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Merchandising

How to Execute a bulk Order in Garment Industry

In the context of garment business, merchandising is one of the important sections where merchandisers have to pay an important role for marketing and production department simultaneously. Considering the importance of merchandising department and to carry out merchandising activities swiftly, merchandising manager should make a decent process flowchart by which anyone can do their task very smartly.

As per job nature of apparel industry merchandiser is the key person whose main challenge is to carry out the orders perfectly after fixing costing and pricing. So you can easily recognize how much important role merchandiser has to play in the garment industry.

A merchandiser has to consider following important factors before taking an order:

  1. Communication
  2. Consumption
  3. Costing
  4. Negotiation
  5. Planning
  6. Production
  7. Dispatch

Let’s watch a Merchandiser working Process Flow Chart at a glance:

In this article, I am trying to deliver you a clear lesson, “How to execute a bulk order in garment industry?” You will get a sound idea of a merchandiser daily work practice in Apparel Industry.

Job Responsibilities and working process of a merchandiser in Garment Industry:

Today I will try to show you gist responsibilities of a merchandiser in Garment Industry to carry out a bulk order.

Bulk Order Received from Buyer: As per general rule buyer first, seek quotation from the different factory to place bulk order through the merchandiser with Details about the product. Usually, they provide reference sample or spec sheet for review. Merchandiser has to examine the product first physically to make sure that the factory is capable of doing the order or not then inform the buyer after fixing costing and pricing. Merchandiser will prepare BOM sheet at this stage.

Preparation stage: Buyer may request for copy sample once merchandiser confirms that they are capable to carry out the bulk order. In this stage, merchandiser takes step to make a copy sample by available materials for buyer meeting.

Price Negotiation: Once buyer get copy sample from merchandiser and if it meets buyer expectation then he may request to sit together and start for price negotiation.

Order confirmation: Once price negotiation has done buyer will issue Purchase order to factory by mentioning order quantity, color assortment, size background, product specification, delivery date etc.

Planning: Once receive bulk order merchandiser has to send it to planning to insert into plan board and should inform buyer that factory can keep buyer requested delivery date or not. Then fix a suitable delivery date based on planning and material suppliers lead time information. During fixation of delivery date should count international and cultural holidays.

Maintain T&A Chart: Merchandiser should make a time and action plan to execute the order. T&A Chart should exist total time frame from order received to dispatch. Sometime merchandiser has to share this TNA chart with the buyer to let them total scenario. One more thing, success rate to carry out a bulk mostly depends upon the effective follow up of the TNA chart.

Development Stage: In this stage, merchandiser has to take preparation to provide all required samples such as Proto Sample, Fit sample, Salesman sample, Size-set sample etc. according to Buyer’s requirement. Merchandiser should take special care during sample development for smooth production. Meantime merchandiser should develop all actual fabric & accessories as per buyer requirement and submit these for approval.

Request for Issuing L/C: At this stage, merchandiser should request the buyer to issue L/C for raw-material purchasing.

Fabric Booking: Once buyer confirms lab dip, merchandiser should place fabric order to supplier according to consumption based required quantity.

Accessories Booking: At the same time merchandiser has to book all other trims & accessories as per requirement for bulk production simultaneously.

Send swatch Board and trim Card for Approval: Before step into bulk production Merchandiser has to make trims card and swatch board. Then send it to buyer to obtain final approval. Buyer should have the right to know which materials are using for a particular item.

Raw- materials In-House: Merchandiser should maintain a shipping states in this stage and input suppliers dispatch information to make sure that all raw materials are in-house as per requirements. Merchandiser should keep concern to arrange all materials in time to catch the targeted production line.

Arrange PP meeting: Once receive all actual materials then proceed to make PP sample before going to step into bulk production. Merchandiser can make PP sample early if he can collect all actual sample material from the supplier. Once buyer approved PP sample then merchandiser has to organize PP meeting to insert into the production line. This meeting has to arrange by merchandiser with all relevant documents, mail commutation print copy, approved PP sample, additional mock-up if exist which help smooth production.

Production Follow-up: Continuous follow up is a common task for merchandisers to coordinate among the production unit. Follow up means strong monitor, intention, control and high attention to finding problems & work simultaneously to get a better solution. Merchandiser should keep connection with production related people such as production manager, Technician, quality manager to make smooth bulk production as well as good quality.

Collect Production Sample: Merchandiser has to collect Top Sample, Shipping Sample from production line and take initiative to send those samples to buyer on priority basis. Beside this merchandiser has to collect Lab Test Sample from production line to do Lab test from 3rd party if required to ensure that product doesn’t exist any harmful elements for human being.

Collect daily production & Quality report: Merchandiser has to send work in progress (WIP) report to buyer each day. Thus, they have to collect daily production and quality report from the concern department regularly.

Ensure inline, pre-final and Final Inspection: Offer inline Inspection at the beginning of bulk production. Mid of the bulk production offer pre-final Inspection and once complete bulk production ensure final inspection date by communicating with buyer’s representative.

Prepare all the documents for Shipment: Please forward shipping information to commercial team to make ex-factory. Then commercial team will prepare shipping document from concern government office based on your given information and forward it to forwarder for booking. Forwarder will provide them depot information once get buyer clearance where they will deliver the goods. Once final inspection done through buyer quality or buyer nominates 3rd party quality then they will provide a green signal to commercial team to make ex-factory.

Send shipping documents to Buyers: Once done ex-factory commercial team will hand over all shipping documents to L/C issuing bank to collect payment from buyer.

Collect Payment: Once L/C issuing bank receives all shipping document including commercial invoice, packing list, Bill of Loading, Country of Origin, GSP certificate etc. then they will take the necessary step to collect payment. It will take about a month to get to collect payment from buyer through L/C issuing bank.

Here I have attached a file to know how to get product costing. You are requested to click my google drive link to get a fantastic guideline regarding product costing. Please hit the link to download your desired file.

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