An engaged employee is often a happier one and a better performing one. In a working environment like a factory, building a real relationship with employees can save brands both time and money.

Jose R. Suarez, founder and CEO of Vaēso and Impactiva, calls the 60 million factory workers across apparel and footwear “artisans” as a way to underscore the significance of their position. Further, he calls them the most underutilized asset throughout the industry.

“Up to now, we have been a bit dismissive about the value of using their minds to help us improve,” Suarez said in this chat with Sourcing Journal.

Learning to empower these artisans with knowledge, as opposed to just leveraging their skills for manual labor, already pays dividends for retailers that have partnered with digital shop floor execution platform Vaēso and Impactiva, which offers quality assurance and quality control services for factories across lifestyle categories.

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