Manufacturers lose money if they tie up working capital in raw materials, and a new software module provides a scientific and consistent mathematic solution for accurate measurement of thread demand. Amann & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG, Bönnigheim, Germany, a thread manufacturer, has joined forces with GSD Ltd., Preston, England, a costing and productivity consultant, to create the ITC software, which can be used as a stand-alone application or incorporated into other GSD software. The software uses thread demand per style, stitch classifications, stitch density, width of bite, material thickness, seam length and end-of-seam waste to calculate total thread demand per operation and total thread cost per style and order.