and no waste.

Such is the ability of the technology to discern new trends and change customer preferences that it allows for greater agility, accuracy and speed, enabling the manufacturer to produce in smaller batches with much shorter lead times. This is a very important differentiator compared with traditional manufacturing.
Smaller batches and shorter lead times allow for very nimble manufacturing. As it’s driven by what consumers want, the satisfaction derived by those consumers goes up, while wastage goes down. The benefits are clear to all.
New Manufacturing allows end-to-end, on-demand production based on consumer needs. This enables SMEs to compete in the fast-paced fashion and apparel market, shortening delivery time by 75 per cent and reducing the need to hold inventory by 30 per cent. It even cuts water consumption by 50 per cent.
Smaller quantities and shorter lead times – around seven days instead of about 15 days – allow customers to buy clothing that’s distinctive and doesn’t feel mass-produced. They can do this knowing strict quality controls exist in the production process, while appreciating the dramatic reduction in fashion pollution.
And it means the merchants can relax when thinking about their Christmas order in the middle of summer – this will become a thing of the past.
Alain Wu is CEO of Xunxi Digital Technology Company, which is part of the Alibaba Group. Alibaba is the owner of the SCMP


How data and AI can solve a major issue for Chinese manufacturing – timeliness

Employees work on a production line at the Yangzhou Shuguang Toothbrush Factory in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, on September 21. As export orders started plummeting in March amid the coronavirus’ global spread, the Chinese toothbrush maker turned to the domestic market. With the help of Alibaba Group’s huge trove of data on what Chinese consumers are searching for, the company shifted to making products that became local hits. Photo: Bloomberg

***PLEASE CLEAR THE COPYRIGHTS BEFORE REUSE*** After collecting 15.4 tonnes of unwanted clothes in October, Redress has rallied 500 volunteers to help sort and redistribute the clothes to a new home on November 21 and 22.

Models and designers dance at the conclusion of the Rubbish to Runway fashion show at the Galleries at Lynn Arts in Lynn, Massachusets, on January 17, 2020. - Designs are made from re-purposed materials donated and collected by local designers and turned into dresses, gowns and jackets. Proceeds raised from the event go to support the art at Galleries at Lynn Arts and the Long Way Home Foundation which helps build sustainable housing in Guatemala. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP)

HANGZHOU, CHINA - MAY 19: Chinese network celebrity Viya Huang Wei prepares for live streaming on the e-commerce platform Taobao on May 19, 2020 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Chen Zhongqiu/VCG via Getty Images)

Opinion

Comment

Business

Coronavirus

Analysis & Opinion

Economic Impact


The supply chain disruptions sparked by Covid-19 have forced SME manufacturers to search anew for a business model that is more agile and responsive to fast-changing consumer needs
One solution is a cloud-based system that leverages data for critical information, to ensure SMEs make to sell, rather than to stock



The supply chain disruptions sparked by Covid-19 have forced SME manufacturers to search anew for a business model that is more responsive to consumer needs. One solution is a cloud-based system that leverages data for critical information, to ensure SMEs make to sell, rather than to stock.


The View

China economy

Consumers

Coronavirus pandemic

Alibaba

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus China

China manufacturing

Artificial intelligence

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column