A cost model for determining dyeing postponement in garment supply chain

There is a complex, dynamic and highly competitive market for the textile and clothing industries in developed countries. To respond quickly to changes in the market and to insure that the response will be able to satisfy customer fashion requirements, postponement strategy is one of the most important methods. This paper constructs original and postponed garment dyeing cost models and uses practical parameter data to simulate various situations, and then analyzes the differences and relations between the two cost models. The results show that the cost of the postponement model is lower than the cost of the original model when key parameters such as total demand quantity, number of colors, inventory holding cost rate, demand standard deviation, lead-time, and safety stock factor are large. The cost evaluation model provides a strategy and the basis for feasible judgment in evaluating dyeing postponement for the textile and clothing industries in garment supply chain management.