Hong Kong-based Li & Fung has signed an agreement with US firm Softwear Automation. The agreement will initially cover the manufacture of T-shirts.

Softwear Automation has developed a Sewbot autonomous sewing workline for the production of pillows, footwear, car mats, bath mats and towels.

Sewbot allows just one employee to man an entire production line and can produce a T-shirt in just 22 seconds. The bots can cut and sew a new shirt every 22 seconds from very soft and flexible fabric. The designs can also be changed very swiftly according to market demand.

The agreement is a key plank in Li & Fung’s three-year plan, which seeks to accelerate the process of supply chain digitisation in the apparel and footwear industries. Through this collaboration the company wants to partner with an initial set of manufacturers to create a first fully digital apparel supply chain and use those learnings to scale the technology and create customised solutions for its supplier network around the world.

The partnership with Softwear Automation is another building block in Li’s end-to-end digital supply chain.

The development of sewbots is one of the true game changers for the fashion industry. Consumers’ demand to get things faster, quicker and more unique than ever before is increasing. Sewbots enable the speed needed for on-demand, made-to-measure manufacturing, at scale.