Myth Buster in Apparel

A lot of us believe in the information or the approach that has been passed down to us throughout the years. The old-school approaches are quite easy to follow and we have become quite adaptive to that over the period of time. But, unfortunately, many a time, it is observed ... A lot of us believe in the information or the approach that has been passed down to us throughout the years. The old-school approaches are quite easy to follow and we have become quite adaptive to that over the period of time. But, unfortunately, many a time, it is observed that though being followed religiously, the approaches are bringing no benefits to the organizations. One reason could be that the wrong approaches were being followed most of the times. Apparel industry also has been upbringing certain ‘myths’ or ‘untruths’ that have been the reason behind ‘no success’ even after enduring efforts. Dr. Prabir Jana, debunks some of the facts that might be hindering the growth of the organization.

Dr. Jana is a Professor in the Department of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. His key areas of expertise include technology for Cutting-Sewing-Finishing, Industrial Engineering, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management. See full

Workplace Engineering

There is surely a bridge between the management goal and the performance of employees working to achieve that goal, be it any industry and the apparel sector is not an exception. Designing a workplace that can bridge this gap to deliver the maximum output is an important are ... There is surely a bridge between the management goal and the performance of employees working to achieve that goal, be it any industry and the apparel sector is not an exception. Designing a workplace that can bridge this gap to deliver the maximum output is an important area of concern. Though, there are many technologies available in the market today that can help the organizations to overcome the challenges and compete with their competitors. One of the major challenges is the cost associated with technologies which makes it difficult to be opted by small manufacturers and secondly, the lack of technical know-how as well as understanding of the technology.

One of the proven solutions is: changing the workplace into an engineered workplace that can help the manufacturers in achieving the desired goals and targets with maximum efficiency and effectiveness. This series will take the garment manufacturers through a number of articles that will help them identify new ways and methodologies that will result in improved productivity and the key of all the articles remains the same: re-engineering the current workplace into a workstation. See full

Factory Layout

The foremost and the most important step of establishing a business is setting up a factory. While designing of a factory layout has been nowadays handed over to professional architects, the apparel manufacturers must have a basic knowledge of what a ‘good’ factory layou ... The foremost and the most important step of establishing a business is setting up a factory. While designing of a factory layout has been nowadays handed over to professional architects, the apparel manufacturers must have a basic knowledge of what a ‘good’ factory layout actually means. A good factory layout offers minimum transportation time and flexibility with no back and forth motion. This series is a one-stop solution for all the factors to be considered, apart from the checklist, and the ways to maximum optimise the factory along with case studies of apparel manufacturing plant layouts in India. See full

Performance Measurement Tools for Business Growth

Performance measurement is a process for collecting and reporting information regarding the performance of an individual, group or organizations. The fundamental purpose behind this measure is to improve performance. Key Performance Indicators, often abbreviated as KPIs, hel ... Performance measurement is a process for collecting and reporting information regarding the performance of an individual, group or organizations. The fundamental purpose behind this measure is to improve performance. Key Performance Indicators, often abbreviated as KPIs, help an organisation define and measure progress towards organisational goals.

These KPIs are quantifiable measurements, agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organisation. By using KPIs, a company can establish baseline figures against a number of important areas. They can be considered like a health check on a company or a diagnosis as to where a company can improve its performance.

Different KPIs are there for different fields of operations such as merchandising, quality, production planning, cutting room, human resources management and inventory management for enhancing both the operational and financial performances of a business. Each of these metrics have been explained in terms of their measurement formula, benchmarks wherever available, and elaborated with examples to ensure that they are correctly interpreted and applied. See full

Sewing it Right: First Time, Every Time

Sewing is an operation that requires professional training to acquire skills. For example, topstitching quarter inch from edge without any work aid may require hours or months of practice and skill acquirement. It is a known fact that needle time is only 10 to 15% of entire ... Sewing is an operation that requires professional training to acquire skills. For example, topstitching quarter inch from edge without any work aid may require hours or months of practice and skill acquirement. It is a known fact that needle time is only 10 to 15% of entire working day of an operator. Taking the maximum productivity of shirts as 20 pieces per day, an operator stitches a maximum of 300 stitches per minute while the machine can run at a maximum sewing speed of 4,500 RPM. It is clearly evident that most of the time is wasted on handling parts. But is it only the handling time which is responsible for achieving so less? Certainly not! The right gauge parts, deskilling devices (folders & attachment) are keys to achieve best results. The need is to understand the challenges for the most common but complex operations, for example, joining of two plies, hemming and binding. This collection of articles is by YP Garg, a sewing machinery expert offering his consultancy services to the industry for last 30 years. See full

