Conceptualising an additive manufacturing-enabled agile new product development model for zero-waste apparel manufacturing in Sri Lanka

Abstract

As production volume expanded, the amount of pre-consumer textile waste generated globally by the apparel manufacturing industry increased dramatically. Because of this, the apparel manufacturing sector focuses on reducing waste in various ways. As a result, there are several opportunities to incorporate innovative technology and decrease textile waste in the apparel manufacturing process. By using precise, layer-by-layer production and faster product development, additive manufacturing helps reduce fabric waste and supports textile waste-reduction goals. This minimizes and eliminates waste that develops during the apparel manufacturing process. Among the many technological concepts spawned by the fourth industrial revolution (I4.0), additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a vital element of this new trend. The Sri Lankan apparel manufacturing industry is still in its early phases and has yet to implement AM technology, whereas industrialized nations have incorporated AM technology to reduce waste. This study investigates the use of additive manufacturing to reduce textile waste in Sri Lanka's apparel manufacturing sector, allowing for rapid agile new product development (NPD). To achieve this purpose, a thorough non-systematic review of the literature was conducted. The findings reveal that AM and agile NPD can be integrated in the apparel manufacturing process as a significant promise for driving a reduction in textile waste in apparel manufacturing. Accordingly, a conceptual model integrating AM and agile NPD was proposed as a key implication of this research.