logistics assignment 3 due in 24 hours

FASH1139 Assignment # 3 –

Transportation and Warehousing

of Ready-Made Garments

Logistics involves the management of the supply chain from raw materials to manufacturing to importation and distribution of the goods. Over the past 20 years North American businesses have ceased to be important manufacturers or producers of clothing goods. Nowadays, Canada imports ready-made garments (RMG) primarily from countries such as China and Bangladesh.

Canada and the European Union recently signed and ratified a comprehensive free trade agreement called CETA, which may correlate to an increase in well-known fashion brands and ready-made garments being shipped into Canada from Europe. From a logistics point of view, CETA has encouraged Canadian businesses to follow the transportation and storage guidelines for clothing goods promoted by Germany. The English translation of Germany’s transportation and storage guidelines for shipments of ready-made garments has been posted on Blackboard and it is also attached to this Assignment. It is strongly recommended that you read the posted EU guidelines and Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the course textbook before answering the questions contained in this Assignment 3.

Remember that your submission must be a minimum 500 words (not including assignment questions) in order to receive a passing mark.

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1. Identify the four (4) modes of transportation that are used by exporters of ready-made garments and state the relative merits of each mode of transportation on account of price and delivery time in relation to the other modes of transportation. For example, the World Bank states “air freight is typically priced 4 or 5 times that of road transport and 12-16 times that of sea transport” per kg (i.e add/include the 4th mode and use similar approach for delivery times).

2. Many clothing brands cite environmental and sustainability concerns as a reason for the company to use specific modes of transportation. Research or use the best of your knowledge to fill in the following blanks:

Levi Strauss claims that it has reduced its carbon footprint by shifting from the most carbon-intensive modes of transportation such as ________________ and _____________________ into less intensive modes such as _____________________ and _________________________.

Also briefly describe the relative benefits to Levi Strauss of each of the four modes of transportation used by the company.

3. Victoria’s Secret ships silk lingerie from Asian manufacturers to stores around the world. Explain whether you would have any concerns (A) if the silk garments were left unprotected for a couple of days in a New Dehli, India port on a hot summer day; and (B) if the same unprotected shipment was left outside in Ottawa, Canada for 7-8 hours in January.

4. Explain whether you would have any concerns about a container shipment of wool jackets and cotton sweaters destined for Wal-Mart stores in North America fell overboard and into the sea (but was eventually recovered) while the jackets and sweaters were being shipped overseas from a port near Shanghai, China.

5. Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical that is alarmingly used by many clothing exporters to give their wares a fresh, unwrinkled appearance and to prevent mildew during shipping. Phthalates is a chemical used to make plastic more flexible and resilient; it carries a strong, plastic smell and is found in many clothes with plastic logos and also in many new models of shoes. Explain your concerns, if any, in respect of clothing goods that contain formaldehyde or phthalates; and whether you should have any concerns if your shipment of ready-made clothing goods shares a container or is stored in a warehouse in close proximity to ready-made garments that contain formaldehyde or phthalates.

European Union Guidelines

for Ready-made garments, clothing

(edited by Professor Aldo Forgione)

General: Ready-made garments are mass-produced finished textile products of the clothing industry. They are made from many different fabrics and yarns. Their characteristics depend on the fibers used in their manufacture.

Risk factors and loss prevention:
	Temperature		Odor
	Humidity/Moisture		Contamination
	Ventilation		Shrinkage / Shortage / Theft
	Self-heating / Combustion		Insect infestation / Diseases

Truck transport generally: When transported by truck, outer clothing is often carried as hanging garments, while other clothing items are generally transported in folding cartons and primarily containerized. Hanging garments must be inserted into tight-fitting individual dust covers, sealed at the bottom. When outer clothing is shipped in folding cartons, it is essential, in particular for higher quality goods, for the folding cartons to be lined with tissue paper or the like, the individual items to be secured and interlayers used. The cartons often consist of wet strength corrugated board.

Container transport: Standard containers  are suitable for transporting ready-made garments, subject to compliance with limits for water content of goods, packaging and flooring. Garment containers are best suited to transporting items of clothing, as they provide maximum protection against creasing, dust and dirt. Garment containers have bars for hanging up items of clothing on coat-hangers. The bars are generally anchored in perforated rails in the walls. The coat-hangers are secured by special clips. A horizontally openable curtain is located between the door and the inside. The wooden floor is impregnated and lined with floor covering (carpet).

Cargo handling: In damp weather (rain, snow), the cargo must be protected from moisture, since garments are strongly hygroscopic and readily absorb moisture. For long-distance road transport, trucks with air suspension should generally be used. The holds/containers must be dry and clean. The stowage space must be away from heat sources. In particular, holds must be free of oily patches.

Cargo securing: The cargo must be stowed in such a way that the boxes or cartons do not slip and become damaged during transport. Where garments are shipped hanging, the shipping container must be carefully inspected for cleanness, leakproofness and the ability to secure individual coat-hangers firmly. The coat-hangers must be secured on the bars with retaining clips.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Risk factors and loss prevention

Light: Extended exposure to light puts natural and manmade fibers at risk due to photomechanical degradation processes; natural silk, jute and ramie are particularly sensitive.

