“CoatsMatch is another clear example of Coats using its global expertise to deliver customer led innovation,” said Rajiv Sharma, CEO, Industrial, Coats Group. “Every year a substantial amount of money is wasted through inefficiencies in the color supply chain within the sewn products industry. CoatsMatch helps reduce downtime and waste, resulting in lower costs for customers.”

 

Once a color has been captured using the CoatsMatch device, it is instantly loaded onto the Coats Colour Select App. This digital representation of the color can then be accurately compared to the Coats Colour Atlas with its comprehensive set of more than 7,500 colour standards or a customer’s own colour library. The selected color reference can also be transferred within seconds to other users along the supply chain, e.g. fabric manufacturers, saving significant time and increasing accuracy.

 

In addition a color can be captured and referenced in the Coats Colour Compare App. This App allows color supply chain stakeholders to share measured color standards; set tolerances within which a coloor is acceptable; and compare physical fabric with their chosen color for accuracy.

 

When fashion designs are currently created, designers find, and buy, items that inspire them. They take those physical samples and search through color reference libraries to try and visually identify the closest color match. If they are unable to find a suitable match, further time and money is spent creating a new unique color.  This process is time consuming, costly and does not result in the most accurate color selection.

 

Using the CoatsMatch device the designer can capture the color from their physical inspiration (for example an autumn leaf) and instantly identify the closest color match on the Colour Select App. This color match would be more accurate because it is an objective digital representation of the color rather than subjective through the eyes of the person looking at it.

 

In addition the app could highlight if the designer has used the color before in previous collections (preventing duplicate development) and can also identify the closest color match for the thread, zips and trims to accompany the fabric.

 

A further example of the benefit of CoatsMatch is during the approval process for a fabric sample before production. Currently many iterations of sampling between the fabric mill and design office are required before the color is approved – this process is highly time consuming and costly.  Using Coats Colour Compare, the manufacturer can check the color accuracy before sending it for approval. This would reduce the number of iterations and hence deliver significant time and cost savings.

 

Source: Coats Group