AIMS360 Supply Chain Management Guide

How we help fashion brands control costs, hit ship windows, and scale across channels

If you run a fashion brand, your real job isn’t placing POs—it’s keeping promises. Promises to retailers about ship windows. Promises to DTC customers about delivery dates. Promises to finance that margin will hold after freight, duty, and everything that happens between cutting and customs.

We built AIMS360 for that “messy middle.” From tech packs to landed cartons, we connect demand to supply at every stage—on-hand stock, WIP (work-in-process), and inbound vendor POs—so your team can promise with confidence and ship on time.

1) Product development & pre-production (PLM, tech packs, spec sheets)

What good looks like

• A clean style master with versions, BOM (fabrics, trims, labels), graded specs and tolerances.
• A single source of truth for fit notes, artwork placement, packaging, and revision history.
• Vendor collaboration that reduces sample rounds and compresses calendar days.

How AIMS360 helps

• Apparel PLM + ERP in one: styles, BOM, specs, cost sheets, and vendor records travel together—no copy/paste.
• Sampling workflows: approvals, fit tracking, and materials roll into cost and production plans automatically.
• Early costing: materials + labor + overhead + packaging + freight assumptions flow forward to PO and margin analytics.

2) Sourcing & vendor management

Picking the right supplier

We look at capacity, on-time delivery history, quality results, compliance/audit grade, and cost structure. For multi-channel brands, we prefer partners who can handle tighter pack/label standards and replenishment cadence.

POs and production tracking

• PO creation with size/color breakdowns, pack instructions, HTS/COO fields, and carton labeling standards.
• Milestones from materials in-house → cutting → sewing → finishing → packing.
• Shipping visibility (ETD/ETA, on-water, customs, drayage, receiving).
• ASNs so the DC is ready before the truck hits the door.

Quality

We promote multi-stage QC: pre-production materials checks, in-line inspections, final AQL inspections, and receipt QC. Vendor scorecards combine OTD%, defects, short-ships, and audit results so purchasing can reward performance.

3) Costing: domestic vs import, and true landed cost

Domestic: shorter lead times and lower duty/freight risk, higher unit labor.

Import: lower unit labor, longer lead time, duty + ocean + brokerage + inland freight.

AIMS360 captures estimated vs actual cost throughout:

• Pre-production estimate from PLM.
• PO-level cost sheet with freight, duty scenarios, and surcharges.
• Landed cost on receipt for COGS and margin.
• Variance analysis (labor hours, scrap/rework, short-ships).

4) Logistics, ASNs, receiving & fulfillment

• Mode planning (ocean vs air) with lead-time and cash implications.
• ASN → receipt → put-away flows that sync live with orders.
• Reverse logistics for RMAs: inspection, restock/repair/scrap with cost capture.

5) Multi-channel strategy: allocation, optimization, overselling prevention

5.1 Channel overview table

5.2 Allocation to stock, WIP, and vendor POs

Most ERPs stop at on-hand. We go further.

How the AIMS360 allocation ladder works

1. On-hand → allocate and ship.
2. WIP → reserve against production orders so sales doesn’t double-sell.
3. Inbound vendor PO → when stock and WIP can’t cover demand, we reserve orders directly to confirmed POs with ETD/ETA and origin. When the PO receipts, allocations auto-release to inventory for immediate picking.

Why it matters

• Accurate promise dates (no guessing).
• Clean cash-flow forecasting tied to inbound supply.
• Fewer phantom quantities across channels.
• Dynamic reallocation if PO ETAs slip or short-ships occur.

Live example

Wholesale orders 1,000 units. PO #789 (VN) is on water for 2,000 units, ETA Nov 20. We reserve 1,000 against PO #789. On receipt, the order is pick-ready—no weekend spreadsheets.

5.3 Inventory optimization & overselling prevention

Overselling is usually a visibility problem.

• Aggregate demand from EDI, Shopify, marketplaces, and B2B.
• Set channel priorities (e.g., EDI > prebooks > DTC > marketplaces).
• Use lead times to compute reorder points and safety stock.
• Get alerts when projected available will breach before vendor lead time.
• If a PO delays in customs, auto-reallocate to backup supply.

Targets we set in month one

• Fill rate: +5–10 pts (first-attempt, complete).
• Stockout rate: halve A-SKU stockouts.
• Allocation accuracy: +30–40% with PO-level reservations.
• Turns: +0.5–1.0 once you stop buying “just in case.”

6) Finance integration & analytics

• AIMS360 creates invoices, credit memos, processes card payments, RMAs, sales rep commissions, and syncs all to QuickBooks—so supply-chain events roll into real margin.
• Dashboards: OTD%, lead-time variance, cost variance, inventory turns, reservation accuracy, defect rate, and channel profitability.

7) Traceability & compliance

• Track origin, factory, tier-2 materials, and HTS/COO data.
• Keep audit grades and corrective actions tied to the vendor record.
• Optionally layer in RFID/track-and-trace as your program matures.

8) Returns & reverse logistics

• RMA workflow: inspect, restock, repair, or scrap; capture the cost and connect it to the vendor batch if defects recur.
• Tighten fit loops through returns analytics (size/curve variances, QC flags).

