SingTel and MSC collaborate to offer Global Apparel solution
ConvergenceAsia staff
17/12/2007

Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) and Hong Kong-based solution provider MSC have announced a strategic alliance agreement to offer the SingTel Global Apparel solution.

As the first of its kind in Asia, the fully-managed solution enables apparel manufacturers to efficiently manage their production lines, processes, merchandising, purchasing and inventories.

The solution enables the seamless sharing of information between manufacturing plants and offices around the world. Global connectivity is provided through SingTel’s ConnectPlus IP-VPN (based on MPLS technology) and Satellite IP service.

MPLS or Multi-Protocol Label Switching technology is an intelligent and scalable system that supports tens of thousands of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) securely while providing customers with the ability to prioritise traffic through different classes of service.

Leveraging MSC’s Factory Floor application, the SingTel Global Apparel solution uses cutting-edge Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to capture real-time production information and worker performance data throughout the production process.

It allows supervisors to monitor and make timely adjustments to the production line to ensure optimal efficiency. Production bottlenecks can be identified in real-time, allowing manufacturers to streamline, standardise and simplify processes.

Edgar Tung, Chief Operating Officer of MSC said the solution reduces the cost of operations by minimising the number of errors and defects. “It can improve factory floor productivity by up to 30 per cent, with savings of up to 8 per cent.”

Increasingly, apparel manufacturers are shifting their operations abroad to lower costs and shorten production cycles. Many are setting up factories in developing countries such as Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. MSC’s ERP and RFID solutions are designed specifically to meet their needs, Tung said.

“We have over 300 corporate customers and an active online user count exceeding 70,000. Our alliance with SingTel will allow these customers to expand their operations at a faster rate,” he added.

The solution also offers a powerful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool. This integrates key operational processes and data into a unified system to enable manufacturers to efficiently manage costs, track orders and shipments, and plan the procurement and manage inventory of materials.

Jenny Fong, Managing Director of SingTel Hong Kong said the solution is ideal for companies who wish to avoid upfront investments in complex infrastructure and outsource the complexity of system maintenance.

“It will allow them to focus their time and resources on their core business activities,” she said.

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