Modified Title: How to Overcome Challenges in International Garment Shipping

Introduction: Given the trade volumes, the international garment shipping industry is one of the most dynamic and important industries in the overall world economy. It encompasses various segment such as Apparel Sourcing, Garment Delivery, and Logistics. Since, it is at the centre of such multitude of processes, taking a holistic view to overcome the challenges faced by this industry is important.
Given are the top processes involved in the International Garment Shipping Industry and challenges faced by each segment respectively-
Apparel Sourcing
It refers to the process of identifying, assessing and selecting suppliers for the raw material or manufacturers for finished goods. It is a crucial aspect sine the quality of any product line depends on the superiority of the apparel sourcing procedures undertaken by the company.
-Challenges: In today’s interconnected world, as there are more and more options, so is the dearth of the right options. Finding vendors with similar orientation towards quality, cost and timing is a rather difficult chance. Trustworthy suppliers are the backbone of the apparel sourcing stage; hence businesses must undertake selection very carefully.

-Solution: To overcome this challenge, finding vendors across the global industry should be preferred, rather than restricting to a limited area. Moreover, credible suppliers with reputation in the industry and a rich number of experiences must be given priority. This reduces chances of the source material being of a subpar quality.

Logistics
Logistics in apparel market is a crucial component of the global supply chain. It refers to the efficient movement and distribution of products related to the garment industry. It is an important aspect as the last mile connectivity provided by the logistics industry will enhance the overall experience of the end user. Logistics can be further subdivided based on retailer or wholesaler, and even based on transportation channel used by the company i.e.- shipping, air, road, or rail.
-Challenges: Logistics is an expensive component of the global garment shipping industry. The costs involved are high and a lot of factors of uncertainties like damage during transit, delay due to reasons beyond control can cause the logistics supply chain to become slow. The high costs are passed on to the customer in the form of shipping fees and charges, which are usually disliked by them.

-Solution: To overcome such uncertainty insurance facilities are used by logistics companies. This minimizes risk and even secures the customers in case of loss and damage.

Garment Delivery
It refers to the process of reaching the end users or retailers and represents the last step in the supply chain.
-Challenges: In international garment shipping, this component is usually handled by local service providers. Some companies prefer to use the federal postal services for garment delivery and others would use private courier services. The difference between the two is based cost and speed. Since the federal services are relatively inexpensive, they handle larger volumes of orders, hence slowing them down. The private courier services, charge more and undertake garment delivery faster. It must be noted that some larger corporations like establish their own logistics arm to proceed with deliveries on their supply chain.

-Solution: To enhance Garment delivery service, companies must make a right choice between abovementioned options. The choice to be made will be governed by factors such as, geographical service area of the company, nature of product being sold, preference of customers regarding expected time taken for garment delivery. Having made the right choice will help overcome the challenge of delivery substantially.

Conclusion: International Garment Shipping Industry is a robust and dynamic sector of the world economy. Many country’s economies are sustained by this industry and the employment created by it. However, it does not take away from the fact that it is a challenging industry with its unique set of problems. These challenges can be overcome by employing appropriate measures.