Apparel Production Overview

Responsibilities of Cut Order Planning Examining incoming orders and piece goods width and availability  Determining volume, size ratios, and sectioning procedures for marker making 

Apparel Production

Overview

Khushboo Priyambada

Introduction

 Garment manufacturing is an assembly- oriented activity with a great range of raw materials, product types, production volumes, supply chains, retail markets and associated technologies

 Companies range from small family business to multinationals

 The clothing industry is labour intensive industry

Introduction to Garment Manufacturing

Sampling department

Fabric store department

Fabric store departmentTrims and

Spreading

& Cutting department

Sewing department

Sewing department

Quality Assurance department

Finishing

&

Packaging department

Finishing

&

Packaging departmentMaintena

Finance and Accounts Department

HR/Admin Department

HR/Admin Department

Departments in garment manufacturing unit

Process flow in garment manufacturing unit

Raw material procurement

Raw material inspection

Raw material inspection

on sample

Pre producti

on sample

Production

Production

Merchandising department

Process flow in merchandising department

Raw material procurem ent

Raw material inspection

Raw material

Getting approval

on proto sample

Getting approval

on proto sample

Getting the fit sample approved

BOM

Approval sample developm ent

Approval sample developm ent Order

approved for productio n

Order approved for productio n

Getting approvals

on size set samples

Getting approvals

on size set samples

Raw material procurem ent

Raw material procurem ent

n sample

Approval

on pre productio

n sample

Order file transferre

d to the productio

n departme nt

Order file transferre

d to the productio

n departme nt

Follow up with the productio

n departme

nt

Follow up with the productio

n departme

nt

Send shipment samples

to the buyer

Send shipment samples

to the buyer

Follow up with the productio

n departme

nt till delivery

Follow up with the productio

n departme

nt till delivery

Sampling department

 Getting clarifications about style details from merchandiser.

 Checking pattern’s workability

 Preparation of different samples and getting the buyer’s approval

 Informing quality related problems, encountered during preparing samples, to QC

 Minimizing operations and consumption

Responsibilities of sampling department

Types of sample prepared

Design development

Proto sample

Fit sample

Photo shoot sample

Sales man / Marketing /Showroom sample

Source: http:// www.textiletoday.com.bd/magazine/609

Size set sample

GPT sample (Garment Performance Test)

Pre- production sample

Fabric store department

Functions of the fabric store department

 Receive the fabric as per BOM

 Fabric inspection (four point system)

 Conduct fabric test (e.g Shrinkage, colour fastness etc.)

 Issue to the production department as per the requirement

 10% random inspection for sampling or lining or net

fabric

 Inspection for production order fabric as per buyer’s

requirement

 Perform GSM cutting

 Perform shrinkage test

 Check the fabric for the bowing or skewing

 Check fabric roll for the defects

 Allocate points to the defects

Fabric audit procedure

W idth

Sh ade (

centr

e to selved

ge)

W eavin

g defects

Sh rinka

ge (steam

& fusing)

Trims and accessories Store department

Functions of the trims and accessories department

 To receive incoming material

 To check material for attribute & variables

 To arrange the incoming material in allocated racks

 To issue trims as per BOM for sampling and production & other material

as per requirement

 To maintain a record of incoming & outgoing material

Spreading and

cutting department

Spreading and cutting flow process

Planning Spreading Cutting Preparation Preparation for sewingfor sewing

Bundles

Spreading and cutting flow process

P l a n n i n g

Spreads

Markers

Production

It translates customer orders into cutting orders

 minimize total production costs

 meet deadlines

 seek most effective use of labor, equipment, fabric and space

Cut order planning

Responsibilities of Cut Order Planning

 Examining incoming orders and piece goods width and availability

 Determining volume, size ratios, and sectioning procedures for marker making

 Determining whether file markers are available or new ones are needed

 Developing specifications for optimum marker making and fabric utilization

 Determine most effective use of spreading and cutting equipment and personnel

 Issuing orders for marker making, spreading and cutting

Cutting orders leads to

 The results of cut order planning are cutting orders that direct marker planning and cut

planning

 The purpose of marker planning is to determine the most efficient combination of sizes and

shades for each order and to produce the best fabric yield and equipment utilization

 One cutting order may require several markers to achieve optimum efficiency

 A lay is a stack of fabric plies that have been prepared for cutting.

 Lay planning is the basis of managing cutting room labor and table space.

