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9 Ways to Increase Sewing Operator Efficiency.pdf
1. 9 Ways to Increase Sewing
Operator Efficiency
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Prasanta Sarkar Jul 16, 2012
The purpose of increasing operator efficiency is to reduce labour cost per unit. But how
one can improve operator efficiency?
In this post I have shared 9 ways that can help you increasing operator efficiency.
1. Develop operator's sewing skills through training on the job. Train them on good
movements, correct material handling and better method of performing a job.
2. Motivate operators by providing incentive based on their performance (efficiency
level).
3. Assign operators to the tasks on what they are skilled. If they are given
operations on which operator is low skilled, they will work on less efficiency. If you don't
have alternative skilled operator for a job, train your existing operator first (point no. 1)
to develop his/her skill level.
4. Improve work methods where possible by motion study and motion
analysis. Eliminate excess motion from the existing working method.
5. Don't forget to design a good workstation layout based on operation requirement.
Reduce excess reach. A good presentation of work is also important.
2. 6. Supply work continuously to operators. While an operator is assigned a work with
less work content and he/she had idle time, give him/her one more job.
7. Eliminate unnecessary of interruption by supervisors, quality checkers and others
things like defective pieces is supplied to operators.
8. Give operators achievable target. Record operator hourly production and chase
operators if they produce less than their capacity or given target.
9. Don't do much overtime. And you must have one day weekly off.
By applying and adopting above means you can improve your operator's stitching
efficiency from the existing efficiency level on the specific jobs. But to see the
improvement you have to measure operator's existing efficiency and current efficiency
(after implement of above mean/s).
ntroduction:
In garments manufacturing sector, sewing operator plays an important role. Sewing operator
efficiency has a great impact in achieving higher garments production, ultimately which helps to
respect the shipping date. As its importance, today I will present here some important key points
which helps to increase the sewing operator efficiency.
3. Operator in sewing operation
Key Points for Increasing Sewing Operator Efficiency:
The following are the most important key points for increasing sewing operator efficiency.
1. Training sewing operator,
2. Motivation,
3. Selection of expert operator for critical process,
4. Development of working methods,
5. Set-up perfect machine layout,
6. Continuous feeding to the operators,
7. Remove unnecessary interruption during working,
8. Set-up target for the operator,
9. Avoid excessive overtime to the operator.
All the above points have discussed in the below:
4. 1. Training sewing operator:
Operator is the main in garments manufacturing factory. It’s seen that, less expert sewing operator
takes more time but provides lower outputs in garments manufacturing. So, to increase sewing
operator efficiency, training to sewing operator is must.
2. Motivation:
Operator motivation plays an important role on increasing operator efficiency. So, to increase
operator efficiency, factory authority should motivate the operator by arranging different cultural
programmes, bonus for achieving targeted effort.
3. Selection of expert operator for critical process:
It’s an important key point to increase operator efficiency. If expert operator is selected for most
critical processes then rest of the process of that style will be easy and ultimately operator efficiency
will be increased.
4. Development of working methods:
Working method should be developed by using work study and motion study for increasing operator
efficiency. Sometimes it’s seen that, for a garments style, several unnecessary motions have kept in
line which ultimately decreases the operator efficiency. So, in that case, unnecessary motions
should be removed for increasing operator efficiency.
5. Set-up perfect machine layout:
A perfect machine layout for a particular style garments helps to complete 50% of total work for that
style. So, perfect machine layout is must to increase operator efficiency. Perfect machine layout
helps to minimize the material handling time as much as possible.
6. Continuous feeding to the operators:
It’s a very important one to increase operator efficiency. When a sewing operator has assigned with
less work content then he has so much idle times. In this situation, you have to pass more works to
him for increasing operator efficiency.
7. Remove unnecessary interruption during working:
It’s one of the important issues for decreasing operator efficiency. Sometimes it’s seen that, sewing
operator is interrupted by supervisors and quality controllers, also submitted defective pieces to
rectify, which consumes time and decrease operator efficiency. So, unnecessary interruption should
be removed during working for increasing operator efficiency.
5. 8. Set-up target for the operator:
Target set-up for the sewing operator is one of the useful factors for increasing sewing operator
efficiency. In this case, first have to set an achievable target according to the sewing operator’s skill
level, so that they can touch the given target. This system is very helpful for increasing operator
efficiency.
9. Avoid excessive overtime to the operator:
Excessive overtime to the operator can easily decrease the operator efficiency. So, if you want to
achieve better output from the sewing operator, then you must avoid excessive overtime to the
sewing operator and confirm one day off for weekly.
