Digitalization in use – Human Solutions optimizes the clothing process for the Luxembourg Army

Clothing plays a central role in armies – the uniform turns a civilian into a soldier. Together with the Luxembourg Army, Human Solutions GmbH has now digitalized the clothing process for the soldiers, laying the foundation for a comprehensive process optimization.

One of the first things a recruit does when joining the army is to visit the outfitting warehouse: He enters as a civilian, gets his new work clothes and leaves the building clothed as a soldier. A recruit currently receives around 30 different items of clothing when he signs up for the Luxembourg army.

Size recommendation at the push of a button

The size of the clothes was previously determined by the outfitting employees visually assessing the recruit, based on their many years of experience. Now the Luxembourg Army has digitalized the clothing process. The recruits are measured with a Human Solutions 3D body scanner the day they come to the army. Within a few seconds, the recruit’s body dimensions are captured, and a special algorithm then calculates the optimal sizes for the various garments. Now there are individual size recommendations for each recruit, from underwear to sportswear and combat equipment. “Using the body scanner makes the initial clothing procedure faster, safer, more objective and more comprehensible,” says Dr. Engr. Anne Winter, Expert Logistiques - Dépôt, Luxembourg Army.

Sizing & fitting philosophy stored digitally

The individual garments of the recruits come from different manufacturers, who base their garment sizes on different measurement tables. Together with two experienced female army employees, the sizing & fitting philosophy was determined for the individual garments. The associated measurement charts were then created and digitally documented. The integration of the size recommendations into the existing ERP system and the IT landscape of the army was carried out using the Human Solutions “AnthroscanCloud” web service.

“When the recruit’s measurements have been taken with the body scanner, the system immediately calculates the garment that he needs and in which size,” says Winter. “Various employees in the outfitting warehouse are then responsible for giving out different items of clothing.” Each warehouse employee has a tablet and automatically receives the recommended size for the garments he or she gives out to a particular recruit. The recruit then tries on the clothes, but the experienced employee in the outfitting warehouse still has the last word on the size with which the soldier leaves the building.

Digitalized processes open up new possibilities

The new digital process will also provide further improvements in the future: “We’ll be able to optimize our warehouse stocks, because thanks to the data we’ve collected and digitally recorded, we can see right away which sizes we need and how often we need them. And we get information on how well the garments we use really fit at the same time. If necessary, we can make improvements there and then and we even have the data that a manufacturer needs to optimize the size & fit,” says Dr. Winter.