Institutional Training of Garment Employees

For every industry, it is necessary to find the right fit who can steer the business to new heights and efficiently. To achieve the manufacturing excellence in the garment industry, it is necessary to start preparing for it from the ‘prebirth’ stage. In this three part a ... For every industry, it is necessary to find the right fit who can steer the business to new heights and efficiently. To achieve the manufacturing excellence in the garment industry, it is necessary to start preparing for it from the ‘prebirth’ stage. In this three part article the Dr. Ram emphasized how the industry and academia integrate their efforts for the common vision to develop and support the garment industry with people having the right combination of theoretical and practical knowledge as well as the soft skills. See full

Return on Investment (ROI) for Technology Usage in Apparel Manufacturing

Getting higher productivity doesn’t mean working more time with the available resources. It is all about how smart we work. On a sewing floor, it refers to how efficient we are at doing a piece of work, i.e. opting the best method with the combination of most recent techno ... Getting higher productivity doesn’t mean working more time with the available resources. It is all about how smart we work. On a sewing floor, it refers to how efficient we are at doing a piece of work, i.e. opting the best method with the combination of most recent technology available. This not only increases the productivity but also saves money, improves quality by reducing defects. Following the above concept, a series of articles review different levels of technology solutions available for an operation, the makes and models of the machinery and equipment available in the market. At the outset, it must be borne in mind that many of the operations are complex, time consuming and require a skilled operator. The process can be greatly simplified by using automatic machines available for the purpose, which, promisingly enough, also give a fair ROI, which is also calculated for each of the operations to gauge the overall advantage an automatic machine holds over a basic manually operated one. See full

Unfurling the Evolution of Technologies

The ‘machines’ as we see them today use certain level of technology which is contemporary to today’s standards. In garment manufacturing, activities have been mechanized over a period of time and mechatronics and electronics are added to enable better productivity, rep ... The ‘machines’ as we see them today use certain level of technology which is contemporary to today’s standards. In garment manufacturing, activities have been mechanized over a period of time and mechatronics and electronics are added to enable better productivity, repeatability of output and consistency of quality. In the last one-and-a-half decade, the integration of computer and information technology made the machines capable of generating, storing and transmitting data automatically with added ease of diagnostics and quick repair. The future will likely see these machines support sustainable practices while becoming energy-efficient and caring for the environment. Dr. Prabir Jana, Professor, NIFT Delhi traces the evolution of technology for different garment manufacturing machinery and equipment and how the gradual improvement of features has supported the users. See full

IE in Apparel Manufacturing

Method Improvement is the key to success for any process if it results in improved resource utilization by minimizing or if possible, eliminating non-value added activities from the process. Method Study is defined by Frank B. Gilbreth, a pioneer of Motion Study, as “The s ... Method Improvement is the key to success for any process if it results in improved resource utilization by minimizing or if possible, eliminating non-value added activities from the process. Method Study is defined by Frank B. Gilbreth, a pioneer of Motion Study, as “The science of eliminating wastefulness resulting from unnecessary, ill-directed and inefficient motions”, conducted to assess and measure the improvement potential, and involves a number of tools and techniques; See full

Ergonomics in Apparel Manufacturing

‘Ergonomics’ in a simple term means ‘the study of the efficiency of persons in their working environment’. Both in Europe and the United States, the use of principles to improve efficiency in the workplace began around the turn of the twentieth century, but it was on ... ‘Ergonomics’ in a simple term means ‘the study of the efficiency of persons in their working environment’. Both in Europe and the United States, the use of principles to improve efficiency in the workplace began around the turn of the twentieth century, but it was only in 1949 when the term ‘ergonomics’ was first adopted. Ergonomics is the science behind posture and risk analysis of workers understanding the reasons of repetitive strain injuries and workplace re-engineering for a healthy and thus a productive organization. See full

Increase Productivity and Quality with Automation of Critical Operations

Both quality and productivity improvement are the driving forces for accelerating the growth of factories. Factories specialize in manufacturing of specialized products such as polo shirts, bottoms and shirts, require specialized machineries with maximum level of mechanizati ... Both quality and productivity improvement are the driving forces for accelerating the growth of factories. Factories specialize in manufacturing of specialized products such as polo shirts, bottoms and shirts, require specialized machineries with maximum level of mechanization/automation whereas companies involved in manufacturing of multi-product categories which include fashion apparels have to deal with small order quantities with frequent style changeover. Hence flexibility and set-up time minimization are important criteria for equipment selection. Dr. Prabir Jana from NIFT, Delhi with the help of StitchWorld technical team. Identified seven critical operations for analysis. See full