(Yicai) Feb. 24 -- Digitalization is transforming the traditional production models at Chinese garment factories, according to the owners of two plants in China's southern Guangdong province.

Zhou Yining, the owner of a fabrics supplier, told Yicai that thanks to financial support and technical guidance from Chinese cross-border online budget fashion retailer Shein, he built a nearly 20,000 square meters factory with full-process visual and automated management from when raw materials enter the production line to the dispatch of printed fabrics in Foshan's Shunde district.

"Experienced craftsmen were previously needed for key positions at the digital printing plant," Zhou noted. "After digitalizing, new employees can start working after just three to five days of training," with more than 70 percent of workers being "newbies," he added.

New workers can handle the job after simple training, Zhou said, adding that one of their main tasks is monitoring and operating automated equipment. The digital, intelligent, and lean upgrade and transformation of management have increased work efficiency by at least 10 times compared to traditional plants of the same scale, he pointed out.

Xie Shuangtao, the owner of a garment factory that supplies children's clothing to Shein in Guangzhou's Panyu district, said to Yicai that the number of his factories increased to five from one since allying with the e-commerce giant.

"Previously, the factory could only produce 5,000 to 6,000 pieces of clothing a month, while now it's hundreds of thousands," Xie pointed out. Besides being driven by the continuous growth of orders from Shein, the surge is also due to the use of automated production equipment, he said, adding that "machines have significantly increased work efficiency."

Digital upgrading has also changed the work practices of Zhou and Xie.

Every procedure can be seen on a computer, from getting an order to shipping the product, Zhou noted. The person in charge can monitor the operation of factory equipment in the management system at any time, avoiding errors that are likely to occur in traditional plants when the business volume increases, he pointed out.

"I just need to take a look at the computer, and I know the daily shipping volume, production scheduling, and management issues of the factory," Xie said, adding that these digital systems are made freely available to suppliers by Shein.

"We used to place new orders monthly, but now we place them almost every day," Xie noted. "Doing so can effectively cut the company's raw material and finished product inventory."

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev