Based on job responsibility and kind of works merchants are primarily categorized as sampling merchants and production merchants. Where a sampling merchant deals with sampling of styles, a production merchant is responsible for the everything to run an order smoothly - from material requirement sheet preparation to handing over shipment to buyer. However job responsibility may very based on factory size and organization structure of the company.
Job responsibilities of a production merchant are as following
- Making production Time and action calendar - based on the process flow of an order merchants prepare time and action calendar and indicates who is responsible for the task. This helps merchant to execute an order whether it is on time or behind schedule. Merchants chase department who are running late.
- Preparing Bill of material and handover it to sourcing department - Based on tech pack (technical sheet), merchant prepares material requirement sheet. In some cases, merchants develop and purchase few trim by themselves.
- Execution of sourcing trims / accessories - merchants do follow up with supplier for the raw material.
- Preparing production file - Prepares production file with details documents, approvals, samples and swatches and comments on sample from buyer.
- Conduct PP meeting with quality team and production team - merchants conduct pre-production (PP) meeting with production team and quality team. In this meeting merchants discuss style construction details, production plan, PCD and handover production file to the production team. One copy of production file is also made for quality team.
- Giving approval of printing, embroidery production and other subcontracting work.
- Execution of orders whether it is running on time.
- Coordination with buyer or buying house if any clarification is required during production.
- Giving clarification to production and quality team if required related to style workmanship/trims etc.
- Coordinating with buying house QA or 3rd Party QA for initial/mid and final inspection of shipment.
- Coordination with shipping and documentation department for forwarding the approved shipment.
- Keeping track of style status and updating the same to top management and buyer representatives.