Flight suits made for and with pilots
Stephan/H customers know that they can expect ergonomic, safe, comfortable flight suits, customized to their needs when they order from the company. A Stephan/H flight suit uses 5-6 fabrics for 96 cut parts and most orders have 1-5 pieces with custom parts, colors, or embroidery.
While this customizability has been an essential factor in the company’s strong growth over the past few years, it has also been a source of complexity. The complexity of mass customization, combined with a complicated workflow as well as outsourced and manual cutting made it difficult to keep up with growing demand and maintain quality standards.
Fashion On Demand by Lectra makes cutting in-house possible and profitable
Stephan/H initially contacted Lectra to replace their patternmaking software. Once discussions began, however, the two teams determined that Stephan/H’s objective of increasing efficiency and shortening lead time required a more substantial change.
Investing in Lectra’s on-demand manufacturing solution has enabled Stephan/H to bring cutting in-house, which has significantly reduced production time while improving quality levels.
The agility to assist
The solution’s built-in agility also allowed the company to pivot its production to making doctors’ gowns and masks to aid in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “Without Fashion On Demand by Lectra, we would never have been able to accept a contract to produce 10,000 masks per week,” said the company’s executive vice president.