Paper Information
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International Journal of Textile Science
p-ISSN: 2325-0119 e-ISSN: 2325-0100
2015; 4(1): 1-8
doi:10.5923/j.textile.20150401.01
Improving Sewing Section Efficiency through Utilization of
Worker Capacity by Time Study Technique
Abstract
Reference
Full-Text PDF
Full-text HTML
Farhatun Nabi 1
, Rezwan Mahmud 1
, Md. Mazedul Islam 2
1
Department of Textile Engineering, Bangladesh University of Business & Technology,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
7. 5. Conclusions
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
1. Introduction
Bangladesh has emerged as a key player in readymade garments sector since 1978.The
RMG industries in Bangladesh has experienced an unprecedented growth over the last three
decades and become fast growing industries in Bangladesh. The sector rapidly attained high
importance in terms of employment, foreign exchange earnings & its contribution to GDP
[2]. Many reputed buyers come to this country for lesser labor cost with high quality of
product; but the training, capability, efficiency & productivity of labor in sewing section
remain ignored throughout the whole time. Assembling apparel is a laborious process where
in a simple tee-shirt producing sewing line consists of 25-50 workers with 18-40 sewing
machines. So capacity variation occurs here very frequently as working capacity differs from
men to men. When worker changes capacity of work also changes accordingly. For this type
of variation balancing the maximum and minimum capacity is a challenging step for floor
managers. Again garment industries in developing countries like Bangladesh are more
focused on sourcing the raw materials & changing the cost of manufacturing charge because
of the availability of cheap labor. Most of the apparel industries follow progressive bundle
production system. This production system has many problems and bottleneck is one of
them. Time study is a work measurement technique for recording the times of performing a
certain specific job or its elements carried out under specified conditions, and for analyzing
the data so as to obtain the time necessary for an operator to carry out at a defined rate of
performance. Time study is most popular that is used for balancing the sewing line as well
as solving the bottlenecks. An assembly line is defined as a set of distinct tasks which is
assigned to a set of workstations linked together by a transport mechanism under detailed
assembling sequences specifying how the assembling process flows from one station to
another [13]. In assembly line balancing, allocation of jobs to machines is based on the
objective of minimizing the workflow among the operators, reducing the throughput time as
well as the work in progress and thus increasing the productivity [10]. However, in
answering and to provide solution to many of such research problem, the study sought to
accomplish several research objectives. Such as: examining the present level or situation of
applying sewing section in apparel manufacturing organization in Bangladesh. Identifying
and propose potential avenues for improving the present level of sewing section of apparel
manufacturing. Also, minimizing SMV & wastages in the processes and helping the
companies to achieve a shorter lead time, lower cost, highest quality, better performance
rating, better works balance, increased production efficiency and to achieve more
competitive advantages. This study is carried out in a reputed knit composite garment
industry situated at Gazipur in Bangladesh. In this study a simple tee-shirt is analyzed and
sewing line is visited several times for realizing the actual scenario.
2. Literature Review
Productivity is measured by achievement toward established goals based on relationships
between inputs and outputs [6]. Generally in sewing section line balancing means
allotment of operations or jobs based on the objective of minimizing the throughput time
8. as well as the work in process and thus increasing productivity. In sewing room, the
breakdown of the total work content of a garment into operations has traditionally
included long, medium and short operations, the actual length being influenced by the
amount of work content in the garment, predicted quantity of output of an individual
style, and the number employed in the company manufacturing it, with the consequent
potential for specialization among its operators and managers. In this case an operation
was the amount of the work content of a garment that was undertaken by one operator
[7]. An operation is one of the steps in a process that must be completed to convert
materials into a finished garment. An operation breakdown is a sequential list of all the
operations involved in cutting, sewing and finishing a garment, component or style [6].
Line lay out: A line lay out operates on the principle that each unit is produced exactly
the same and those operations are performed in a specified sequence. Work often flows
from the back of the layout to the front and from workstation to work station until the
garment is completed. Line layout is most efficient with long runs (high volume of
identical products) when the sequence of operations and equipment does not have to be
changed frequently [8]. Depending on the volume required, a plant may have several
lines making the same style or several lines each making different styles. Line layout
does not necessarily mean each m/c is different. Several operators and helpers may
perform the same operation. The objective is steady work flow through succeeding
operations. If a style requires only one operator to hem the pockets and three operators
to set pockets in order to keep work in process moving smoothly, then engineers will
build that into the layout. Advantages of line layout may be less work in process than a
skill center configuration and less handling between operations. This means faster
throughput time and less buildup of parts between operations with high quality.
