Apparel Manufacturing Merchandising Calendar Activities-Tasks-Timing/Relationship/Department Responsible by Carla Buchanan
Apparel Manufacturing
Merchandising Calendar
Activities-Tasks-Timing/Relationship/Department Responsible
by Carla Buchanan
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Activity
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Task
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Timing Relationships
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Department Responsible
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Establish Key Dates
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Department
heads work as a team to establish key dates, such as start dates and
ship dates. Other important dates, directed by management, will be
established at this time.
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Timing for key dates are determined by merchandise arrival times, trade show dates, and holidays. All departments confer and relate to each other regarding key dates. This takes one day to complete.
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All
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Review Last Season’s Best Sellers
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Department
heads work as a team to establish last seasons best sellers. This
information will be used to bring back those styles and/or to create new
styles similar to the best sellers.
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All departments
confer and relate to each other regarding reviewing last season’s best
sellers. This task is done after key dates are established and before
the market research for line direction is done. This takes three weeks
to complete, but market research is going on at the same time.
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All
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Market Research Line Direction
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to gather market research, for trends and target
market, etc. They also plan the style assortment for the line at this
time.
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Merchandising and Design confer
and relate to each other regarding market research and line
development. The merchandising department will gather and present
marketing results and the design department will respond by creating a
line. This takes three weeks to complete, but reviewing the best
sellers is going on at the same time
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Merchandising and Design
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Shop Major Retail and Fabric Markets
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to shop major retail and fabric markets. The team
will be analyzing new trends, seeing what is available, talking to store
employees to determine what customers are buying. At this time,
discussions and decisions will be made on fabrics, trims and
merchandising directions.
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Merchandising and Design department heads work as a team to shop major retail and fabric markets after the line assortment has been planned and
before fabric yardage is ordered. This takes two weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Order prototype yardage
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Merchandising and Design department heads work as a team to order prototype fabric that will be used to make the first samples.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to order prototype fabric that will be used to
make the first samples, after they have shopped the retail and fabric
markets and before the yardage is tested. This takes one week to order.
Delivery depends on where the fabric is sourced from.
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Merchandising and Design
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Test Prototype yardage
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to test prototype yardage. This is done to
determine if the fabric is liking to suit the purpose of making the
styles for the line. Fabric will be washed, stretched, and tested for
shrinkage.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to test prototype yardage after the yardage
arrives at their office while the concept boards are being created. This
takes up to three weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Plan Concept Boards
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to plan concept boards. At this time, considering
the proposed fabric, styles, and line, the concept of this line is
recorded on a concept board to be used while this line is being
developed.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to plan concept boards while the prototype fabric
is tested and before the line is adopted. It takes three weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Line Adoption
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to adopt the line. Considering the fabric that is
chosen, the styles and the assortment, the departments adopt the line
that will be featured that season.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to adopt the line after the concept boards are
planned and before the advertising concepts are finalized. This takes
three weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Establish Advertising Concepts
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to establish advertising concepts. At this time,
an advertising may, or may not, be called in to see the new line and
develop a plan. The company may have an in house advertising
department.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to establish advertising concepts after the line
is adopted and before the initial fabric selection. This takes two
weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Initial Fabric Selection
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to department heads work as a team select the
fabric. Using the information from the fabric testing, and taking into
consideration the mood board and the advertising plans, the departments
select the fabric that will be used in the line.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to department heads work as a team select the
fabric after the advertising concepts have been determined and before
the colors are finalized. This takes two weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Finalize Colors
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to finalize the colors for the line. Taking in
consideration the mood, advertising, fabric selection and availability,
the departments finalize the colors for the line.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to finalize the colors for the line while the
initial fabric selection takes place and before the fabrics and trims
are ordered. This takes two weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Order fabric and trims sample cuts
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Merchandising and Design department heads work as a team to order the fabric and trims needed to produce the first samples.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to order the fabric and trims needed to produce
the first samples while the colors are finalized and before the style
development is finalized.This takes two weeks and, depending on where
the goods are ordered from, the time varies for delivery.
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Merchandising and Design
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Style Development
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Merchandising and Design department heads work as a team to put the finishing touches on the style, and develop the styles into garments.
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Merchandising and Design department
heads work as a team to put the finishing touches on the style, and
develop the styles into garments after fabric is ordered for the samples
and before the spec sheets and engineering occur. This takes four
weeks.
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Merchandising and Design
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Spec Sheets and Engineering Evaluations
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Merchandising, Spec and Design department
heads work as a team to produce the spec sheets and engineering
evaluations on each style in the line. The garments are measured and the
construction is planned.
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Merchandising, Spec and Design department
heads work as a team to produce the spec sheets and engineering
evaluations on each style in the line after the styles are developed and
before pre-costing. This takes two weeks.
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Merchandising, Spec and Design
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Pre-costing
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Merchandising, Costing, and Design department
heads work as a team to pre-cost the garments in the line. At this
time, adjustments can be made in the styling to respond to the costing.
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Merchandising, Costing and Design department
heads work as a team to pre-cost the garments in the line after the
spec sheets and engineering evaluations are completed and before the
final line adoption. This takes three weeks.
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Merchandising, Costing and Design
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Final Line Adoption
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Merchandising,
Management and Design department heads work as a team to finalize the line. Management approves the final line.
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Merchandising, Management and Design department
heads work as a team to finalize the line after pre-costing and before
advance breakdown to manufacturing. This takes one week.
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Merchandising, Management and Design
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Advance Breakdown to Manufacturing.
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The Production department now breaks down the production details, and instructions , for each garment in the line.
