With consumers wanting their online fashion and denim orders next day, or even same day, brands and retailers have added pressures to deliver high levels of service. Many companies have built their businesses and reputations on it.
A global infrastructure with strong logistics can give a company a considerable leg up, as designers and product managers working closer to their partners around the world boosts efficiencies and saves time and money. Copen United, which has supplied different pocketing qualities to a wide range of customers for more than 75 years, has taken this mission to heart.
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Many of Copen’s brand and retail customers have strategically located production to different countries to take advantage of Free Trade Agreements, more competitive labor costs and facility efficiencies. As a modern proactive supplier, Copen United offers customers quick response and efficient flexible deliveries, regardless of the part of the world in which they are manufacturing.
With its broad global footprint, Copen can offer regional supply from warehousing in China, Vietnam, U.S, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Haiti, Colombia, Tunisia, Bulgaria, and Spain while maintaining the same quality regardless of the region. In addition, stocking fabric in Sri Lanka offers faster transit time to Bangladesh, while manufacturing operations in Mexico, Guatemala and Nicaragua help Copen meet customer demands in the Western Hemisphere. Notably, with proximity comes efficiency and sustainability.
“We see that if we can supply globally with the same quality, regional pricing and reduced lead time, then this is a serious factor for brands to consider when selecting a supplier,” said Kevin Bardsley, managing director, Copen Europe, noting that the biggest impact next to material cost is transport, which can make quite a difference for many brands in this price-sensitive industry.
European fashion company S.Oliver, for example, has reaped the benefits of Copen United’s reach.
Atin Goel, purchasing manager of S.Oliver Gmbh, said: “To enable our business to maintain and grow in a competitive market we also need our suppliers to match our vision on supply and sustainability. Copen United is one such company that can offer the quality, innovations and service we require across our global manufacturing locations. Today we are working in multiple countries for our denim production and coordination of product is vital to ensure the flow within our factories. Having a stock holding service available in multiple regions to service our business is critical and Copen matches our expectations.”
But benefits aren’t just for large brands, however. “One of the benefits of having local/regional supply for both small and large brands is that they are not required to place large volumes for shipments which ultimately benefits the vendors in terms of cash flow and MOQ issues,” said Copen United’s Bardsley.
The benefits and savings of Copen’s global operations hit on six major points:
Currency/Duties – With sales offices and warehouse locations in multiple regions, Copen offers not just fast deliveries, but takes responsibility for import administration, including local import duties, transport, documentation, etc. (which also enables the customer to have a price in local currency). This minimizes losses due to market fluctuations, inclusive of the total import cost/operations, which companies know can be time consuming and costly if this is not managed correctly.
Local Representation – With a representative always available should the customer have any issues/queries related to product, service or price, Copen offers a level of confidence and comfort. Being able to communicate in a common language is another major benefit.
Regional Warehousing – Copen is supporting brands/customers from a stock position which enables a more efficient/flexible delivery service, reaction to plan changes and ultimately enables the brand/factory to improve speed to market for their product.
Quality/Continuity – While many customers require the same fabric/article to be supplied to multiple locations, not all companies can guarantee such quality continuity. Copen prides itself on its ability to coordinate and control product quality from the production source to its warehousing/distribution locations. This maintains uniform performance and appearance in garments globally.
Innovations – Customers/brands are able to speak with local representatives for new innovations knowing that regardless of where the final production is placed, Copen can provide access.
Enviromental Impact – As Copen strives to become more eco-friendly, it is focusing on transport emissions. While global service can’t totally eradicate this issue, Copen ensures bulk goods in relevant locations to reduce multiple shipments of smaller quantities.
“Like many of our customers, we are focused on the drive for sustainability and reducing the impact on the planet,” said Bardsley. “Over the past six years we have invested in ensuring that Copen is the leading supplier of sustainable pocketing materials to the apparel market and established our brand ‘ENCORE,’ which is a range of recycled, organic, Aqua Free pocketings supported with GRS, OCS, and GOTS Certifications.”
Lastly, Copen is proud to announce that is has engaged certification company Oritain to ensure traceability of its raw materials.