Disadvantages of a line layout include potential bottlenecks (work buildup) and work load
imbalance. Each operation depends on the previous one, and downtime, absenteeism,
and slow operators may interrupt the workflow. To counteract these problems, some
operators may need to cross-trained to perform more than one operation, and substitute
machines must be readily available for immediate replacement if equipment breaks down.
New trainees may be expected to meet production standards before being placed in a line
position. Failure to meet production schedules for whatever reason may create a need to
reroute work, shift personnel, or schedule to avoid further days [5, 6]. The managerial
requirements of operation design in the PBU relate to the need for operators to be highly
trained on the specific tasks that form the sequence of operations in the assembly of a
particular garment style, and for the flow of work through these operators to be tightly
controlled and well balanced [7].
Progressive bundle system: The Progressive bundle system gets its name from the
bundles of garment parts that are moved sequentially from operation to operation. This
system often referred to as the traditional production system, has widely used by apparel
manufacturers for several decades and still is used today. The technical advisory
committee of AAMA (1993) reports that 80% of apparel manufacturers use bundle
system. The committee also predicts that use of bundle systems would decrease as firms
seeks more flexibility in their production systems. A progressive bundle system may
require a high volume of work in process because of the number of units in the bundles
9. and the large buffer of backup work that is needed to ensure a continuous workflow for
all operators [6].
The Progressive bundle system is driven by cost efficiency for individual operations.
Operators perform the same operation on a continuing basis, which allows them to
increase their speed and productivity. Operators who are compensated by piece rates
become extremely efficient at one operation and may not be willing to learn a new
operation because it reduces their efficiency and earnings. Individual operators that work
in a progressive bundle system are independent of other operators and the final product
[6].
Time Study: At ANSI in 1982 Institute of Industrial Engineers state time study as, "A
work measurement technique consisting of careful time measurement of the task with a
time measuring instrument, adjusted for any observed variance from normal effort or
pace and to allow adequate time for such items as foreign elements, unavoidable or
machine delays, rest to overcome fatigue, and personal needs.” Time study is most
popular and used method for line balancing and solving bottlenecks. One problem of time
study is the Hawthorne Effect where it is found that employees change their behavior
when they know that their being measured [14].
Cycle time: Total time taken to do all works to complete one operation, i.e. time from
pick up part of first piece to next pick up of the next piece [11, 12].
SAM (Standard allowed minute): The amount of time required to complete a specific
job or operation under existing condition, using the specified & standard method at a
standard pace when there is plenty of repetitive work [9].
Standard time = (Average observed time X Rating %) + Allowance%.
Allowance: Different types of allowances are allowed in apparel production floor. Such
as personal time allowance, Delay allowances, Fatigue allowances etc.
Balance: Balance is an important factor. In traditional performance measurement
approach, the most important goals of evaluation is performance measurement while
modern approach has focused on evaluated growth and development capacity [2]. Peter
Drucker in 1954 argued that one potential solution was to introduce ‘’balanced’’ sets of
measures [3, 10]. Market standings, innovation, productivity, physical and financial
resources, profitability, manager performance and development, worker performance and
attitude, and public responsibility are appropriate performance criteria [1]. Modern
evaluation system results in satisfaction improvement, efficiency improvement, and
finally improvement in effectiveness of organizational activities [3].
Bottleneck: A constraint for smooth flow of operation, limits the flow of production rate,
productivity, efficiency is usually termed as bottleneck.
10. 3. Methodology and Experimental Materials
Work measurement applies different types of techniques to determine the required time
to complete one operation and the total work that can be performed by one operator in a
specific time. It provides a fair way of estimating the time to do a skillful operator with
plentiful work supply & proper equipment. Different work measurement techniques used
by sewing floor managers are stopwatch study or time study, historical time study,
predetermined data, standard data, judgment, operator reporting & work sampling.
Among them stopwatch study or time study is the most popular. For conducting time
study visit at sewing floor had done for several times to muddle through the actual
situation of sewing floor. The technique of random sampling used for analysis of the time
spent for rendering each phase of various professional work or service performed by
worker of service man is known as time measuring or needed time to perform a work
[14]. For conducting time study here traditional stop watch method was used. Here 10
cycle time for each operation was recorded and at the same time the name of the
operator or helper, performance rating, attachment used and machine type was recorded
in a time study template sheet. Before starting the time study, the breakdown of the
progress of operation was done. After recording 10 cycle time; average cycle time was
calculated from which normal time or cycle time was found.
Average observed time = sum of the time recorded to perform each element/ Number of
cycles observed [4].
