Criteria for process improvement in the Textile and Clothing sector

Abstract

The Textile & Clothing (T&C) sector represents a strong pillar of the European manufacturing industry, recording significant overall figures in terms of generated turnover and number of employees. While registering an increasing trend towards higher value-added products, T&C sector should also focus on developing reliable innovation oriented business models to support the implementation of the changes taking place at organizational level. Such business models should have at their core continuous process improvement. The aim of the paper is thus to propose several criteria for process improvement in the T&C sector building on the seven quality management principles developed by experts of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as basis for quality management regulated by specific standards. The proposed criteria for process improvement are designed for the organizations in the T&C sector that strive to better perform in the open innovation framework and thus require having efficiency and effectiveness of all their processes. Said criteria should facilitate designing new innovation orientated business models which are the key for innovation market uptake and sustainable change.