Humidity/Moisture: Ready-made garments require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions. 

Designation	Humidity/water content
Relative humidity	45 - 70%
Water content	8 - 12% (woolen fabric) 7.85 - 8.50% (cotton fabric)
Maximum equilibrium moisture content	70%

A relative humidity of 45 - 70% is deemed optimal. Specified humidity levels can be maintained in airtight packaging by using desiccants. Excessively high humidity levels and seawater, rain and condensation water may cause mustiness, mildew stains and mold growth and increase levels of insect infestation. Rust stains may arise as a result of the corrosion of metal strapping. Natural fibers converted into woven fabrics have a high swelling index, caused by their histological microstructure. Thus, for instance, modified cotton may absorb up to 25% of its own weight of water without feeling damp. This has a significant effect on the physical characteristics of the fibers, such as strength, elongation, creasing tendency and electrical conductivity. If contact with chloride solutions, e.g. seawater, is suspected, a seawater test using the silver nitrate method must be performed.

Temperature: Ready-made garments require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions. Favorable travel temperature range: 10 - 30°C with Optimum travel temperature: 20°C …Ready-made garments are best stored at 20°C ± 5°C. Transient temperature variations within the range of 10 - 30°C do not impair quality. Excessively low temperatures result in loss of strength. Excessively high temperatures result from solar radiation, for example, or from stowage too close to heat sources and not only lead to an increase in the risk from pests and microorganisms, but also have a significant impact on the physical characteristics of the fibers, which may no longer comply with tolerance limits with regard to strength, elongation, shrinkage, crease tendency, electrical conductivity and brittleness. Synthetic materials may even develop permanent creases.

Ventilation: Ready-made garments require particular temperature, humidity/moisture and possibly ventilation conditions. Recommended ventilation conditions: air exchange rate: 6 changes/hour, if the dew point of the external air is lower than the dew point of the hold air.

Self-heating / Spontaneous combustion: The goods are liable to catch fire due to the structure of the processed natural and manmade fibers and the surface treatment or finishing which they have undergone. Smoking must therefore be strictly prohibited during loading/unloading of the holds/containers. CO2 should preferably be used to extinguish fires.

Odour:

Active behavior

Ready-made garments may release a slightly unpleasant odor. Since they are generally treated with impregnating and finishing agents, they should as a precaution not be stowed together with odor-sensitive goods. Odor tainting may also be caused by insecticides (risk of moth infestation). In the case of workwear, an unpleasant odor may be caused by certain finishing substances used to improve wearability or to provide resistance to rotting, mold and pests.

Passive behavior

Ready-made garments are highly sensitive to foreign odors. The modified fabric surface and high pore volume allow unpleasant odors to be very readily absorbed, which may indirectly result in depreciation.

Contamination

Active behavior

Ready-made garments are a very clean cargo.

Passive behavior

Dust, colorants, ores, dirt, rust or leakages of accompanying cargo (acids, molasses, glue, fats/oils, lubricants etc.) may contaminate the cartons or the goods themselves and lead to a reduction in utility value. Garment containers and special truck bodies must be leakproof and possibly lined with carpet, to stop dust, dirt and other foreign bodies from penetrating or being swirled up, as, despite the protective covers on the garments, even the smallest foreign bodies may trigger pilling of the surface of the fabric.

Mechanical influences: Garments are sensitive to mechanical stresses. Excessively thin plastic covers may tear if stowed too tightly and form chafing points, which cause undesirable pilling or snagging of the surface of the fabric. This impairs the appearance of the surface (depreciation). The coat-hangers must therefore be properly secured (clips) and the items of clothing adequately wrapped to protect them from rubbing together/chafing.

Shrinkage / Shortage / Theft: Ready-made garments are very valuable and are therefore at acute risk of theft. Containers should be stowed such that the doors of adjacent containers face towards each other. The use of special seals is recommended.

RF Insect infestation / Diseases: The goods themselves are seldom subject to insect infestation. However, when damp they very rapidly succumb to attack by mold and rot-causing bacteria, especially in conjunction with any finishes that may have been applied. Mildew stains of a gray-green or brown-black color develop and produce a musty odor. The risk of insect infestation is lower for clothing made from polyester fibers than for clothing made from natural fibers. Storage/Holds: The holds/containers must be pest-free, since many insects which are normally typical pests of foodstuffs and animal feed may also damage textiles, especially if they seek out these materials for metamorphosis. In their search for breeding grounds or pupation sites, they penetrate boxes and cartons and even bite through metal foils and plastic films and may thereby cause considerable destruction. For instance, a consignment of pullovers from East Asia displayed eating damage caused by red-legged ham beetles, which had hatched out of a consignment of copra transported in the same hold and multiplied considerably in number. In their search for new breeding grounds, the beetles had got into wooden boxes and thence through metal foils, cartons and finally through plastic bags into the woolen goods. As this environment did not appeal to them, they tried to chew their way back out and, in so doing, caused considerable destruction to the pullovers. Larvae from the yellow mealworm also migrated during transport from an accompanying cargo of flour and rolled oats into a consignment of pullovers, for pupation. Therefore, do not stow in a hold/container together with foodstuffs and animal feed or hides/furs.