Then from cycle time standard minute value (SMV), production per hour, capacity was
calculated. With the help of time study excel spread sheet line capacity graph was
created. From the line capacity graph, the bottlenecks & capacity variations between the
workers were visible clearly. After finding the bottlenecks in layout and imbalance of
worker capacity from the worker capacity graph and time study graph, a change in layout
and operation breakdown was done for effective flow of product. This changed breakdown
shows better performance in case of work in progress and good through put time was
achieved by solving the bottleneck points. For balancing the sewing line, here assistant
was added or arrange training facility for the bottleneck creating worker or if the work
load was too much; then load was divided within the higher capacity processing workers
for maximum utilization of labor capacity & increase their productivity. By this way a
more balanced & efficient line was found with higher productivity. Following table shows
the condition of the specific sewing line before any modification was done.
Identification of Bottleneck: From the above line capacity graph it is understandable that
workers having lower capacity level are doing their jobs at operation number 12, 25, 33, 35
& 36 with more time that cross upper control limit(UCL) and it is approximately 34.5
second. They require more processing time for which cannot pass required amount of
product to the next operator or next operation. These positions are creating bottlenecks. On
the other side operators at operation number 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 14, 18, 19, 24, 31 & 34 were
doing the jobs more promptly than the requirement. So their capacity was unutilized
because of imbalance. Here the bottleneck creating operators were provided training and
also motivation was done for better performance. A change in the operation breakdown was
11. also done. Finally where work load is excess that was distributed among the higher capacity
possessing workers considering the layout. Thus the bottlenecks were solved and maximum
capacity was utilized and most importantly productivity was improved. The following table
shows the improved operation breakdown and line capacity graph with proper balance.
4. Results and Discussions
4.1. Calculations
Here by analyzing worker psychology and sewing line condition existing workers was
motivated and trained to work more consciously and efficiently. In this case before
balancing the line operation no 5, 15 and 19 was eliminated by distributing their work
load within the worker who possesses higher capacity.
Calculation of Sewing Line Efficiency:
Line efficiency = (Total production×SMV×100) / (No of operator ×Working hour ×60)
Before balancing line efficiency:
= (136×11.96×100)/ (50×1×60) =54.22 %
After balancing the line efficiency = (145×11.62×100)/ (47×1×60) =59.74%
Calculation of Sewing Productivity:
Productivity = (output amount/input amount) ×100%
Before balancing productivity = (136/300) ×100%
= 45.33%
After balancing productivity = (145/250) ×100%
= 58%
Calculation of Operation Capacity:
Capacity/hr = (60/Capacity total avg. time) x total manpower.
Before = (60/10.17) ×50 = 294.98
After = (60/10.11) ×4 = 278.93
Capacity achievable = capacity/hr x balance%
Before = 294.98×0.45 = 132.74
After = 278.93×0.85 = 237.09
12. Figure 1. Line capacity graph before balancing
Figure 2. Line capacity graph before balancing
Table 1. Time study chart before worker capacity balancing
Table 2. Time study after worker capacity balancing
Calculation of Sewing Line Performance:
Performance = (capacity total time /SMV) x 100
Before = (10.17/11.96) × 100 =85 %
After = (10.11/11.62) × 100 = 87.5%
From the above discussion it is noticeable that by applying time study and balancing
techniques here 5 bottlenecks were solved as well as sewing line efficiency is increased from
54.22% to 59.74%. Before balancing the line, the SMV required to complete the garment is
11.96 min whereas after balancing it requires 11.62 min. Manpower (both operator and
helper) are reduced, production is increased through utilization of worker capacity that
ultimately leads to increase the efficiency. The following table 3 shows a comprehensible
indication.
4.2. Reduction of SMV, Manpower and Bottleneck Constraints
Table 3. Comparison of SMV, Manpower and bottlenecks before and after balancing the line
13. Parameter Before Balancing After Balancing
SMV 11.96 min 11.62 min
Man power (OP+HP) 50 47
Bottle neck 5 0
4.3. Changes due to Worker Capacity Balancing
Table 4. Comparison of Capacity achievable and production/hr
Parameter Before Balancing the line After Balancing the line
Capacity achievable 132.74 237.09
Production/hr 136 pieces 145 pieces
Figure 3. Bar chart showing the changes due to worker capacity balancing
From the line capacity graph no 1 five bottle neck or constraints were identified which
causes limiting the production flow and decreasing production rate. Operation number 12,
26, 33, 35, and 36 creating bottlenecks in the sewing line. These operations are
consecutively Thread cut & false stitch remove, Sleeve & body match, Sleeve Scissoring,
Thread cut, thread cut requires picking of material, processing the operation, allowances
and putting the material. These were matched with other operation for balancing with
higher capacity level from basic pitch time and thus production per hour increases. Here
capacity achievability was increased 237.09 from 132.74 and production per hour increased
at 145 pieces from 136 pieces. Following table and figure delineate clearly.
