• 한국의류학회지
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• 제31권9_10
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• pp.1442-1452
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• 2007

During 40 years, clothing industry which took a charge of a pivotal role to lead Korea's economy development falls in a harsh state to maintain an international competitiveness by means of low wage-based-export and tech-deficit-past competitive advantage. From January first 2005 when the World Trade Organization started that developed countries abolished import quota on textile and apparel products. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze Korea's apparel international market share, grasp Korea's apparel international competitiveness position, and examine the export features to enhance international competitiveness. We targeted members of Korea Apparel Industry Association among the 500's exporters of textile and clothing items in 'The Import and Export Textile Product 2003' Total 70 sheets were used of final data analyzing. Also, the statistical data of WTO wereselected for inquiry about the position of international competitiveness of clothing products made in Korea. First, the comparative analysis of the amount of export and international market share of each country's clothing products to capture the position of Korea's international competitiveness of clothing industry under the statistical data of WTO showed that Korea's international market share has been decreasing since 1989, and ranked in the 19th showing 1.31% in 2004. Second, as concerned with Korea's clothing export features, the experience of clothing companies in Korea was uniformly distributed like less than 10 to 30 and more than 30 years and knitted and woven male and female wears which cost mid price were exported to U.S.A. and Europe and Japan. Export items wereusually manufactured by Original Equipment Manufacturing way and directly exported through an exclusive responsible part for export.

• 한국의류산업학회지
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.162-171
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• 2010

This study aims to discuss what changes Korean clothing companies and manufacturers have undergone with production facilities moving abroad due to offshore outsourcing and examine what conditions the clothing manufacturers are facing and how the clothing companies recognize those manufacturers. For these purposes, in-depth interviews were conducted with 24 firms with annual production capacity of more than 200,000 pieces among clothing brands for the domestic market, clothing exporters and promotion agencies. Those interviewed firms were the companies who were found to produce more than 200,000 pieces of clothing per year, and the interview-based survey was conducted from December 18, 2008 to January 30, 2009. The key findings from this study are as follows; first, a high percentage of interviewed firms were producing only a small number of items in Korea with a large part of their production line transferred abroad or outsourcing all of their production abroad only with their headquarters in Korea. Second, many were employing contractors rather than their own factories. Third, when asked about the wage levels of clothing manufacturers, many of the clothing companies gave responses such as: 'They are just our contractor, so we respect their decision,' 'We don't know because it's none of our business,' or 'We don't know at all.' Fourth, when asked about the work environment of clothing manufacturers, the clothing companies gave responses such as: 'We know in part,' 'To our knowledge, they conform to the Labor Standards Law,' or 'We don't know at all.' Fifth, the production line of clothing manufacturers featured straight-line systems, specialization, pairing and compounding/mixing. Sixth, it was found that clothing companies had interest in mass customization but their preparations were not satisfactory.

• 한국의류산업학회지
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.588-595
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness levels of Korean textile companies and develop appropriate response plans for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. Through such, the study aims to explore practical and realistic directions that the Korean textile industry must take in the future. As for the research method, a survey on the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement was conducted to 50 Korean textile companies which mainly deal in textile exports. Results showed that Korean textile companies possess above average awareness for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and carry the perception that the FTA has thus far had a positive effect of market revitalization and contributions to sales. Nonetheless, perceptions on the needs for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement and level of awareness were below average while government assistance seen to be unsatisfactory. Such results suggest that measures for successful access to the U.S. market require developing products customized for the U.S. market and creating new market opportunities by participating in U.S. exhibits and shows. In addition, textile companies must develop their abilities for self-sustainability through continuous FTA related programs provided by government in addition to investing efforts to understand global markets within companies through response measures on the FTA as a whole.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제21권4호
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• pp.75-80
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• 2019

