ABSTRACT
Time is an important dimension within the textile clothing supply chain. It is useful to think of the major stages in the chain as cycles, each cycle taking a specific time to nm its course. For example, it takes half a year to grow crops or produce wool; it takes anywhere between 12 and 24 weeks to secure textile fabric in the specified quantities, qualities and colours from a textile mill; it takes anywhere between 2 weeks and 16 weeks to secure finished goods inventories from clothing manufacturers; and, if you add to all these inefficiencies idle time in warehousing and shipping logistics, sourcing trips, design concepts, fabric testing, sampling and selection, then more time is consumed in these processes too.