 Spreading and cutting schedules are affected by:

 is a diagram of a precise arrangement of pattern pieces for a specific style and the sizes

to be cut from a single spread

Marker making

 is the process of determining the most efficient layout of pattern pieces for a specified style, fabric, and distribution of sizes (requires time, skill and concentration)

 Marker making is a critical step in the manufacturing process

 By retaining strict control over this critical step, they keep the fabric consumption as low

as possible

 It also ensures that the issues that affect quality will be given proper attention These include placing patterns on grain, keeping patterns paired, and attending to details such

as drill holes and notches

 Depending on the relative efficiency of each marker produced, the company may save or waste thousands of dollars a year

Marker making

Source: Kahn, Cohen and Soto, “Pre-Assembly Processes – The Cutting Room Marking, Spreading, Cutting and

Bundling”, The Fashion Manufacturing Process A Product Development Approach, May 2005

Markers types:

 Blocks or Sections

 Blocked or sectioned markers contain all of the

pattern pieces for one style in one or two sizes

 Continuous

 Continuous markers contain all the pattern

pieces for all sizes included in a single cutting

Marker making

Block or section marker

Continuous marker

Marker making

making (CAD)

Manual marker

 Created on marker paper or directly on fabric ply

 Tracing by pencil or tailor’s chalk

 Time consuming

 Subject to errors (pattern overlap, grain line, poor line definition, omission of pcs.)

 Accuracy depends on individual’s skill

Marker making

 Accurate

 Shortest response time

 Direct or digitized

 Manipulate images to determine best utilization No overlapping/no omissions

 Parameters (style #,size, etc.) for markers are entered into the computer

 Can be printed/recalled/modified

 Criteria can be set by technician Can be used to determine fabric requirement

Computerised marker

Marker making

Marker mode : Nap/ One/ Way

 The Nap/ One/ Way marker (abbreviated N/O/W) is

made with every pattern placed with the “down”

direction of the pattern in the same direction

 This mode is necessary for fabrics that are

asymmetric

 All patterns are placed on-grain, and in the “down”

direction, which is usually toward the left edge

(starting point where the legend is written)

 The Nap/One/ Way marker is the highest quality but

least efficient of the three nap directions for a marker

Marker making

Source: Kahn, Cohen and Soto, “Pre-Assembly Processes – The Cutting Room Marking, Spreading, Cutting and

Bundling”, The Fashion Manufacturing Process A Product Development Approach, May 2005

Marker mode : Nap/ Either/ Way

 The Nap/ Either/ Way marker (abbreviated N/E/W) is

made where there is no restriction of which way the

pattern are oriented

 The patterns may be oriented either “down” or “up”,

placed wherever they fit best, only making sure that

the patterns are on-grain

 The Nap/ Either/ Way marker is usually the most

efficient mode yielding the highest fabric utilization

Marker making

Source: Kahn, Cohen and Soto, “Pre-Assembly Processes – The Cutting Room Marking, Spreading, Cutting and

Bundling”, The Fashion Manufacturing Process A Product Development Approach, May 2005

Marker mode : Nap/ Up/& Down

 The Nap/ Up/& Down marker (abbreviated N/U/D)

is more efficient than the Nap/ One/ Way marker,

but not as efficient as the Nap/ Either/ Way

marker

 In order to get a better fit between the patterns,

alternating sizes of patterns are oriented in

opposite directions

 This method is yields moderately good fabric

utilization, and good quality

Marker making

Source: Kahn, Cohen and Soto, “Pre-Assembly Processes – The Cutting Room Marking, Spreading, Cutting and

Bundling”, The Fashion Manufacturing Process A Product Development Approach, May 2005

Area of patterns in the marker plan X 100%

Total area of the marker plan

 It is determined for fabric utilization

 Minimum waste

Marker Efficiency

Marker making

Factors affecting marker efficiency

 Fabric characteristics (fabric width, length of design repeat etc.)

