Full package production, often written FPP, is a service where one manufacturer handles every stage of a garment: development, pattern, fabric and trim sourcing, sewing, quality control and dispatch. The brand approves and the plant executes. CMT, the older model, only cuts and sews what you send it.
The same service gets sold under several names, which is why it is hard to compare quotes. Full package, full service manufacturing, production package: in practice they describe the same scope. What separates suppliers is not the label but where their responsibility stops, and that is what this page is about.
The Full Package Manufacturing service is widely used by major brands to quickly bring collections to stores or to augment their production capabilities. It's also commonly employed to create garments outside of their area of expertise or to refresh their design aesthetic.
Companies that offer Full Package Manufacturing or Full Package Production (FPP) services usually have teams similar to the fashion brands. They generally have teams dedicated to:
- Trend research
- Design
- Pattern-making
- Sample development
- Material procurement
- Production (sewing)
- Logistics
Advantages and disadvantages of Full Package Manufacturing or Full Package Production (FPP)
Here you can find an article dedicated to covering the differences between traditional clothing manufacturers or CMT and Full Package Manufacturers, however, here we leave you with the main advantages and disadvantages of the full package production (FPP) versus traditional clothing manufacturing:
Advantages:
1. Does not consume your resources:
A full package manufacturing company is completely independent of your operation in all stages of garment creation, so you can make better use of your own human and production capacity resources.
2. Faster time to market
Independence allows for faster movement than internal production, after a design is approved, the time to market is shorter than building the same capability in-house, because the development, the sourcing and the line already exist and are already busy doing this.
3. No excess raw materials or product:
Although there are many ways to negotiate, generally a full package only charges you for the garments produced. With own production, you have to deal with excess raw materials, poorly made garments, and also all the headaches that can come from procuring and logistics of raw materials.
4. Specialization:
Full package companies are usually specialized in certain types of categories and garments, which allows you to expand the product and category offerings quickly and without investing in physical plant. For example, at GAT Fashion Lab, we helped Arturo Calle Woman, the women's line of a traditionally male-centric Colombian brand, successfully enter the female category.
Disadvantages:
1. Higher costs:
Although Full Package Production (FPP) services often come with competitive pricing, they can be more expensive than traditional clothing manufacturing. This is because they require a larger team to ensure proper execution. Initially, it may appear to be more costly than internal production, however, by paying only for the finished product, there can be significant savings in waste.
2. Higher minimum order requirements:
It's common practice in the fashion industry for manufacturers to prefer working with larger orders as it allows them to achieve greater efficiency and profitability. For perspective, a large retailer may order between 800-2.000 units per style or color, while a small, emerging brand may only require 12-50 units per style. At GAT Fashion Lab, our minimum starts at 36 units per style and color, and 100 to 300 is the recommended range for the best efficiency and cost. Nothing about the second run is faster than the first. Reordering a style costs a further 30 to 45 business days; that is the practical argument for 100 to 300.
Working with a Full Package Clothing Manufacturer:
To give you a better understanding, we'll describe our working process. However, if you want to learn more about our service, we recommend visiting this page.
1. Trend research and requirement definition:
At this stage, we have two options:
1. You provide us with the requirements which can be flat drawings, patterns, samples, or references of what you'd like to create, and we proceed to the design process.
2. We research trends based on your target market and brand DNA, and present you with moodboards and opportunity reports which will be the input for the design stage.
2. Design:
We convert the initial moodboards and insights into rough sketches or prototypes to define the final design of each garment. In this stage, we have used artificial intelligence to generate better proposals. If this interests you, we recommend checking out this article.
At this stage, we also define the materials and other necessary details to develop samples.
3. Pattern-making and development of digital samples:
Once the designs are approved, our pattern-making team creates the necessary patterns for the garments. These patterns are then validated in a 3D environment, where we generate highly realistic models that allow us to validate the patterns, fit, and design details. We can also test different fabrics and colors without cutting a single inch of fabric. This allows us to accelerate the approval and change processes to just a couple of hours. Usually, a physical sample can take between 2 and 6 weeks to be made, our digital samples are built in just a couple of hours based on the 2D patterns. With the digital samples, we estimate production costs and we are ready for the physical sample making process. Learn more about how the use of 3D technology accelerated our sample development process here.
4. Material procurement for samples:
Depending on the agreement, we may also procure materials for production at this stage, but typically it is only for sample development. This step is usually done from the design phase, or even from the beginning, it is also common for clients to send us some of the materials for us to work with.
