#Software

2020-07-30

Longratex renews partnership with Gerber to enable dual workflows - customization and mass production

For 32 years, apparel manufacturer, Longratex, has relied on Gerber Technology’s innovative solutions for their baby and children’s brand, Patachou, and women’s brand, Sophia Kah. With Gerber’s unique end-to-end solution, Longratex is able to manufacture over 2,000 pieces daily and also meet the challenge of customization.

By leveraging Gerber Technology’s innovations, which include 2D/3D CAD solution, AccuMark®, sophisticated cut planning solution, AccuPlan™, and nesting solution, AccuNest™, as well as the Gerber Paragon® and automated spreading, Longratex has the agility and flexibility necessary to adapt to the world around them and meet every challenge they encounter, whether it’s customized, short run or mass production. Since using Gerber’s robust suite of software solutions, Longratex has been able to increase productivity by 50%, improve fabric economy by 3-5%, and boost efficiency by about 50%.

COVID-19 has acted as an accelerator for eCommerce and customization, forcing manufacturers to completely re-evaluate their supply chain. By leveraging digital technologies, Longratex implemented a flexible and agile workflow, beginning with online ordering, that allowed customization, shortened production cycles and accelerated time to market. With Gerber’s solutions, Longratex effectively meets the need for on-demand products while still being able to mass produce when necessary.

“Today, digitalizing the supply chain is the only viable option for manufacturers to efficiently produce on-demand garments,” said Theo Ostendorf, Vice President & General Manager of Europe, Middle East and Africa of Gerber Technology. “Our end-to-end solution empowers both on-demand and mass production, allowing companies of all sizes to conquer any challenge they may face.”

Founded in 1988, Longratex has the broad manufacturing know-how to successfully provide over 600 retail stores in Portugal and the UK with products of the highest quality at an affordable price while also managing their own children’s wear and women’s wear brands. The manufacturer credits much of its success to their skilled workforce and Gerber’s advanced innovative solutions.

“The full integration of our Gerber cutting room with the AccuMark Platform was essential when we decided to launch our own brands seven years ago,” said Paulo Campos, General Manager of Longratex. “We were adding more and more small series, and even customized elements, to the fundament of mass production. We needed an integrated solution to increase productivity and responsiveness.”

"Gerber has responded fully to our needs of training, assistance, and innovation, which encourages continuity in the business relationship,” said Campos. “Through the new solutions presented to the market challenges, Gerber has given us reason to believe that it remains the right technology partner to support us in this new digital era.”

Orient Rongheng connects production planning across China and Bangladesh with FastReactPlan

Chinese apparel manufacturer Orient Rongheng is implementing Coats Digital’s FastReactPlan to digitalize production planning across its manufacturing operations in China and Bangladesh. The project aims to connect capacity, materials and order planning across multiple factories while integrating these processes with the company’s existing ERP and Manufacturing Execution System (MES).

Lectra launches Apogy with agentic AI for fashion product development

Lectra has launched Apogy, a new cloud-based solution for fashion product development that combines product data, collaborative workflows and agentic artificial intelligence. The platform is designed to connect the different stakeholders and processes between initial design and production while using AI agents to automate tasks and support decision-making throughout the development cycle.

Coats Digital launches AI-powered GSD RealMotion for motion analysis

Coats Digital has launched GSD RealMotion, an AI-powered solution designed to provide apparel manufacturers with greater visibility into factory-floor operations. By analysing shop-floor video and applying Coats Digital’s GSD methodology, the solution turns video recordings into structured, motion-by-motion method studies.

VDMA Textile Machinery with new Executive Board

At the general meeting of VDMA Textile Machinery held in Hanover at the end of September, Dr Janpeter Horn, Managing Director of A. Herzog Maschinenfabrik, was re-elected as Chairman of the trade association. Regina Brückner, managing partner of Brückner Trockentechnik, and Verena Thies, managing partner of Thies Textilmaschinen, will once again serve as vice-chairs for the next four years.

Rieter appoints Daniel Lippuner as new CEO as Thomas Oetterli steps down

Thomas Oetterli has decided to step down from his function as CEO, effective October 31, 2026, and hand over the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors. “After the successful implementation of the Next Level performance program, the structural measures initiated to consolidate the sites and the acquisition of Barmag, the time has come to hand over responsibility to new hands,” explains Thomas Oetterli.

Kraig Labs ships first commercial spider silk yarn

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“the Company”, “Kraig Labs”, or “Kraig’s”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, today announced the shipment of its first commercial order of recombinant spider silk yarn. The custom-engineered yarn was produced to fulfill a purchase commitment from a globally recognized performance sports brand and is slated for development into a first-of-its-kind performance textile.