Innovation

The capability to innovate and differentiate is a key success factor allowing leading companies to strive in the very competitive global textile and fashion environment.

Werner has developed a wealth of experience in supporting textile companies with their innovation programs. One dramatic example is our extensive involvement with the Italian textile industry especially during the 80’s and 90’s. They were driven to reposition themselves by the growing competition from low cost countries. Italian textile mills and fashion companies at that time decided en masse to abandon the more conspicuous lower segments of the market and to embrace instead the complexity of higher market segments and niches where innovation and flexibility are the rule, thus ensuring higher profit margins.

Werner has been involved in a very large number of Italian textile companies during this period of re-generation. As a consequence of their re-orientation, the Italian textile mills continue to be able to defend their unique positioning in the higher value fashion market, through a combination of locally produced and outsourced intermediate and final products.

Too often, when thinking about innovation in fashion, much of the emphasis is directed towards the creative side. In reality, more often, once a specific marketing positioning is chosen, it is the complexity of manufacturing, supply chain management and servicing innovation that really differentiate winners.

To create new ideas requires imaginative thinking. To apply those ideas requires a winning knowledge-oriented organization combined with a properly structured industrial set up. When repositioning and moving up-market, companies are required to face a much greater manufacturing complexity and often need to totally change their manufacturing management models and approaches to properly respond to the needs and requirements of top market segments.
Too often, companies believe such a repositioning may be done without a total re-thinking of their manufacturing model.

Implementation of a new product-mix “architecture” requires a rigorous redesign of many functions and activities, from material sourcing to sampling and prototyping, from order size optimization to working procedures, from quality control activities to customer service methodology.

Werner’s assignments in this area are developed with a strong focus on the specifics of the customer’s strategic needs and with the support of a multidisciplinary team of marketing & strategy, design and technical experts. Werner International also provides an experienced international network of top profile creative style partners and designers.

Werner International is heavily involved in developing new technologies with leading equipment manufacturers and is at the forefront when guiding companies in the market testing of new technologies and the application of new fibers and fabrics.