SMALL COMPANY
FLEXIBILITY WITH LARGE
COMPANY SYNERGIES
New Wave Group markets products under several different brands. The company strives for complete
integration from the beginning of the chain in order to attain competitive advantages. The synergies are
evident for operational segments Corporate Promo, Sports & Leisure as well as Gifts & Home Furnishings
within several areas.
DESIGN
The company has extensive experience in design and product devel-
opment. Elaborate strategies are applied to each brand regardless
of product category. The various concepts within the operational
segments Sports & Leisure and Gifts & Home Furnishings have
their own product development activities. Corporate Promo’s
product development activities are coordinated since the design
is less fashion sensitive.
Well designed promowear suits both men and women of working
age and allow ample room for profiling (i.e. logotypes) since the
clothes target the corporate market. Many of the designs for Sports
& Leisure and Gifts & Home Furnishings are based on form and
function. The Group has several close partnerships with athletes
at both elite and amateur level in a variety of sports. Kosta Boda
and Orrefors teams with several famous artists, a collaboration
that is also used in the development of the Kosta Linnewäfveri and
Orrefors Jernverk brands.
PURCHASING
New Wave Group’s purchasing strategy is to buy directly from the
manufacturer via our purchasing offices in Asia. New Wave Group
has seven purchasing offices, including three satellite offices in
China to stay close to the production. Our local presence is of great
importance to ensure good control of prices, quality and the flow
of goods. The head purchasing office is located in Shanghai, where
New Wave Group has been established since 1992. In addition to
China, we have purchasing offices in Bangladesh, Vietnam and
India.
Today, we have a total workforce of more than 200 employees at
our purchasing offices. The predominant function is performed by
our merchandisers, quality controllers and technicians working
in teams based on product type and brand. All teams have a
continuous and close cooperation with the brand offices and
product development departments. Therefore, each purchasing
team is well informed and familiar with the specific features and
requirements of each brand.
Each office has a quality laboratory where we are conducting
regular quality testing of our products. We have professional
equipment to conduct a number of different tests such as colour
fastness, rubbing and dimensional changes. This enables us to
secure product quality before shipment and prevent issues and
reclaims.
14 | NWG 2017
The purchasing offices also play a key role in securing social and
environmental responsibility in the supply chain. Being repre-
sented on site enables us to have a close partnership with our
suppliers and to actively monitor their operations. We have our
own CSR personnel working full-time visiting, monitoring and
training suppliers in social and environmental topics. Through
regular visits and good communication we strive to discover
findings in time and make the necessary improvements. By such
means, New Wave Group can achieve the highest compliance level
while contributing to social development.
PRODUCTION
New Wave Group owns a few factories. In Sweden, Seger Europe
and Termo have production units for knitted items and Orrefors
Kosta Boda glass making facilities. In the Netherlands, Toppoint
runs printing operations for, among other things, pen and mug
prints. In Denmark, Dahetra owns a production facility for
embroidery and transfer printing. In the USA, AHEAD and
Cutter & Buck have some embroidery production and Paris Glove
a production unit for gloves.
LOGISTICS & WAREHOUSE
To ensure quality, long-term sustainability, and economies of scale
are achieved at all stages, we are working with the coordination
of our flow:
Most of our products are manufactured in Asia and are
controlled via our established purchasing Offices.
Transports are procured and managed centrally. Through
consolidated transports between our suppliers and our host
companies we maintain high precision and good economy in
our transport-intensive flow.
In order to maintain a high level of service, deliveries to the
market are from local warehouses which in turn are supported
by central warehouses. The number of warehouse points is
reduced in order to reduce capital tied-up at the same time
delivery capacity is increased.
By coordinating sales and distribution channels for both
retail and promo we obtain additional synergies and reduce
seasonal variations.