Where do I start? · Merchandising Academy

Ask production whether they can go faster, and reply once they answerRe-plan the calendar backwards from the new date and reply with the milestones that are already in the pastRe-plan backwards, cost each way of breaking the blocked milestones, and put the options and their prices to the buyer the same dayReply that the date was confirmed and cannot change

Use the consumption from the nearest similar style you have costed beforeGet a marker from the sample room and calculate gross consumption from marker area, gsm and a wastage percentageDo that, then challenge the wastage against the cutting master's actual efficiency and pin the gsm basis in the fabric POAsk the fabric supplier what consumption they usually see for this garment

Match it, because the order matters more than eleven centsGo back to the operation bulletin and the efficiency assumption and see whether either can honestly changeDo that, and separately decide whether this is a marginal price worth taking to fill a committed line — writing down that it is marginal and whyTell the buyer the competitor cannot make it at that price

Wait to see whether the mill catches up, since dates often move backAsk for a part-shipment of the largest colour and re-sequence the line onto colours you already haveDo that, cost the part-shipment freight and shade-band risk, and rebuild the calendar so the message to the buyer carries a revised date rather than a problemTell the buyer immediately that the order will be late

Ask the inspector to re-draw a fresh sampleTreat the lot as failed, sort and rework, and re-offer it to the buyer's QADo that, and tell the buyer today that the vessel is at risk so they can still choose between a later sailing and air freightAsk the buyer to waive the three pieces over the limit

Accept it — the first weeks of a new style are always roughAdd end-line checkers so nothing reaches packingStop that operation and have IE and quality look at the method and the machine todayDo that, and quantify how much rework is already sitting in WIP and what it will cost to bring back to first quality

Copying the TNA from a similar order and changing the datesWorking backwards from the ship window using supplier lead times and your line's real outputDoing that with the buyer's historical approval cycle times rather than the ones in their manual, and naming the four or five activities that are genuinely on the critical pathListing every activity in order and assigning dates forward from today

Fine — the total quantity has not changedTwo colours are now short and must be re-dyed, and two are over — this needs a new fabric planThat, plus a quoted variation covering the re-dye lead time, the shade band risk across lots, and the dead stock nobody has agreed to pay forAsk the mill whether they can just adjust the delivery

Cut anyway — you submitted on time, so the delay is theirsWait for the approval and re-plan from whenever it arrivesEscalate in writing today, stating the revised ship date if approval slips furtherDo that, state the daily cost of the delay, and ask for either a dated approval or a written instruction to proceed at the buyer's risk

The production manager has confirmed everything is readyThe inspection is passed and the packing list reconciles to the cartons on the dockThat, plus every buyer-required test report issued and passed for each colour, and the forwarder's booking and cut-off confirmed in writingThe forwarder has collected, so the shipment is on its way