Shein pushes industry 4.0 solutions

15/08/2025

To sustain its (unsustainable) ultra fast fashion model, Chinese online retailer Shein is investing in the development of automated manufacturing solutions that it presented to manufacturers at its second Tools Day earlier this month. Shein said that these new processes and devices are developed in house, in its Centre for Innovation in Garment Manufacturing, or CIGM, which it launched two years ago. Since then it said that it had “developed over 170 individual tools, providing nearly 6,000 units of these tools to suppliers since the launch of the CIGM”. These tools are made available to suppliers for a fee. The retailer believes they have helped suppliers reduce production time and manual labour “by up to 80%” for the production stages they are used for.

At the Tools Day event of 2025, sewing machine additions designed to streamline the manufacture of beaded, sequinned or lace-trimmed items were presented.

The CIGM also delivers training and certification courses covering a range of topics from garment production technologies to business operations and organisational processes. Shein said it can also advise suppliers on factory site selection and facility design to further optimise operational efficiency.

The retailer has formed partnerships with research organisations as well. These include Donghua University, for the development of a polyester recycling method capable of accepting a higher percentage of textiles, and Transfar Chemicals, to investigate new dyeing and finishing processes as well as new functional fabrics.

Photo credit: Shein

Shein pushes industry 4.0 solutions - sportstextiles: Lea

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Shein pushes industry 4.0 solutions

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