April, 2015

Each new feature in a machine enhances performance, and for industry it is not always easy to search out what serves them the best. Recognizing this, StitchWorld reviews the machines showcased at the recently concluded GTE, in a brand new format under five broad categories ‘Threads’ on the basis of the defining features of the machines, going through technology brand-wise. The five ‘Threads’ are – Productivity Improvement, Innovation, Value Addition, The Compliance Influence and Automation in Jeans Manufacturing. New brands and updated features of old versions are highlighted separately for easy reference. Another interesting read in this issue is the article on RC Apparels, a bottomwear manufacturing subsidiary of the NCR-based Jain Group of Industries. With skinny fits and good fits in general being the norm of the day, be it men’s wear or women’s wear, use of stretch fabrics in bottomwear becomes imperative. Akhil Jain, MD, RCJC – the washing subsidiary of the conglomerate, and Manvendra Kumar, GM – Operations, RC Apparels capture the essence of operations and techniques that facilitate manufacturing of 1.5 lakh trousers with healthy KPIs of zero rejection levels on sewing floor, cut to ship ratio of 0.98 and an alteration rate of 2 per cent on finishing floor. The ninth article of the Industrial Engineering series on Layout Planning details the various aspects of an effective layout with actual shop floor cases, observing significant and visible improvements.