Apparel manufacturing businesses worldwide are realising the need for digitalisation in processes to stay relevant in the long run. In its digitalisation endeavours, Epic Group – a leading apparel manufacturing group headquartered in Hong Kong and having factories in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Jordan – has gone for full digitisation with Industry 4.0 and RFID tracking on each garment in its new state-of-the-art factory in Jordan.
Located on 40,000 sq.m of area, this factory will produce synthetic products for Epic’s US-based customers as the region offers significant duty savings on exports.
The group believes this investment represents another step forward in its commitment to ‘The Relentless Pursuit of Better’ – delivering increased value for customers through innovative, eco-conscious manufacturing solutions. The new factory’s combination of advanced technology, duty advantages and focus on people and planet will position Epic Group strongly for continued growth in serving the synthetic fabrics market.
According to the company, the new Jordan plant exemplifies this vision with the deployment of RFID tracking across the entire production floor. This Internet of Things intervention provides operators and supervisors with up-to-the-minute visibility of inventory levels, work-in-progress batches and material flows.
“Having real-time intelligence is empowering our team to be more responsive and optimise processes in ways that were not possible before,” says Shireesh Jain, COO of Epic Jordan.
RFID data is captured, validated and stored in centralised systems, allowing authorised personnel to access analytics-based insights anytime, anywhere via mobile and desktop interfaces. This has streamlined functions like order tracking, receipts and internal logistics.
Quality controllers are now provided with automated notifications to proactively address deviations. Machine downtime is reduced through predictive maintenance. Overall equipment effectiveness is optimised through digital twin simulations of different production scenarios.
For implementation, Epic Jordan has partnered with a specialised global provider of RFID and Industry 4.0 solutions. Working closely with their experts, the company deployed an integrated RFID solution on its shop floor and seamlessly integrated it with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
“Their expertise and end-to-end offering enabled us to successfully establish smart manufacturing capabilities within our Jordan facility. We are satisfied with their solution and support, which has helped optimise our operations from the start. Going forward, we will continue leveraging their innovations to further advance our Industrial Internet of Things ambitions across sites,” mentioned Shireesh.
