French knitwear clothing manufacturer, Bonneterie Chanteclair, is a certified Orgine France Garantie, meaning all of their products are made in France. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached their home country, General Manager, Thomas Delise, knew he had to think outside of the box in order to protect his community and his employees. Rather than stopping garment production and furloughing employees, the company developed a high-quality mask with a HEPA filter, which was chosen by French President Emmanuel Macron. As Chanteclair began to receive many orders from regional administrations, they developed an eCommerce website to sell B2B and B2C. To help keep up with demand, Bonneterie Chanteclair began working with Gerber Technology, the leader in digitalization, to help them pivot their supply chain and remain agile so they could keep their doors open. Since March, Gerber’s PPE Task Force has helped over 1,700 companies, just like Chanteclair, pivot to PPE production and helped them keep their doors open through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know digitalization and retooling are not easy. They’re very complex processes that require numerous steps,” said Olivier Austin, Sales Manager Digital Solutions for France of Gerber Technology. “Our team works with our customers to identify their needs and help implement the right technologies that will be most beneficial to them.”
Gerber worked with Bonneterie Chanteclair to digitally transform their supply chain so they were able to keep up with the high demand for protective masks. Chanteclair acquired Gerber’s full end-to-end solution, which includes Gerber’s pattern making solution, AccuMark®, their automated nesting and cut planning solutions, AccuNest™ and AccuPlan™ as well as the Gerber Paragon®. With Gerber’s end-to-end solution, Chanteclair was able to fulfill a high demand for masks in a short period of time, which was critical in helping their community fight COVID-19. The integrated solution also kept Chanteclair from having to furlough employees and keep their doors open as they navigate through the pandemic.
“Gerber has been extremely supportive throughout this entire process,” said Thomas Delise. “Their innovative technology and team of experts have been critical throughout our transformation. We have been able to effectively digitize our entire workflow in such a short time, which is really remarkable.”
After the pandemic subsides, Bonneterie Chanteclair plans to continue to strengthen their supply chain by adding more of Gerber’s solutions to their workflow. The French manufacturer will develop a just-in-time production to allow themselves to easily meet consumer demands and tackle the challenge of customization.