9) Where U.S. brands import from (and why it matters right now)

The snapshot

• Asian suppliers continue to dominate U.S. apparel sourcing in 2025 (e.g., Asia accounted for a large majority of U.S. import value; shares fluctuated as tariffs rose and buyers diversified).  
• China’s monthly import value to the U.S. hit a 22-year low in May 2025 ($556M) after steep U.S. tariff hikes; buyers shifted to Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Mexico. Inspection data show U.S. sourcing from China down ~25% YoY in Q2 2025, while Southeast Asia up ~29%.  
• Bangladesh gained share rapidly in early 2025 (e.g., $2.98B Jan–Apr; growth ~29% YoY per OTEXA-based reports).  
• For latest, exact percentages by country, we guide teams to pull the monthly OTEXA interactive dataset (value/quantity/SME).  

What to do with it in AIMS360

• Tag POs by origin (country/factory) and include tariff/duty assumptions in cost sheets so margins are honest at order time.
• Use origin risk flags (tariff at risk, audit grade, lead-time volatility) in the allocation view.
• Maintain a Vendor Scorecard (OTD%, defect rate, audit grade, cost variance) and gate new POs behind minimum scores.
• Keep a dashboard: top-10 origin mix, late POs by origin, defect trend by origin, and duty impact.

9.1 Country cheat sheet (how we coach brands)

• China: broad capability/scale; tariff volatility + scrutiny; keep for complex styles or when alternatives lack capacity; run tariff scenarios in costing. (Tariff spikes in 2025 accelerated sourcing shifts.)  
• Vietnam: strong in knits/outerwear/athleisure; stable quality; good China+1 backbone.  
• Bangladesh: cost-competitive basics and denim; huge growth in 2025—watch lead times and choose factories with strong audit history.  
• India: excels in wovens, embellished goods, cotton categories; diversification hedge.  
• Cambodia/Indonesia/Sri Lanka: targeted categories; validate capacity with inspection history as volumes shift from China.  
• Mexico/CAFTA-DR: speed and smaller MOQs; ideal for replenishment/fashion-sensitive capsules; cost trade-off vs Asia. (Mexico also saw YoY gains in mid-2025.)  

Pro tip: when presenting origin strategy to wholesale partners, include OTEXA snapshots as an appendix; it builds credibility and aligns expectations on ETAs and price.

10) Implementation & change management

• Map current → future flows (styles, costing, POs, ASN/receiving, WMS, returns).
• Clean masters (styles, vendors, customers) and define channel priorities.
• Turn on allocation ladder (stock → WIP → vendor PO), scorecards, and dashboards in phases.
• Train sales and CS on promise-date logic tied to PO ETAs—watch call volume drop.

11) What brands typically gain (90–120 days)

• Fewer stockouts & chargebacks; higher first-attempt fill rates.
• 40%+ improvement in inventory accuracy when PO/WIP reservations go live.
• 18 hours/week back from duplicate entry (multi-channel sync), used to open more doors.
• COGS honesty from live landed-cost math, not spreadsheets.
• Cleaner cash flow and calmer ops around launch windows.

Country & channel reference tables

10 FAQs

1) How does AIMS360 prevent overselling across Shopify, EDI, and marketplaces?

We allocate orders not only to on-hand stock but also to WIP (work-in-process) and inbound vendor POs with ETD/ETA. If a PO slips or short-ships, the system can reallocate automatically based on your channel priorities.

2) Can AIMS360 reserve orders directly to a vendor PO that’s on the water?

Yes. Orders can be reserved to a specific PO line before receipt. Once the shipment is received, those reservations auto-release to available inventory for picking.

3) How do you calculate true landed cost in AIMS360?

We capture estimated vs actual components—FOB cost, ocean/air, duty, brokerage, inland freight, and surcharges—then post final landed cost to inventory value and COGS for real margin analysis.

4) What’s the difference between import costing and domestic manufactured costing in AIMS360?

Domestic costing emphasizes labor and overhead; import costing adds duty, ocean/air, brokerage, and inland. AIMS360 handles both and reconciles estimates to actuals at receipt.

5) What is an ASN and how does it help my warehouse?

An Advance Shipping Notice includes carton counts, style/color/size breakdowns, carrier details, and ETA. Your DC can plan staffing and locations in advance, reducing receiving time and errors.

6) How do you set channel priorities so key retailers aren’t shorted?

Define a global priority (e.g., EDI → prebooks → DTC → marketplaces). The allocation engine respects those rules when reserving to stock/WIP/PO and when performing dynamic reallocations.

7) How do you manage vendor quality and compliance?

Use Vendor Scorecards: on-time delivery %, defect rates, audit grades, and cost variance. You can require a minimum score to receive new POs and trigger corrective actions for low performers.

8) Does AIMS360 integrate with Shopify and QuickBooks?

Yes. We sync multi-channel orders and inventory with Shopify (and other channels) and post invoices, credit memos, payments, RMAs, and sales rep commissions to QuickBooks.

9) What does WMS mean and how is AIMS360 different for apparel?

WMS = Warehouse Management System. AIMS360’s apparel-native WMS handles style-color-size grids, prepack logic, label/pack standards, and ASN/receiving flows tailored for fashion.

10) Where should I place POs right now—what countries look strongest?

Maintain a China+1 mix (e.g., Vietnam, Bangladesh, India) plus near-shore speed options (Mexico/CAFTA-DR). Track OTEXA monthly shares and vendor scorecards; tie origin to PO allocation and landed-cost planning.