Top Form International, a global leader in ladies intimate apparel that offers value-added services in product design, development and manufacturing, has opted for GSDCost from Coats Digital.
GSDCost is the recognised international standard for establishing and optimising accurate method-time-cost benchmarks for sustainable garment cost optimisation.
Top Form identified a need to replace existing processes which relied on estimates and historical data for Standard Minute Value (SMV) calculations.
Since SMV forms the foundation of key business processes for a manufacturer such as line balancing, capacity calculations and production planning, it is essential to maintain SMV accuracy and consistency.
As estimates and historical data rely heavily on materials, styles, machinery and people, the data being used by Top Form quickly became inaccurate and obsolete, and costs were derived from guesswork rather than fact-based data, which directly affected Top Form’s efficiency calculation, capacity calculation, line balancing, labour and garment costing and ultimately business profitability.
“It was an easy decision for us to choose GSDCost given that it is the only globally acknowledged time-cost manufacturing standard for the garment industry,” commented APD Prabath, Group Head of Industrial Engineering for Top Form Brassier Mfg. Co. Ltd.
Prabath further mentioned that GSDCost will help them to precisely and accurately establish manufacturing standards, which will be used as a foundation for the correct standard method and time, as well as supporting realistic and sustainable production targets for Top Form’s operators.
By implementing GSDCost, Top Form will be able to ensure garments are designed and developed at the right price point, thereby optimising margin and increasing profitability, while ensuring fair labour costs are accurately reflected, thus benefiting both the business and its workers.
GSDCost’s scientific manufacturing method analysis process, through the application of motion codes with Predetermined Time Standards (PTS), will help Top Form to accurately and consistently establish ‘Standard Time’ throughout its factories.
“GSDCost is an effective tool to engineer the garment cost as all the manufacturing data is based on stringent, fact-based data points,” Prabath further shared, adding, “It will help us to avoid over/under costing our garments and enable us to make informed business decisions to drive a sustainable and more profitable business.”
“We are proud to be working with Top Form International and supporting the business in ensuring that it remains flexible, resilient and strong while being innovative and forward looking,” averred Stephen Dodgson, Sales Director of Coats Digital for South East Asia.
“The adoption of best practice and digitisation of key processes will play a key part in this journey, and GSDCost will support the business in establishing and optimising sustainable manufacturing methods and times, supporting accurate garment costing and improving productivity,” concluded Stephen.
According to Coats Digital, Phase-1 of the GSDCost training was conducted onsite at Top Form’s Product Development and R&D Centre where the team was guided through the various levels and applications of the GSDCost Predetermined Time Standard (PTS) system.
The programme included a detailed analysis of the system and practical visualisation exercises, carefully structured to aid the team in the interpretation of the GSDCost codes.
This was followed by the GSDCost software training where the participants were guided through the software user interface and features, combining the GSD methodology with the speed and depth of the GSDCost solution.
The newly licensed GSD practitioners were then taken to the production floor where, under guidance, they applied their newly acquired skills in a working environment using a core style. Top Form was quickly able to adopt the new software given the logical and user-friendly interface, as reported by Coast Digital.
It’s worth noting here that, founded in 1963, Top Form International does have a workforce of 8,000 across factories in China, Thailand and Cambodia.
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