4.4. Effects of Line Balancing
Line balancing is important as it balance the line and increases the workers performance,
line efficiency as well as productivity. In this research worker performance was improved
at 87.5% from 85%, balance was improved at 85% from 45% and line efficiency was
improved 5.52%. and most importantly productivity was improved to 58% from
45.33%.The effect of a balanced line is shown in following Table 5 and figure 4.
14. Table 5. Comparison of Performance%, Balance%, Line efficiency% and Productivity%
Parameter Before Balancing the line After Balancing the line
Performance% 85% 87.5%
Balance% 45% 85%
Line efficiency% 54.22% 59.74%
Productivity% 45.33% 58%
Figure 4. Bar chart showing the comparison of Performance%, Balance%, Line efficiency% and
Productivity%
5. Conclusions
In apparel industries sometimes it is difficult to identify the key areas and practices, which
can be used to improve the current system & situation in the processes. Delivering high
quality garments at low cost in shorter lead times are the major challenges faced by the
apparel manufacturers [9]. Based on the practical experiment conducted, it can be seen
that SMV and such like others tools can be effectively applied to apparel industries for better
production efficiency. Using this tool, it is possible to map the current status and
subsequently analyze to achieve better target. However, the work provides some ways of
improvement to increase the line efficiency by applying time study and line balancing
techniques. As a consequence, good line balancing with small stocks in the sewing line has
to be drawn up increase the efficiency and quality of production [15, 16]. Line balancing is
very crucial in manufacturing sector especially in apparel manufacturing industries. The line
needs to balance so that the line has the high value of efficiency. Higher value of line
efficiency indicates that the line have the approximately equal cycle time between operators
along the line. Besides that, the workload between operators also distributed equally which
make the higher line efficiency and the target output can be achieved without having
overtime. Therefore, organizations of similar type can use the research outcomes as a
knowledge base to identify their problems and come up with suitable remedies. Findings of
this research can be valuable and helpful to other similar apparel industries of Bangladesh,
those who expect for better production efficiency through effective use of man, machines,
materials and other resources.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thankfully acknowledge the authority and few personnel of the knit composite industry
who generously cooperated and helped to carry out this study successfully.
15. References
[1] A. Neely, (2005), “The Evolution of performance measurement research”, International journal of
operations and production management, 25(12), 1264-1277.
[2] P. Niknazar, (2009) “Application of integrated DEA-BSC model in strategic management”, 6th
international conference of management.
[3] D.P. Norton, (1999), “Use Strategy Maps to Communicate Your Strategy”, Harvard Business
Review, 1(2), November-December.
[4] J. Heizer, and B. Render, (2000), Principles of Operations Management 4th Edition. Pearson
College Div. ISBN-10: 0130271470, 336-420.
[5] M.M. Islam, A. M. Khan and M. M. Islam. (2013), “Textiles Industries in Bangladesh and Challenges
of Growth”, Research Journal of Management Science, 2(6), 1-7.
[6] G. E. Kunz, G. E. Ruth (2012). Apparel manufacturing sewn product analysis, 4th
Edition. Pearson
publication. ISBN 978-81-7758-076-1.
[7] C. Harold, L. Barbara (1996). The technology of clothing manufacture. 2nd
Edition. Blackwell
Science. ISBN 0-632-03748-2.
[8] M.R. H. Shumon, K. A. Zaman and A. Rahman. “Productivity Improvement through Line Balancing
in Apparel Industries.” Proceedings of the 2010 International Conference on Industrial Engineering
and Operations Management. Dhaka, Bangladesh, January 9 – 10, 2010.
[9] M. M. Islam, A. M. Khan and M. M. Islam, (2013), “Application of Lean Manufacturing to Higher
Productivity in the Apparel Industry in Bangladesh”, International Journal of Scientific &
Engineering Research, 4(2), 1-10.
[10] S. K. Bahadır, “Assembly line balancing in garment production by simulation.” Retrieved from
https//www.onlineclothing study.com (2014).
[11] S. Bala, “Factors influencing costing of woven fabrics.” The Indian Textile Journal, June, 2003.
[12] D. P. Khanna, (2005) “Work study, time and motion study”, Dhanpat Rai and sons, New Delhi (PP.
21).
