To help the clothing industry reduce waste, Japan’s large general trading company Itochu Corporation has cooperated with the Japan Meteorological Association to create a forecasting system that combines weather conditions with clothing demand.
The Japan Broadcasting Association reported on November 25 that according to the concept, the forecast system will predict the market demand for each product based on past weather data and clothing sales data to help Solve the problem of overstocked inventory. This clothing demand forecasting system will be put into trial operation in the spring and summer of next year, and can provide demand forecasts from one week to six months for product production.
In the apparel industry, manufacturers usually formulate new production plans based on the previous year’s sales. If the forecast is wrong, it will cause a large backlog of products. “We hope to provide accurate forecasts for the apparel industry, improve the efficiency of the supply chain, and also hope to contribute to sustainable development,” said Takeji Mizouchi, manager of the apparel department of Itochu Corporation.