5. Product engineering and physical sample development:
Once all the materials are procured and designs are approved, we proceed to create the samples in our workshop. We also measure the production and consumption times to have more accurate costs and also to create technical sheets and production guides. Physical samples are typically used to validate materials and textures, as most adjustments are made to the 3D samples.
6. Sample approval, purchase order and material procurement for production:
Once samples are approved, we confirm the number of units to be produced, agree on a price for each unit, and arrange other details according to each client's needs. Material procurement for production can be requested earlier, depending on the agreement. At GAT Fashion Lab, we are very flexible in negotiations and always aim to meet our clients' needs.
7. Production:
Once materials arrive, they are checked and entered into inventory. The first process is the tracing and cutting of the patterns, then they are labeled and sent to the sewing workshops with the rest of the materials, samples, technical sheets, and production guides for assembly.
8. Quality Verification
When the garments are finished, our quality team checks each piece to ensure they are in perfect condition and approves them for shipment to the logistics center or delivery to the client according to their needs.
9. Logistics
Depending on the needs of each client, we prepare and dispatch the garments. Within our team, we have experts in international logistics who coordinate with each client the transportation that best suits them and all the necessary documentation to avoid any inconvenience.
Although this is our process, it may be similar to that of other companies dedicated to manufacturing under the full package production format.
If you think we can make a good fit for your needs, do not hesitate to contact us.
We hope this article has helped you resolve your doubts. If you want to continue learning with us, follow us on Instagram or LinkedIn.
How a full package order actually runs
The stages are the same everywhere. What changes between suppliers is who waits for whom.
- Reference in. A photo, a sketch or a sample garment. You do not need a technical file: building it is part of the job.
- Development. The tech pack, the pattern, the measurement chart. Fabric and trim options come back for approval, usually two per garment.
- Physical sample. Two to eight weeks depending on how much has to be invented. You approve it or you ask for changes, and until it is signed off nothing moves.
- Production. Between 30 and 45 business days once that approval lands, on runs from 36 pieces per style and colour upwards.
- Quality. Four checkpoints during the run, not one inspection at the end, because a defect found at the end is a remake.
- Dispatch. The default term is EXW, so the goods are valued at the plant in Colombia. DDP can be arranged if it is settled before production. Destination customs sets duties, which is why any landed number we give you carries an asterisk.
Where we are not involved deserves saying: the design decisions stay yours, and so do your photography, your store and your advertising.
Full service manufacturing and the other names for the same thing
Sourcing conversations get muddled by vocabulary. Full service manufacturing, production package, full package production and FPP all point at the same arrangement. When a supplier uses one of these words, the only question worth asking is which of the six stages above they actually perform and which they subcontract or hand back to you.
The distinction that does carry meaning is FPP against CMT. CMT is labour: you supply the pattern and the materials, they cut, make and trim. Everything upstream is yours. The step-by-step of that arrangement is in what a maquila is and where its job ends.
Frequently asked questions about full package production
What does FPP stand for?
Full Package Production. In apparel it means one supplier takes the garment from reference to finished, inspected order, including buying the materials.
What does full production mean?
In this context, that the manufacturer runs the whole chain rather than one stage of it. It is used interchangeably with full package, and neither term is standardised, so confirm the scope in writing.
What does "package production" mean?
The same arrangement as full package production, written in reverse order. Buyers search it both ways and suppliers quote it the same either way: one manufacturer covers development through dispatch, not just the sewing.
What is the difference between FPP and CMT?
Who buys the fabric and who owns the development. FPP includes both. CMT includes neither: you deliver pattern and materials, the plant delivers sewing hours. FPP costs more per garment and removes the coordination work.
Do I need a tech pack for full package production?
No. A reference image is enough to open a quote, and the tech pack gets built during development. Arriving with one shortens the process but is not a requirement.
What is the minimum order?
Our floor is 36 pieces per style and colour. The band we point brands towards is 100 to 300, because above the floor the development stops dominating the unit price.
How we work
GAT Fashion Lab has run full package production in Cali, Colombia, for more than twenty years, for recognised brands here and abroad. One team carries development, sourcing, production and quality, so there is a single counterpart from the first reference to the packed order. The edges, stated plainly: no catalogue to order from, no denim, and no structured outerwear such as coats.
To see what your garment would cost under this model, describe it in our quoting tool. No cost, an estimate in minutes, and an advisor who follows up. From Colombia to the world.