[13] D.J. Taylor, “Materials Management In Clothing Production”, BSP Professionals Books Press,
London, 1991.
17. Productivity Improvement Techniques
To get excellent result you may need external recommendation and support but without the external
help you can surely get measurable improvement once you start implementing the above mentioned
techniques.
Production
The processes used to transform material inputs (raw materials, semi finished goods, sub-
assemblies) and immaterial inputs (plans, ideas, information, knowledge)
into goods or services. Basically resources are used in this transformation process is
to create a goods or services which has value and contributes to the utility of individuals or groups.
18. Productivity
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency and effectiveness to which organizational resources
(inputs) are utilized for the creation of products and/or services (outputs). Productivity measurement
is both a measure of input utilization and an assessment as to whether or not input utilization is
growing faster than output.
Productivity Improvement Techniques
1. Conducting Work Study
There is a saying “Even best can be improved”. Prepare a check list for good methods and
movements. At time of motion study observe operator’s movement and compare with you checklist.
If you found wrong movements or unnecessarily extra movement is present in the operation cycle
correct it. By doing this you can reduce operation cycle time and can improve labor productivity up to
100%* in individual operations. Also it will help to reduce operator fatigue.
2. Hourly Operator Performance Check
There must be a system which will responsible to check the operators performance hourly basis so
that, effective corrective measure can be taken to ensure the efficient operation and production. If it
can be ensured that there must have an improvement in the technology.
3. Research& Development for Improving Productivity
A non-value added (NVA) process but having a strong Research and Development (R&D) team in
the factory brings lot of benefits.
4. Following Systems such as 5S and Kaizen
19. 5S
5S is also a known method of reducing waste, increasing productivity and clear visibility of
Nonconformance at workplace.
Kaizen
Kaizen Chinese and Japanese for “continuous improvement” when used in the business sense and
applied to the workplace, kaizen refers to activities that continually improve all functions and involve
all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers.
5. Select suitable line layout
Line layout means placing of machines and center table (trolley with wheel) as per style requirement.
The main purpose of choosing a better layout is to reduce transportation time in the line as much as
possible.
6. Reduce Line Setting Time
Reason – lot of time is lost during setting of the line for a new style. This reduces overall machine
productivity and line efficiency. There may have several production line in a production process. And
it is engineers responsibility to use that type of line structure which not only ensure the less duration
in the setting process but also increase the productivity through reducing the time used to assign
task to each and every parts of production line.
7. Improve Line Balancing
Purpose of balancing a line is to reduce operator’s idle time or maximize operator utilization. In a
balanced line work will flow smoothly and no time will be lost in waiting for work. Always select
operators for the operation matching operator skill history and skill required. Following this method
you will select highly skilled operators for higher work content operations. Once line is set conduct
capacity study at a regular interval then find bottlenecks inside the line. You have to think how you
will reduce the WIP (Work in Progress) at bottleneck operation.
8. Use Work Aids
Work aids are Additional devices that can be added to basic sewing machines such as folders,
guides and pressure foots. If work aids are used effectively operation cycle time can be reduced
many fold than existing cycle time.
9. Continuous Feeding to the Sewing Line
It is not a fault of production department if they did not get cuttings to sew. All plans and efforts
towards productivity will fail. Once operators get the rhythm, they should be given non-stop feeding
until style changeover to keep up the productivity.
20. 10. Feed Fault Free Garment Components to Line
Inspect each and every garment components and accessories before starting production. It will help
to prevent the defective garments.
11. Leadership Training for Line Supervisors
Line supervisor play a vital role in production. Their main job is providing instruction, transferring
information.
12. Skill Training to Sewing Operators
Operators are main resources in the apparel manufacturing. They are most valuable resource to the
company. So, factory must work on developing operator skill where required. “Training is not cost
but an investment” said by many experts. Production from an operator depends on his skill level to
the task. A low skilled operator will consume higher resources (time) and give less output. You will
find quality related issues with low skilled and untrained operators. As the skill level of the operators
is increased through training lines output will improve. Training does mean lot of time and money.
13. Fixing Individual Operator Target
Instead of giving equal target to all operators working in a line, give individual target as per
operator’s skill level and capacity. Set an achievable target for each operator so that they would try
to reach the target. This will help improving operator’s individual efficiency.
14. Eliminate Idle Time
Utilize operator’s time as much as you can. If there is idle time in a production process then this idle
time will delay the overall operation of the process. And delay in operation reduce the production of
the production. So to ensure the effective use of the time you must work for the elimination the idle
time.
