Designers with business skills and supply chain insight

Tyler, David J. (2008) Designers with business skills and supply chain insight. [Conference or Workshop Item] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Over the past 20 years, clothing students have witnessed a shift in their curriculum away from operations management towards supply chain management; away from materials handling within factories towards global logistics and distribution; away from assembly processes towards specification of the product. The technologies used to support new product development have also changed, but the processes within brand owner and retail organisations still have a strong link with pre-globalisation practices. This analysis of industry trends leads to the identification of design skills and organisational change that can provide companies with an innovation strategy and enable designers to achieve their potential.