Garment Manufacturing Process

Packaging Final Inspection Finishing Feeding In Assembly Line Bundling According To Size Cutting Layering Spreading Marker Making Inspection Fabric & Trims procurement Fabric Consumption

Garment Manufacturing

Process

By

Sauumye Chauhan

MFM/14/31

Sample Order

Buyer

Basic Men’s Casual

Care & Wash Label Interlining

Brand Label Swing Tag

X

Total Quantity 2000 pieces

Packaging Details Each Garment Individually Packed In

Transparent Plastic Wrap

150 garments in each box

Delivery Details Order to be delivered in 3 lots

Lot 1: Sizes S,M & L in both the colors

Lot 2: Size XL in both the colors

Packaging

Final Inspection

Finishing

Feeding In Assembly Line

Bundling According To Size

Cutting

Layering

Spreading

Marker Making

Inspection

Fabric & Trims procurement

Fabric Consumption

Understanding The Order

Production Process

Understanding the Order and Fabric Consumption

When an analysis of the order is done, we understand that the fabric required is a blend

of Cotton and Polyester in the ratio 60:40 The approximate consumption per shirt would be 1.25m Thus, the fabric consumption is (1.25m *2000) + Extra fabric

consumption of at least 20 shirts for any fabric defects or any errors or mishandling during the production process

Total Fabric Consumption = (1.25*2000) + (1.25*20) = 2500+25= 2525m

Further the trims are ordered which includes buttons, threads and interlining, busk for the collar, wash & care labels, brand label, size label and swing tags

Fabric & Trims Procurement

Purchasing the right fabric can be sometimes a tough challenge faced by apparel

manufacturers Out of the total cost of manufacturing a garment piece, the cost of fabric can contribute between 50 and 65 per cent Furthermore, even a minor oversight

in selecting the right fabric and right manufacturer may spoil the entire apparel

program

The various vendors are listed and the best suited vendor is selected According to the calculations done above, the order for raw materials i.e fabrics and trims is placed

Inspection

Since fabric is the main contributor to the development of the final garment, it is very important to control its quality This is indicated by the number of faults and variations present in it Identification of these faults at the initial stage helps to reduce the production time and prevents wastage Thus, once the fabric is in-housed, it is immediately sent to the inspection area A fully equipped “In-House Laboratory” is usually present Otherwise the inspection is done by third party companies It has a number of instruments that are used to measure the quality of the fabric and make sure

it is fit for manufacturing garments This helps to eliminate the possibility of post shipment rejection The sampling and merchandising teams cut out about 25cms of each fabric, which is then given in the lab to check for GSM, thread count and construction Some of the defects found in woven fabrics are slubs, holes, missing yarn, conspicuous yarn variation, soiled yarn, incorrect yarn Common defects found in

knitted fabrics are mixed yarn, runner, yarn variation, needle line, slubs, hole Major dyeing or printing defects are dye spots, machine stop, color out, color smear or shading

Marker Making

Marker is a long thin paper which contains all necessary pattern pieces for different sizes for a particular style of garments It is planned in such a way that fabric wastage would be least By making a marker it is possible to achieve more benefit by producing a garment with reduced wastage Normally the width of a marker is kept according to the width of the fabric and the length of a marker normally depends on the number and sizes of pattern placed on a marker The length also depends

on-• Number of garments to be produced from a spread lay

• Length of cutting table

• Production planning etc

For marker making, white paper or newsprint paper is used At first all large patterns are placed on the marker After that small sized patterns are placed in between the gaps of large patterns In this way higher marker efficiency can be achieved To produce a marker with better efficiency, a very efficient marker maker is required

Spreading & Cutting

Once the fabric has been received and tested, it is sent for cutting The fabric is laid out

in layers; usually 200 layers are spread out (up to 8 cms) A sheet container a marker is placed on it and pinned and notches are added Next, the fabric is cut according to the pattern using a Straight knife A Band knife is used for small components that are difficult to cut and require precision Once cut, the Fabric layers are numbered using stickers and packed in bundles to be sent for stitching

The appropriate type of spreading surface is determined by the fabric type, spreading equipment, cutting method, cutting equipment, and the firm’s quality standards Spreading requires a flat, smooth surface If the spreading surface doubles as a cutting surface, it also must be level Spreading and cutting may be done on the same surface, but automated cutting often requires spreading and cutting to be done in adjacent but separate locations

Spreading and cutting surfaces are available in standard widths that correspond to fabric width Narrow fabric can be spread on a wider table A spreading surface needs

to be about 10 inches wider than the fabric Spreading tables may have tracks or rails

placed along one or both sides of a tabletop or just a few inches off the floor This track helps guide and control the spreader as it moves up and down the length of the table With some types of equipment, the table tracks are geared to synchronize the movement of the spreading machine with fabric unrolling, in order to regulate tension

Bundling

Bundles system of apparel production consists of garment parts needed to complete a specific operation or garment component For example, an operation bundle for a shirt setting might include shirt fronts and pockets that are to be attached with garments Bundle sizes may range from two to a hundred parts Bundles of garments are

assembled in the cutting room where cut parts are matched up with corresponding parts and bundle tickets

Production

Bundles of cut parts are transported to the sewing room and given to the garments operator scheduled to complete the garments production operation One garment operator is expected to perform the same operation on all the pieces in the bundle, retie the bundle, process coupon, and set it aside until it is picked up and moved to the next operation of garments production A progressive bundle system of garments production may require a high volume of work in process cause of the number of units

in the bundles and the large buffer of backup that is needed to ensure a continuous work flow for all operators in garments

Finishing

A finishing department has following sub-processes

o Washing of garment (Some factories may have separate washing department)

o Buttoning and button holing

o Thread trimming

o Checking of washed / unwashed garments

o Stain removing

o Ironing or Pressing

o Mending / repair work

o Tagging

o Folding

Final Inspection

Open seams, wrong stitching techniques, non- matching threads, and missing stitches, improper creasing of the garment, erroneous thread tension and raw edges are some of the sewing defects which can affect the garment quality adversely During processing the quality control section needs to check each prepared article against these defects For the textile and apparel industry, product quality is calculated in terms of quality and standard of fibers, yarns, fabric construction, color fastness, designs and the final

finished garments Quality control in terms of garment manufacturing, pre-sales and posts sales service, delivery, pricing, etc are essential for any garment manufacturer, trader or exporter Certain quality related problems, often seen in garment

manufacturing like sewing, color, sizing, or garment defects should never be over

looked

Packaging & Dispatch

After final inspection, the garments are poly-packed, dozen-wise, color wise, size ratio wise, bundled and packed in the carton The carton is marked with important

information in printed form which is seen from outside the carton easily The cartons of the manufactured garments are delivered or placed in the dispatch department or finished product warehouse, from where the garments lot is delivered for shipment