Garment availability is an operational issue, not just a procurement one. If clean stock is not where it needs to be when a shift gowns up, work stops. Sizing the programme correctly means matching garment supply to how your people actually rotate through the controlled area.
Start with wearers and shifts
Count your wearers by shift, not just in total, and account for shift overlaps where two groups need garments at once. The peak demand across a day, not the headcount on paper, is what the stock has to cover.
Factor in change frequency and turnaround
- How often each wearer changes garments
- The laundering or processing turnaround time
- Delivery reliability between collection and redelivery
Size the buffer deliberately
Buffer stock should reflect wearer count, change frequency, processing turnaround and delivery reliability — plus your own tolerance for risk. Too little invites stockouts; too much ties up cost. The right level is a decision, not a default.
Plan for change
Headcount, shift patterns and seasonal volumes move. Agree up front how quantity and size changes are handled, and review the arrangement when operating conditions change so the stock plan keeps matching reality.
Make availability a shared metric
Treat on-time garment availability as something the service is measured on, with clear collection and delivery windows and an agreed escalation path for shortfalls. That is what turns a garment contract into dependable operational cover.