Case Studies
Marzotto Group - Innovative Leader of the Digitization in the Textile Industry | EIZO
Marzotto, an Italian leading global supplier of high-quality worsted wool and fabrics, has set itself the goal of digitizing its design and sampling process as much as possible. EIZO's ColorEdge monitors are an important tool in their new digital workflow.
Great Need for Digitization
Unlike other industries, digitization is still in full swing in the design, sampling, and manufacturing process of the fashion industry. Physical fabric samples, which are time-consuming and expensive to produce and ship, are a major obstacle in an increasingly fast-paced world. There is a lot of pressure to become faster, more efficient and cost-effective in order to meet customer needs in a timely manner. Innovation drivers are customers like Hugo Boss. The fashion label has set itself the goal of achieving a 99% level of digitalization in procurement by 2022.
That is why Marzotto developed a digital workflow that limits the use of yarn and fabric samples to the bare minimum necessities, years ago. The aim was to create a realistic digital impression of the fabrics before the start of the physical production process. The following problems had to be solved: firstly the creation of three-dimensional simulation of fabrics with two-dimensional CAD data of fabric samples. Secondly, reproducing realistic colors with sufficient precision and providing an interface to the customers' CAD programs.
Collaboration as a Success Factor
Numerous trades are involved in digitizing the entire sampling process. These include the measurement of colors, yarns and fabrics, the provision of data through common interfaces, the display of digital data for the human eye on the monitor, and the further processing of the data into two- and three-dimensional models.
"The biggest success factor is a functioning network of competent partners who all work together on a functioning overall workflow. Individual solutions that work in isolation are of no use if they do not work together. That's why the expertise that comes together in the Digital Textile Connection is so valuable." — Luca Bicego, IT specialist at Marzotto, on the challenge and success factor for a reliably functioning workflow.
ColorEdge at the Heart of the Visual Workflow
As long as it is only a matter of data matching of measured values in the illumination-independent L*a*b* color space, the matching between target and actual values is easy. But as soon as visual processes are involved, an absolutely precise monitor that makes the digital color values visible to the human eye is of utmost importance.
"We have been looking for monitors that offer the degree of reproducible precision we need in the digital workflow for a long time and finally found what we were looking for at EIZO, the most renowned manufacturer of graphic monitors."
Marzotto currently employs 37 designers at 6 locations. The goal is to make the same virtual piece of fabric look identical on every monitor. In other words, the virtual sample has to look the same as a physical piece of fabric that has been cut into 37 pieces and sent to all 37 designers. To make this possible, Marzotto uses the ColorEdge CG319X and CG279X models and calibrates them on a monthly basis. ColorNavigator 7 is used in combination with ColorNavigator Network to ensure that all monitors are calibrated to the same calibration target. This is a cloud-based solution that allows all monitors to be calibrated remotely and, thanks to the monitors built-in calibration sensors, also automatically to a uniform target.
"The ColorNavigator Network, in combination with the integrated calibration sensors of the CG monitors, saves us a lot of time by not having to calibrate each monitor individually, but instead we can arrange this remotely. In addition, we can change calibration targets uniformly on all monitors should the need arise.”
A virtual sample still cannot replace physical samples in certain processes. Lightboxes are also part of the setup, because they guarantee a standardized and stable illumination of the patterns. This is the only way to achieve truly precise comparability between digital and physical patterns.
CAD Simulation and Distribution in the DMIx Cloud
The appealing thing about the digital workflow is that it is not limited to the mere simulation of small fabric samples. By integrating the samples into a two- and three-dimensional visualization workflow, they can also be "dressed" directly on digital avatars and assessed for their effect on the finished product.
For this to be possible, the information that characterizes the fabric must be captured in the first phase. For this purpose, Marzotto uses the Penelope management software. In addition to color values and patterns, the digital sample includes metadata that enables CAD programs to simulate fabric behavior under different lighting situations in three-dimensional space. It is uploaded to ColorDigital’s DMIx Cloud in the final step, where it is made available as a digital asset for Marzotto’s customers.
Impressive Results
The digitization of the workflow was a success: Marzotto has been able to significantly reduce the creation time of a new digital fabric sample individually created for a customer compared to a physical sample, thus meeting increasingly strict deadlines. As a result, Marzotto is able to supply its customers with the highest quality fabrics more quickly, individually and cost-effectively, and to meet the demands of an increasingly dynamic market in the best possible way.
Deployed Products
ColorEdge CG319X
ColorEdge CG279X