Sales of the Korean clothing industry grew to 16.9 percent on-year in 2010, but the growth rate dropped to 3 percent from 2011 to 2016 and the overall market began to slump to 1.1.6 percent in 2017. The competitiveness of clothing companies is also a major sector in logistics capability, and the average logistics cost of domestic clothing companies is 8.3 percent of sales in 2011, higher than the average 8 percent of domestic industries, and 36.4 percent of the total storage cost in 2011, higher than the 28.8 percent share of the total storage cost of domestic companies. As domestic production conditions such as wage hikes and labor disputes worsened in the 1990s, production facilities were rapidly moved overseas, which led many clothing companies to have no production facilities or a minimal production base in Korea and focus on marketing and design capabilities. The total storage capacity and storage efficiency of the logistics center became very important as the products were changed to the form of mass warehousing and small-volume forwarding. Research shows that building column spacing, a model of this research, can affect the amount of hanger rack storage empirically, so for sustainable growth of clothing companies, it is necessary to improve competitiveness in the logistics market by reducing costs and improving efficiency to overcome difficulties in corporate management. Because logistics costs are 8.3 percent and operating profit to sales ratio is 2 percent, it is expected that operating profit will increase by 41.5 percent if logistics costs are reduced by 10 percent. If 10% of storage cost is saved based on storage cost, operating profit is expected to increase by 15% To strengthen the competitiveness of the clothing industry, a reduction in logistics costs is essential. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide hints that logistics experts can have empirically small amounts in reducing storage costs through column spacing adjustment of logistics centers that have not been dealt with statistically until now, and to contribute to the continued growth of clothing companies and the development of the domestic logistics industry.

• 한국의류산업학회지
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• 제17권6호
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• pp.978-987
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• 2015

This study investigates the awareness levels of Korean textile companies and develops appropriate response plans for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. The study also explores practical and realistic directions that the Korean textile industry must initiate. A qualitative study was conducted on 10 individuals for a more in-depth and demonstrative understanding that provide a better awareness on the responses of the textile industry towards the Korea-US FTA. The results of this study are as follows. First, the effect of the Korea-US FTA on the textile industry was insignificant. Second, industry members determined that fabric sectors and specialized fabrics (such as industrial materials and finished clothing products) could realize benefits through the Korea-US FTA. Third, industry members emphasize that the current focus is on FTAs by countries that have solidified their positions as manufacturing and sewing bases for the US and Europe (such as Southeast Asia) and not the Korea-US FTA. Based on results acquired through this study, the response measures to enter the U.S. market are as follows. First, the industry must develop high-performance and high value-adding direct export products suited to the needs of the US market in order to realize the benefits of the Korea-US FTA. Second, the industry and government must cooperate to actively host and participate in overseas trade shows that can actively open sales channels within the US. Third, the self-sustainability of textile companies must be cultivated through continuous and focused government training.

• 한국의류학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.474-485
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants and elements to enhance Korean international competitiveness, employing Porter's(1998) Diamond Model. Half of the 500 leading apparel exporters that were members of the Korea Apparel Industry Association in 2003 were selected as the target of this research. From May to June of 2003, survey questionnaires were sent to executives of these 250 companies in person or by telephone, e-mail, or fax. Seventy questionnaires were used for the final data anlysis. The items used were Reliability, Categorical Regression, and Frequency, using SPSS 11.5. The results were as follows: First, as a result of analyzing the influence of international competitiveness in Korean apparel industry, the firm's strategy, structure, and rivalry was the most influential factor. Others were related and supporting industries, government, chance, demand conditions, and factor conditions. Also, the elements that affect Korean international competitiveness were listed as the level of price competition in foreign markets, the level of labor cost, export marketing capacity, and exchange fluctuation. The most important element to improve the international competitiveness of the Korean apparel industry was a demand growth rate of the overseas markets(Demand Conditions), followed by the level of the labor costs(Factor Conditions), the capability of internationalization(Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry), the change of currency(Chance), the quality and management of products(Demand Conditions), the capability of planning products(Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry), free trade from 2005(Chance), and global sourcing strategy(Firm Strategy, Structure, and Rivalry). Korea's main rival country in apparel related and supporting industry factors is China. However, Korea has a higher level of technology development, quality, and price level than China.

