1. Why defining the facility process is important

Your clients want to know not only who is in their supply chain, but what each company does: who spins the yarn, who dyes the fabric, who sews the garment. The facility process answers exactly that. When your company and your suppliers carry the right facility process, your client can read your supply chain at a glance and see which production stages are covered. A wrong or missing facility process means your client may ask you to correct it later. Setting it correctly in the company profile also saves you work in e.g. supply chain mapping, where it is filled in for you.

2. Where you set and confirm the facility process(es)

A facility process describes what a company does in the supply chain, for example Spinning Mill or Cut Make Trim. A company can have more than one. It is stored in the company profile. In supply chain mapping, the facility process from the profile is filled in for you when you link a company. In product mapping and order tracing, you define it there.

Where	What you do
Your company profile	Set or edit the facility processes of your own company.
Network partner profiles	Set or correct the facility processes of companies in your network.
Supply chain mapping	The facility process from the company's profile is filled in when you link the company to a map. You confirm it for each company.
Product mapping	Define the facility process of a company in a product map.
Order tracing	Define the facility process of your direct/upstream supplier receiving the order when you place an order.

Facility processes can change over time or may have been set incorrectly. You can update them at any time - for your own company and for your network suppliers.

Not sure which process fits? Check the list below. If a company does several things, add every process that applies.

3. All Facility Processes

Processes are grouped by production stage, starting with raw materials and ending with sourcing, retail and compliance.

Raw material creation

Facility process	What the company does
Raw Material Producer	Produces raw material, mostly synthetic or recycled. Usually at the very start of the supply chain.
Farm	Grows and harvests raw material such as cotton.
Mine	Extracts minerals or other resources from the earth.

Material recycling

Facility process	What the company does
Recycling Facility	Collects, sorts and processes recyclable materials for reuse or sale.
Chemical Supplier Recycling	Supplies chemicals used in recycling.

Raw material processing

Facility process	What the company does
Refinery	Processes natural or synthetic fibres, or crude oil and hydrocarbons, into further products.
Retting	Softens and separates fibres from plant stems such as flax, hemp and jute.
Aluminium Extrusion	Shapes aluminium billets into profiles and components.
Ginning Mill	Separates raw cotton fibres from seeds and impurities.
Top Making	Prepares fibres, typically wool, for spinning.
Raw Material Trader	Buys and sells raw or semi-finished materials.
Chemical Supplier Raw Material Processing	Supplies chemicals used in raw material processing.
Fiber Dyeing	Dyes fibres before they are spun into yarn.

Yarn processing

Facility process	What the company does
Combing Mill	Removes short fibres and impurities, mainly from cotton and wool, for finer yarns.
Spinning Mill	Spins fibres into yarn or thread.
Yarn Dyeing	Dyes yarn before it is woven or knitted.
Chemical Supplier Yarn Processing	Supplies chemicals used in yarn processing.

Fabric processing

Facility process	What the company does
Weaving Mill	Weaves yarn into fabric.
Knitting	Knits yarn into fabric.
Fabric Dyeing	Dyes fabric.
Fabric Finishing	Treats fabric to give it specific properties, look or feel.
Material Calendering	Passes material between rollers to flatten it and improve its surface.
Fabric Coating	Applies a coating, for example for water or flame resistance.
Fabric Printing	Prints patterns, designs or colours onto fabric.
Cutting	Cuts fabric into garment pieces following patterns, by hand, by machine or with automated cutters.
Chemical Supplier Fabric Processing	Supplies chemicals used in fabric processing.
Fabric Trader	Buys fabric and sells it on to another company.

Leather tanning

Facility process	What the company does
Tannery	Turns raw hides or skins into leather.
Wet Blue Tannery	Produces semi-processed leather tanned with chromium (wet blue).
Wet White Tannery	Produces semi-processed leather tanned without chromium (wet white).
Crusting Tannery	Thins, retans and lubricates tanned leather (crusting).
Beamhouse	Prepares raw hides by removing hair and flesh before tanning.
Leather Finishing	Gives leather its final surface, for example by polishing, oiling or waxing.
Leather Chemical Supplier	Supplies chemicals for tanning, usually solvents and resins.
Leather Trader	Buys finished leather and sells it on to another company.

Trims and components

Facility process	What the company does
Pocketing Supplier	Makes pocketing.
Patch Supplier	Makes patches.
Sole Supplier	Makes soles.
Thread Supplier	Makes thread.
Zipper Supplier	Makes zippers.
Button Supplier	Makes buttons.
Label Supplier	Makes labels.
Laces Supplier	Makes laces.
Lining Supplier	Makes lining.
Rivet Supplier	Makes rivets.
Hangtag Supplier	Makes hangtags.
Carelabel Supplier	Makes care labels.
Elastics and Ribbon Supplier	Makes elastics and ribbons.
Cushion Supplier	Makes cushions.
Filling Supplier	Makes filling material.
Beads Supplier	Makes beads.
Foam Supplier	Makes foams.
Other Trims Supplier	Makes other trims or components not listed above.

Packaging

Facility process	What the company does
Packaging Supplier	Makes the packaging product.
Packaging Material Supplier	Makes the materials used for packaging, for example cardboard.

Manufacturing

Facility process	What the company does
Pattern Making	Creates garment patterns on paper or digitally.
Assembly	Combines components or parts into a finished product.
Cut Make Trim	Cuts the fabric, sews the complete garment with trims, removes loose threads, then checks, finishes and packs it.
Sewing	Joins fabric pieces into finished garments or textile products.
Quilting	Stitches a top fabric, batting and backing fabric together.
Embroiderer	Decorates fabric or garments with stitched designs.
Printer	Applies ink, dye or pigment to fabric in patterns.
Laser Processing	Cuts, engraves or marks materials with lasers.
Laundry	Cleans and treats garments and textiles before sale or use.
Casting	Shapes a garment or garment section in a mould.
Polishing	Treats fabric to enhance its appearance.
Garment Finishing	Washes, inspects, presses and packs garments.
Quality Assurance	Checks that every product and production run meets the agreed specification.
Plating	Applies a thin metal layer, mostly for jewelery or decorating clothing.
Fully Fashioned Knitted	Knits garment pieces directly to shape, without cutting fabric.
Garment Chemical Supplier	Supplies chemicals used in garment manufacturing.
Finished Goods Trader	Buys and sells finished goods.
Trimming	Removes loose threads and excess material from garments after sewing.
Panel Printing	Prints designs onto cut garment panels before they are sewn together.
Heat Transfer Print Application	Applies printed designs, logos or labels to garments with heat and pressure, for example heat transfers or vinyl.
Moulding	Shapes fabric, foam or other materials into three-dimensional forms with heat and pressure in a mould, for example bra cups, padding or shoe parts.
Debossing/Embossing	Presses a design into (debossing) or raises it from (embossing) the surface of leather, fabric or other materials, using heat and pressure.

Sourcing and import

Facility process	What the company does
Sourcing Agency	Finds suppliers and manages procurement for other businesses.

Warehouse

Facility process	What the company does
Distributor	Moves goods from manufacturers or suppliers to retailers, wholesalers or end customers.
Fulfillment Center/ Warehouse	Stores, packs and dispatches goods, and processes incoming orders.

Retailer

Facility process	What the company does
Retailer	Sells goods directly to consumers, in stores or online.
Wholesaler	Buys goods in large quantities and sells them on to retailers or other businesses.
Brand	Owns a brand. Used to tell apart company accounts when one company owns several brands.

Compliance

Facility process	What the company does
Auditor	Reviews and verifies that a company complies with standards, regulations or laws.