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The Production department
performs the advance breakdown to manufacturing after the final line
adoption and before the advertising agency review. This takes two weeks.
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Production
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Advertising Agency Review
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design department heads work as a team to present the line to the advertising agency to review and plan for advertising the line.
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design department
heads work as a team to present the line to the advertising agency to
review and plan for advertising the line after the advance breakdown to
manufacturing and before the complete advertising garments plan is put
into action. This takes one week.
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design
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Complete advertising garments
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design
department heads work as a team to complete the advertising plans for the garments. Many times the plan begins at this time.
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design department
heads work as a team to complete the advertising plans for the garments
after the advertising agency review and before the complete final
costing.This takes two weeks.
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Merchandising, Advertising, Sales, and Design
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Complete Final Costing
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Merchandising, Production, Costing and Design department heads work as a team to
complete final costing for each garment in the line. Sometimes adjustments are made at this time.
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Merchandising, Production, Costing and Design department heads work as a team to
complete final costing for each garment in the line during the time the advertising is complete and before the sales plan is
complete.This takes three weeks.
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Merchandising, Production, Costing and Design
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Sales Plan
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Merchandising and Sales department heads work as a team to
complete a sales plan. Stores and markets are targeted for sales.
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Merchandising and Sales department heads work as a team to
complete
a sales plan after the complete final costing and before the samples
are shipped to the sales reps. This takes one week, and it sales can
start to ship after some of the plan is put into place.
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Merchandising and Sales
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Samples are Shipped to the Sales Reps
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Sample Room and Shipping department heads work as a team to ship the samples to the sales reps in preparation for selling the line to the buyers.
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Sample Room and Shipping department
heads work as a team to ship the samples to the sales reps in
preparation for selling the line to the buyers during, or, after the
sales plan is finalized and before the merchandising sales meeting. This
takes three weeks.
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Sample Room and Shipping
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Merchandising Sales Meeting
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Merchandising and Sales departments meet and discuss sales strategies and progress.
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Merchandising and Sales departments
meet and discuss sales strategies and progress after the samples are
shipped to sales reps and before the review of top accounts. This takes
one week.
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Merchandising and Sales
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Review with Top Accounts/Prospects
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Merchandising and Sales departments present the line to top accounts and top prospects.
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Merchandising and Sales departments
present the line to top accounts and top prospects after the
merchandising sales meeting and before the initial sales forecast. This
takes two weeks.
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Merchandising and Sales
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Initial Sales Forecast
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Merchandising and Sales departments determine the initial sales forecast based on past sales, meeting with top accounts, and meeting with sales reps.
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Merchandising and Sales departments
determine the initial sales forecast based on past sales, meeting with
top accounts, and meeting with sales reps after the review with top
accounts and before, or during, establishing the manufacturing schedule.
This takes one week.
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Merchandising and Sales
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Establishing the Manufacturing Schedule
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Production department will establish the manufacturing schedule according to the sales forecast and the key dates.
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Production department
will establish the manufacturing schedule according to the sales
forecast and the key dates after, or during, the initial sales forecast
and before finalizing the advertising schedule. This takes two weeks.
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Production
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Finalize Advertising Schedule
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Merchandising department
will finalize the advertising schedule and make any adjustments based
on the sales forecast and the manufacturing schedule.
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Merchandising department
will finalize the advertising schedule and make any adjustments based
on the sales forecast and the manufacturing schedule after, or during,
the manufacturing schedule has been established and before the line
review. This takes one week.
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Merchandising
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Line Review
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Merchandising and Sales departments
will look at the sales figures and determine which styles will go into
production. Some may not have enough orders and will be dropped from
the line.
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Merchandising and Sales departments
will look at the sales figures and determine which styles will go into
production after, or during, the advertising schedule is finalized and
before the garments are marked and graded. This takes one week.
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Merchandising and Sales
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Grade Production Markers
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Marking and Grading departments will mark and grade the garments that are to go into production.
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Marking and Grading departments
will mark and grade the garments that are to go into production after
the line review and before the production fabric is ordered. This takes
one week.
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Marking and Grading
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Order Production Fabric
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Production and Sourcing departments will order the fabric for production, based on the sales projections.
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Production and Sourcing departments
will order the fabric for production, based on the sales projections
after the garments are graded and marked, and, before, or during,
ordering the trims and sundries. This takes three weeks.
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Production and Sourcing
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Order Trims and Sundries
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Production and Sourcing departments will order the trims and sundries for the garments, based on sales projections.
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Production and Sourcing departments
will order the trims and sundries for the garments, based on sales
projections after, or during, the fabric is ordered and before the
garments are sent for cutting and sewing. This takes three weeks.
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Production and Sourcing
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Cut and Sew Production Plant Loading
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Production department will send the garments out for cut and sew, and load them for distribution.
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Production department
will send the garments out for cut and sew, and load them for
distribution after the trims are ordered and before the sales forecast
is adjusted. This takes five weeks.
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Production
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Sales Forecast Adjustment
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Sales department will analyze sales and determine if production will continue as planned, and, if any additional production is needed.
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Sales department
will analyze sales and determine if production will continue as
planned, and, if any additional production is needed after cut,sew and
production loading and before ordering additional fabric. This takes one
week.
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Sales
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Order Additional Fabric
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Sales and Sourcing
departments will determine if needed, and order if necessary, additional fabric.
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Sales and Sourcing
departments
will determine if needed, and order if necessary, additional fabric
after the sales forecast adjustment. This takes one week.
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Sales and Sourcing
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