Through the digitization of its production processes, Tianyuan has improved SMV calculation accuracy to 98%, shortened new product process analysis time from four days to one, and reduced sample garment development cycles by 25%.

Founded in Suzhou, Tianyuan Garments employs over 5,000 people and produces more than 26 million garments annually, including sportswear, shirts, trousers, coats, down jackets, and technical outerwear. Certified under the ISO9001 Quality Management System and the BSCI Social Responsibility System, Tianyuan has been honoured with the Adidas Global Supplier Award for four consecutive years.

Before adopting GSDCost, Tianyuan’s standard minute value (SMV) calculations were largely based on engineers’ individual experience, resulting in variations of up to 30% across production lines. The lack of consistent data meant that process analysis for new products could take several days, often producing inaccurate results. The increasing need for faster turnarounds and more fragmented, complex orders highlighted the necessity for a more agile, scientific approach.

Hailan Chen, Industrial Engineering Director at Suzhou Tianyuan, said: “Before implementing GSDCost, SMV calculations relied heavily on engineers’ experience, resulting in variations of up to 30% across different production lines. New product process analysis consequently, took three to four days. As fast fashion and fragmented orders became more prevalent, traditional methods struggled to meet brands’ demands for a rapid response.”

Recognising rising industry costs and the need to strengthen competitiveness, Tianyuan began its digital transformation journey three years ago.

Mr. Tang, General Manager at Suzhou Tianyuan, said: “Amid rising costs and shifting production capacities across the global apparel manufacturing industry, we identified digital transformation as our strategic solution. Before implementing GSDCost, although we served as a contract manufacturer for well-known brands, our cost control methods were inefficient and manual, leading to a year-on-year decline in profit margins.”

The implementation of GSDCost played a pivotal role in achieving the company’s strategic goals of higher transparency, efficiency, and profitability. With GSDCost onboard, Tianyuan quickly established a unified digital process platform that standardised SMV calculations across all operations.

Hailan Chen added: “After adopting GSDCost, our SMV calculation accuracy has now improved to 98%, and new product process analysis time has been shortened to just one day—increasing the quotation efficiency by over 60%.”

For complex functional apparel orders, GSDCost’s intelligent matching feature enables Tianyuan to complete process breakdowns in just a few hours—a task that previously took days.

“The standardised operation library in GSDCost also helped us reduce sample garment development cycles by 25%, securing a critical competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding market,” explained Hailan Chen.

Mr. Tang added: “By digitizing the entire process from order placement to shipment, Tianyuan achieved three major breakthroughs. First, the accuracy of cost estimation improved from 75% to 95%, strengthening our negotiation power and enabling us to secure partnerships with premium clients such as Adidas. Second, we established a real-time production management system, increasing on-time delivery performance to 96% and reducing material waste by approximately 2%. GSDCost has become the core engine driving our transformation from manufacturing to smart manufacturing.”

GSDCost, Coats Digital’s method analysis and predetermined times solution, is widely acknowledged as the de facto international standard across the sewn products industry. It supports a more collaborative, transparent, and sustainable supply chain in which brands and manufacturers establish and optimise ‘International Standard Time Benchmarks’ using standard motion codes and predetermined times. This shared framework supports accurate cost prediction, fact-based negotiation, and a more efficient garment manufacturing process, while concurrently delivering on CSR commitments.

Boris Lu, Customer Success Manager at Coats Digital, said: “The success of the GSDCost project at Suzhou Tianyuan Garments demonstrates the profound value of digital transformation in apparel manufacturing. During the implementation process, we worked closely with the Tianyuan team to deeply integrate industry expertise with system functionalities, building a standardised database covering over 50,000 processes. This has enabled Tianyuan to make faster, more accurate production decisions, optimise processes across multiple lines, and strengthen both its competitiveness and operational resilience.”

Key Benefits and ROI for Suzhou Tianyuan

• 98% accuracy in SMV calculation
  

• 60% improvement in process analysis efficiency
  

• 25% reduction in sample development cycles
  

• 95% accuracy in cost estimation
  

• 96% on-time delivery performance
  

• 2% reduction in material waste