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Intermediate · Self-paced · Free

Digital Systems, Data and AI in Garment Operations

Make factory and brand systems tell the truth: ERP and PLM, shop-floor data, analytics, AI use that holds up, and the governance around it.

A free, self-paced course on digital garment operations: ERP and PLM, MES and shop-floor data capture, digital quality systems, CAD/CAM integration, automation and robotics, analytics and dashboards, practical AI applications in garment operations, and cybersecurity and data governance. Three modules, each ending with a five-question quiz.

  • 3 modules · 9 subjects
  • About 9–12 hours of reading and quizzes at your own pace
  • 3 quizzes to check your understanding
  • Written by Sanjeewa Dehiwalage

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Leave your name and email and we will keep a place for you. No fee, no account, no deadline — the material is open either way.

Who this course is for

  • IE, planning, quality and MIS staff who run or specify factory systems
  • Merchandisers and product developers working in PLM and ERP
  • Managers deciding on digitisation or automation investment
  • Students preparing for a digital or data role in apparel

What you will be able to do

  • Say what belongs in ERP, what belongs in PLM and where the two must exchange data
  • Specify a shop-floor data capture point so the number produced can be trusted
  • Read a production dashboard and name the decision each figure should trigger
  • Judge an AI or automation proposal on data quality, payback and failure mode
  • State the access, backup and supplier-data controls a factory system needs

Preview module

Module 1 — Enterprise Systems

Place work in the right system: ERP for the order, materials, costs and inventory; PLM for the product, its specification and its approvals — with a defined handover between them.

Sample quiz question from this module

Which data belongs in PLM rather than ERP?

  1. A. Purchase order values and stock balances
  2. B. The product specification, bill of materials development, tech pack and approval history
  3. C. Payroll records
  4. D. Shipment invoices
Show the answer

B. The product specification, bill of materials development, tech pack and approval history PLM owns the product as it is developed and approved; ERP owns the commercial and material transactions that follow.

Self-study material. It is not an accredited qualification and no examination board has assessed it. Progress is kept on your device, and on your account once you sign in.

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