15. Using UBT Sewing Machine (Under Bed Trimmer)
Just think how many pieces an operator is producing in a day? Each time an operator trims thread
using a trimmer or scissors consume time minimum 10% of cycle time (approx). Even machine
without auto trimmer consumes more sewing thread.
16. Inline Quality Inspection at Regular Interval
Effective inspection will help to reduce defect generation at source. Less number of defective seam
is made less the time will be lost in repairing it. Inline checking system will alert operators in
concentrating their job. It helps to find quality issues earlier and prevent that.
17. Give Pleasant Working Environment
21. It may sound unlikely, but some research shows outfitting an office with aesthetically pleasing
elements–like plants–can increase productivity by up to 15 percent. Jazz up your office space with
pictures, candles, flowers, or anything else that puts a smile on your face.
18. Operator Motivation
Employee motivation generally depends on various factors like work culture, HR policies, incentives,
bonus on extra effort or achieving target. In case of garments employee motivations there may have
monetary and non monetary benefit, but monetary benefit is more preferable because its visible
benefit.
19. Plan for Operator’s Incentive Scheme
Based on the efficiency of the operator incentives should be allotted to the operator.
Example:
Operator efficiency 70% – 10 INR
Operator efficiency 80% – 20 INR
Operator efficiency 85% – 30 INR
Operator efficiency 90% – 40 INR
Operator efficiency 95% – 50 INR
20. Take Regular Breaks
It sounds counter intuitive, but taking scheduled breaks can actually help improve concentration.
Some research has shown that taking short breaks during long tasks helps you to maintain a
constant level of performance. While working at a task without breaks lead to a steady decline in
performance.
21. Use ERP Software’s
It will help to reduce the communication time, easy monitoring of production details and can able to
easily find out bottle necks and balance that.
Conclusion
The suggestive techniques developed in this article cover a comprehensive series of aspects in
minimizing reworks in the sewing section of apparel industries by ensuring quality Production also
helps to improve the productivity. Productivity help to reduce the cost of product and Quality is
ultimately gives customer satisfaction. Good Quality increases the value of a product or service,
establishes brand name, and builds up good reputation for the garment exporter, which in turn
results into consumer satisfaction, high sales. The study clearly indicates that by eliminating non-
productive activities will improve the productivity of apparel manufacturing industry.
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The Apparel Industry’s
18 Most Critical Metrics
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In this article you’ll learn the most critical metrics that companies in the
Apparel Industry should track.
The article does not include metrics such as Profits and Sales that are critical
to companies in all industries; rather the focus is on metrics more specific to
the Apparel Industry.
By tracking your metrics, you will dramatically improve your business results.
23. Why? Because not only is the old saying “If you can’t measure it, you can’t
improve it” true, but visibility into your metrics allows you to identify WHERE
you can make the easiest and most impactful improvements.
For each metric, we will answer the following questions:
– What is the metric?
– How do you calculate this metric?
– Why is this metric important?
Let’s get started…
1. Standard Allowed Minute (SAM)
What is this metric?
The SAM is used to measure how long it takes to make a garment.
According to website Online Clothing Study, SAM of a product varies
according to the work content or simply according to number of operations,
length of seams, fabric types, stitching accuracy needed, sewing technology
to be used etc.
24. Why is this metric important?
An estimated SAM helps in capacity planning of the factory, calculating
requirement of machineries and even helps to estimate CM (cut and make)
costing of a garment.
2. Operator Efficiency
What is this metric?
This measures the skill and expertise of a particular employee.
To calculate operator efficiency, the standard minutes (SAM) of the garment
will be needed. According to Online Clothing Study, the following formula is
used to calculate operator efficiency.
Efficiency Calculation formula:
25. Efficiency (%) = [Total minute produced by an operator/Total minute attended
by him *100]
Example: An operator was doing an operation of SAM 0.50 minutes. In an 8
hours shift day he produces 400 pieces. So according to the efficiency
calculating formula, that operator’s overall efficiency is as follows:
= (400 x 0.50) / (8 X 60)*100%
= 200/480*100%
= 41.67%
Why is this metric important?
An operator with higher efficiency produces more garments, which lowers
manufacturing cost. In addition, factory capacity is estimated according to the
operator efficiency or line efficiency. Hence, efficiency is one of the most
commonly used performance measuring tools.
26. 3. Production Batch/Line Efficiency
What is this metric?
This measures how efficient the production line is on a daily basis. Daily line
efficiency shows the line performance.