 Shape of Pattern pieces (large pieces – less flexibility)

 Grain requirements

 Spreading is the processes of superimposing lengths of fabric on a spreading table cutting table or specially designed surface in preparation for the cutting process

 Spread or lay is the total amount of fabric prepared for a single marker

Spreading

Requirement of spreading

 Shade sorting of cloth pieces

 Correct ply direction and adequate lay stability

 Alignment of plies

 Correct ply tension

 Elimination of fabric faults

 Avoidance of distortion in the spread

Spreading equipment

 Spreading surfaces ( table, pin table, vacuum table)

 Spreading machines

Spreading equipment

 Spreading surfaces ( table, pin table, vacuum table)

 Spreading machines

Spreading

S p r e a d i n g

Manu

al

Machine

 In manual spreading, fabric is drawn from

its package which, if it is a roll, may be

supported by a frame and carried along the

table where the end is secured by weights

or by clamps

 The operators work back from the end,

aligning the edges and ensuring that there

is no tension and that there are no wrinkles

Manual spreading

 Spreading machines carry the piece of fabric from end to end of the spread, dispensing one ply at a time on the spread

 Spreading machines may include:

 A motor to drive

 A platform on which the operator rides

 A ply cutting device with automatic catcher to hold the ends of ply in place

Machine spreading

S p r e a d i n

g M o d e

S p r e a d i n

g M o d e

Na

p on

e wa

y

& fac

e on

e wa

y spreading

Na

p on

e wa

y

& fac

e on

e wa

y spreading

Na

p eithe

r wa

y

& fac

e t

o fac

e spreading

Na

p eithe

r wa

y

& fac

e t

o fac

e spreading

Na

p one-wa

y fac

e t

o fac

e spreading

Na

p one-wa

y fac

e t

o fac

e spreading

Na

p eithe

r wa

y

& fac

e on

e wa

y spreading

Na

p eithe

r wa

y

& fac

e on

e wa

y spreading

Spreading Mode: Nap one way & face one way spreading

 Most common spreading method that can also be done manually

 Fabric roll is kept on a roller stand and fabric end is being pulled by two spreading operators (thus unwinding fabric from freely rotating roll) walking along both sides of cutting table

 While using machine, the lose end of fabric is being held by catcher and machine carries the rolls along table thus unwinding and spreading the fabric in the process

 Every layer has to start from same end thus spreading machine has to come back to starting position without spreading the fabric This return movement of spreading machine is called

Spreading Mode: Nap either way & face to face spreading

 The quickest spreading method while using spreading machine

 Difficult to achieve manually

 The machine carry the fabric roll while the end is being held in place by catcher, at layer end fabric is not cut just folded and held by another catcher while the fabric

is being laid by the machine during it’s return movement also

Spreading

Face to

Source: Prabir Jana, “Spreading & Cutting of Apparel Products”, 2005

Spreading Mode: Nap one-way face to face spreading

 Most time consuming method of spreading

 The lose end of fabric is being held by catcher and machine carries the rolls along table thus unwinding and spreading the fabric in the process

 At layer end the fabric is being cut, turntable rotate the fabric roll by 180 degree and return back to starting position without

 Now from the starting end the second layer is being laid face to face

Spreading

Face to face

Nap one way

Source: Prabir Jana, “Spreading & Cutting of Apparel Products”, 2005

Spreading Mode: Nap either way & face one way spreading

 The lose end of fabric is being held by catcher and machine carries the rolls along table thus unwinding and spreading the fabric in the process

 At layer end the fabric is being cut, turntable rotate the fabric roll by 180 degree and start spreading the second layer from the opposite end face one way There is no dead heading

by the machine in this spreading mode

Spreading

Nap either way Face one way

Source: Prabir Jana, “Spreading & Cutting of Apparel Products”, 2005

g room

Scissors

Manual cutting

Straight knife

Power system

Cutting blade Blade guard Handle

Up and down movement Sharpening

Base plate

Round knife

One way thrust as the circular blade makes contact with the fabric

Cutting

Portable cutting knives

 Vertical blade

 Reciprocates up and down

 Corners and curves can be cut accurately

 Most versatile and commonly used

 Blades length - 6 to 14 inches

 Spread depth depends on blade length &

adjustable height of the blade guard

 All of the pieces cut from a lay are

identical

Cutting

Portable cutting knives

 Popular, light and fast

 Suitable only for cutting in straight lines

or very gradual curves, in depths of about 15cm

 Larger blade cuts up to 2" of soft or bulky material, or lower lays of harder material such as shirts

 Small blade cuts single layer

 A round blade contacts the spread at

an angle; thus, the top ply is cut before the bottom ply

Straight knife Round knife

Stationary cutters: Band knife

 Contains a narrow, sharpened, endless steel band

 Fabric layers are guided by hand against the blade

 Air cushion is provided below the fabric layers

 Plies are stapled together to prevent slippage

 Used for precision cutting to a depth of up to 300mm

 Corners, tight curves and pointed incisions are cut precisely

 Band knives are more accurate for small blocks or for shaving small amounts off pre-cut blocks