• 한국의류학회지
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• 제28권9_10호
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• pp.1208-1218
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• 2004

The purposes of this study were to examine the alliance success factors (ASF) and the business environments (BE) from the textile companies' viewpoint, to examine the differences in ASF and BE by firm characteristics, and to examine the relationships between BE and ASF. BE included the degree of market competition and the firm's competitive advantage, and firm characteristics included type of business, the number of employees, and length of business operation. Data were obtained from 155 textile companies in Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions in Korea via a questionnaire survey. Four factors including relationship capital, organizational support, alliance management, and alliance performance were extracted from ASF, and resources, product development, and marketing were extracted from the firm's competitive advantage. There were differences in product development by the number of employees and in the degree of market competition by type of business. The degree of market competition had significant relationships with all of ASF while the firm's competitive advantage differed in the relationships.

• 한국전자거래학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.209-220
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• 1999

Quick response in the textiles and clothing industry is widely recognized at a strategic concept implemented by information technology to transfer changes in customer needs to the final product as soon as possible. This paper addresses which factors should affect the adoption of quick response systems in Korea. We surveyed 108 companies in the textile and clothing industry by using a questionnaire. We asked whether they adopted QR or not, and measured the usage level of QR-related ITs and the level of both internal and external factors in Likert's scale. We conducted multiple linear regression to analyze the data collected by using SAS. The findings are as follows: The adoption of QR, measured by the usage level of QR-related ITs, is positively affected by internal factors such as the recognition of QR concept and the capability for IT applications and by external factors such as the overall informating level of the industry, the needs for cooperation between organizations, and the leadership as an industry coordinator.

• 한국의류학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.462-473
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• 2008

In recent years, Korea's apparel exports to the USA have faced a great threat, as the trade environment around the world has changed continually. The purpose of this study is to analyze the competitive position of Korean apparel exports to the USA, and to enhance export competitiveness by applying to offshore sourcing. The trade data of the Office of Textiles and Apparel(OTEXA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce were selected for inquiry about export competitiveness of apparel products made in Korea. In addition, we targeted members of the Korea Apparel Industry Association among the 500 exporters of clothing items in "The Import and Export Textile Product 2003." A total 70 sheets were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows: 1) Korean apparel exports to USA have decreased by 20-35 percent per year since 2005 under the Free Trade Area, showing that Korean apparel industries have not adapted to the new trade environment. Although Korean apparel exports to USA have indicated a trade surplus from now on, Korean apparel industries should find new ways to overcome this situation, diminishing exports and increasing imports. 2) Korean apparel companies selected more offshore sourcing than domestic sourcing. Also, as Korean apparel companies manufactured apparel products offshore, foreign subcontracting outranked manufacturing in their own foreign plants. When they chose foreign countries to source, they turned mainly to China and Vietnam. Also, they considered the target country's manufacturing price, labor stability, apparel products, quality, lead time, and so on. In order to increase apparel exports, Korean apparel industries should focus more on developing competitively new apparel products, improving the ability of sourcing management, and establishing on-the-spot agencies.

• 한국의류학회지
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• 제35권9호
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• pp.1112-1124
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• 2011

The development of computer graphics and Internet technology has created a 3D Web-based virtual world that has transformed the global fashion industry environment. In this study, the application cases of 3D virtual fashion education were analyzed to discuss the necessity and application of a 3D apparel CAD curriculum as part of a special education for global fashion talent at Korean fashion-related colleges. Prior studies, literature, photo data and Internet data (in and out of Korea) were used for this study. The demonstration case studies were conducted for the virtual fashion education 'SLCC 2007' of Buffalo State College (U.S.), 'Ratava's Line (2004)' of SFU/FIT Collaborative Design Project (Canada and U.S.) and '2011 Graduation Fashion Show' of Ueda Fashion College (Japan). The results of the study show that the 3D apparel CAD system (as a core technology of the IT fashion industry) would allow the current mass production concept to change to a new paradigm of 'mass customization' along with new fashion business types that include global fashion companies and Web-based Internet, mobile and virtual-world shopping malls. In addition, it appears that the system should be included in the curriculum of fashion-related colleges and institutes to educate technical designers for the global fashion industry and global fashion talent with comprehensive system operation and management ability, and to promote single proprietor companies.