New Wave Group AB Annual_report_2018_EN_HQ | Page 16

NWG // FLEXIBILITY
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,
Sports & Leisure as well as Gifts & Home Furnishings within
several areas.
Design
3%
11%
67%
19%
Purchase volume
percentage distributed
per purchase office
China
Bangladesh
Vietnam
India
The company has extensive experience
in design and product development.
Elaborate strategies are applied to each
brand regardless of product category.
The various concepts within the
operating segments Sports & Leisure
and Gifts & Home Furnishings have
their own product development activities.
Corporate’s product development acti-
vities are coordinated since the design is
less fashion sensitive.
The Group's products can be sold
in both sales channels, both promo and
retail. Well-designed promowear suits
both men and women of working age
and allow ample room for profiling, such
as logot. In addition to being a well-
designed promo garment, a large part
of the design, primarily in the Sports
& Leisure and the Gifts & Home
Furnishings segments, builds on form
and function to also fit directly with the
retail trade. 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.
Purchasing organisation
New Wave Group's purchasing strategy is
based on direct purchases from the manu-
facturer via the Group's purchasing offices.
Within the Group, New Wave Group
SA in Switzerland is responsible for the
purchasing business. New Wave Group
016 // ANNUAL REPORT
has seven purchasing offices in Asia,
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 largest 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 merch-
andisers, 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 profes-
sional 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.
The purchasing offices also play a key
role in securing social and environmental
responsibility in the supply chain. Being