Modapts stands for MODular Arrangement of Predetermined Time Standards. In 1966, Modapts was introduced and received immediate acceptance, although its use is quite less in the garment industry. It differs from other Predetermined Motion Time Systems (PMTS) as it focuses on the movement of the body part rather than the distance covered by the body part, this is one big reason which contributes to the Modapts speed of use. It records all the body limb motion with the eye and mental activity required by a person to complete a task too.
Using MTM or MTM base PMTS systems, one measures the distance of the reach element to apply the appropriate TMU (Time Measurement Units) as a measurement of time to calculate how many TMUs. In Modapts® the time unit is called a MOD and the measure of distance is built into the move element.
Modapts applies a coding technique that consists of a ‘letter’ and an integer ‘number’ (all but 1 code), where the integer number represent MODS that can be easily added to determine a coded task’s time and the ‘letter’ codes define the time for the part of the body involved to carry out the necessary action at a comfortable pace, which could be maintained as a part of the work cycle for a full working day.
Time Measurement Unit
While a TMU is equal to 0.0006 minutes, one MOD = 0.00215 minutes. If you hold your finger in front of you and bend it, then it constitutes 1 MOD and 1” of movement. With MTM, there are 417 elements but Modapts has only 21 elements.
Using Modapts, distance is built into the Move element. M1 = finger move (1” distance), M2 = hand move based at the wrist (2” distance), M3 = forearm move based at the elbow (6” distance), M4 = full arm move in front of the body (12” distance), M5 = full arm move to the side of the body (18” distance), M7 = full arm move with a bend at the waist (30” distance). M1 = 1 MOD, M2 = 2 MODs… So I can tell you that a hand motion is .00430 minutes. It’s that simple and just as accurate as MTM.
There are also other motions like Get, Put, Bend, Arise, Walk, etc. So for example, to grab one ply of fabric from a stack on the sewing table and position to the sewing machine foot would be coded in Modapts as M3G3, M3P2 (3+3+3+2 = 11 MODs x .00215 = .02365 minutes). Of course this depends on the workstation layout, but hopefully it gives you an example of how easy Modapts is.
Modapts is copyrighted and books are available (www.modapts.org). Proper training from a licensed Modapts instructor is essential. In the strictest sense, the International Modapts Association requires the user to be properly trained and payment of a small annual fee has to be made by a licensed user of Modapts and/or Modapts based systems.
What is Modsew®?
Modsew is a computer program that groups Modapts elements for sewing. In the 1980’s an American engineer by the name of Walter Erwin was using Modapts to establish standards in the sewn products industry in America. One day he noticed that the data had many repetitive patterns. For example, pick up part and position on table was very often M3G3 M3P2 (move to get part, move to put part). As a result, he created a manual (paper) “standard data” system. Within a couple of years, he was interacting with a software company to create a program that used his standard data in a computer efficient environment. They called the program Modsew. Just as MTM is the underlying basis for GSD, so it is that Modapts is underlying basis for Modsew.
Modsew and the other Modapts based systems have groups of standard data, within the sewn products industry, that include Get Parts, Position/Reposition Part, Fold/Unfold Part, Sewing Machine Times, Cut Part, Dispose Part, Bundling Times, and other Miscellaneous Data. Some systems also cover warehousing activities, janitorial activities, clerical activities, etc. Modsew and similar systems use Modapts coding as their underlying coding.
Modapts is a registered trademark of the International Modapts Association, Inc The International Modapts Association Inc. (IMA) is an not-for-profit organization that trains and certifies Modapts practitioners and instructors. It also supports application of, and research on the Modapts system.
Modsew is a registered trademark of Byte Software, LLC. Byte’s apparel software modules have grown from piecework payroll, using barcode data collection, and shop floor control modules to include standard data engineering (Modsew) and a wide range of business solutions.
