SMART CLOTHING - Report of laboratory tests of smart clothing technologies and materials
Dabolina, Inga; Rainosalo, Egidija (2019)
Dabolina, Inga
Rainosalo, Egidija
Centria-ammattikorkeakoulu
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2019060518569
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2019060518569
Tiivistelmä
Today the clothing industry in the EU is struggling against cheap imports from Asian countries.
Production escaped to lowcost countries first from Sweden and Finland, and now the same is
happening in the other Baltic Sea countries. Ergonomically designed, functional smart clothing
and safe products are the competitive advantage in the competition against low priced import
when trying to retain and develop business in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Latvia and Finland
have specific knowhow in smart textiles and their applications in textiles and clothing, whereas
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are the main producers in the Baltic Sea area. In these
project industrial companies especialy SMEs can benefit from the knowhow of modern scanner
technology, smart clothing technology and effective supply chain management (i.e. RFID
and PDM) of the universities. Transnational networks and knowhow of effective supply chains
already exist between the SMEs in the BSR clothing field. However, there are possibilities in
mass customization and new innovations, as well as in integrating IT technology in work wear
clothing and building even more effective supply chains in the BSR.
The objective is to develop the work wear clothing business in BSR and make it more competitive
in order to resist competition from new producers and imports. The supply chain is already
transnational among BSR countries in the form of design, markets and subcontracting. The
project focuses on mass customization, and the possibility to integrate IT technology in work
wear as well as to enhance supply chain management.
Production escaped to lowcost countries first from Sweden and Finland, and now the same is
happening in the other Baltic Sea countries. Ergonomically designed, functional smart clothing
and safe products are the competitive advantage in the competition against low priced import
when trying to retain and develop business in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Latvia and Finland
have specific knowhow in smart textiles and their applications in textiles and clothing, whereas
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are the main producers in the Baltic Sea area. In these
project industrial companies especialy SMEs can benefit from the knowhow of modern scanner
technology, smart clothing technology and effective supply chain management (i.e. RFID
and PDM) of the universities. Transnational networks and knowhow of effective supply chains
already exist between the SMEs in the BSR clothing field. However, there are possibilities in
mass customization and new innovations, as well as in integrating IT technology in work wear
clothing and building even more effective supply chains in the BSR.
The objective is to develop the work wear clothing business in BSR and make it more competitive
in order to resist competition from new producers and imports. The supply chain is already
transnational among BSR countries in the form of design, markets and subcontracting. The
project focuses on mass customization, and the possibility to integrate IT technology in work
wear as well as to enhance supply chain management.