To calculate efficiency of a line for a day, Online Clothing Study lists the
following data needed from the line supervisor or line recorder:
Number of operators – how many operators worked in the line in a day
Working hours (Regular and overtime hours) – how many hours each of
the operators worked or how many hours the line run in a day
Production in pieces – How many pieces are produced or total line output
at the end of the day
Garment SAM – What is exact standard minute of the style (garment)
After this data is gathered, calculate:
Total minutes produced by the line: To get total produced minutes multiply
production pieces by SAM
27. Total minutes attended by the all operators in the line: Multiply number of
operators by daily working hours and convert total hours into total minutes
(multiplying by 60).
Then, calculate line efficiency using following formula:
Line efficiency (in percentage) = Total minutes produced by the line *100
/total minutes attended by all operators
Why is this metric important?
This metric is important in calculating the cost of producing a particular run of
garment(s).
Do you currently know how you’re performing on each of these key
metrics?
28. Click here to schedule a free demo with one of our dashboard builders. They’ll
show you how we can build a dashboard that automatically calculates all your
key metrics in real-time.
4. Labor Productivity
What is this metric?
This measures the number of garments produced by a line of sewing machine
operators in a specific time frame. It is the ratio between output and inputs.
An example given by Online Clothing Study:
Assume that
– Total production in day =1200 pieces
– Total labor (operator + helpers) = 37
– Working time = 600 minutes (10 hours)
So, Labor productivity per 10 hours is =Total pieces produced/ total labor input
= (1200/37) Pieces =32.4 pieces.
Why is this metric important?
This can be used to compare productivity across products, factories, or even
29. industries.
5. Perfect Order Fulfillment
What is this metric?
The percentage of products delivered on-time to customers with complete
documentation and no defects. In its simplest (and most traditional)
incarnation, a perfect order meets the elements of a product shipped in full, on
time, undamaged and with the right documentation (including invoice).
According to Cognizant, definitive statistics are hard to come by, but their
conversations with inventory managers reveal that for most companies, not
even 50% of orders approach perfection via the traditional definition.
30. Why is this metric important?
This metric measures how precisely a company fulfills a customer’s order.
Higher accuracy can result in lower production costs and more repeat orders.
6. Repeated Order
What is this metric?
The percentage of the orders from old customers compared to all orders
received.
Why is this metric important?
Knowing the percentage of repeated orders is important in forecasting the
31. production schedule.
7. Order Fulfillment Cycle Time
What is this metric?
The relative amount of time required to design, develop, produce, and
transport a garment.
Why is this metric important?
Cycle time is the key to competitiveness of a firm as it affects both price and
delivery schedule. It is important to reduce cycle time in order to reduce costs
32. and improve customer satisfaction.
Want to discuss the specific metrics you’re tracking (or want to track)
for your company?
Click here to schedule a free consultation and demo with one of our
dashboard consultants.
8. Upside Supply Chain Flexibility
What is this metric?
The amount of time that a supply chain takes to respond to an unplanned 20%
increase in demand without service or cost penalty.
33. Why is this metric important?
The agility of a supply chain in responding to marketplace changes is
important for gaining or maintaining competitive advantage.
9. Accuracy of Production Queuing
What is this metric?
Production queuing is a subset of cycle time. It is the amount of time elapsed
before work is performed on a particular order or garment. Accuracy of
production queuing refers to optimal distribution of pieces per machine.
Why is this metric important?
Accuracy in production queuing reduces cycle time, which leads to higher
revenue. This helps identify bottlenecks in the production process.
34. [See chart in #11 below]
10. Accuracy of Production Planning
What is this metric?
The average total time spent on actual production process compared with
total time forecast in planning.
Why is this metric important?
Precision in planning equates to on-time shipments, the best use of labor and
assurances that appropriate supplies and equipment are available for each
order.
[See chart in #11 below]
11. Accuracy of Material Planning
What is this metric?
This refers to how accurately the materials were selected, and how closely the
amounts needed were purchased.
35. About 60 to 70 percent of the cost of a garment is in the fabric, according
toStitchWorld. As such, it’s vital that you order appropriately and track your
cutting room processes to keep mistakes to a minimum.
Effective production planning relies on your ability to order the appropriate
amount of fabric for a run and realize no more than a 2 to 3 percent rate of
error in cutting. That means that the number of garments produced should
equal 97 to 98 percent of the garments cut.
Why is this metric important?
A surplus of materials equals money wasted, and waiting for more materials to
arrive after production has commenced equals money and reputation lost.
36. 12. Sourcing Time
What is this metric?
This is the average time spent for sourcing raw material (fabric, trim,
accessories, and packing materials).
37. Why is this metric important?
Knowing the sourcing time is vital for production planning, and providing cycle
time estimates to potential buyers.
13. Inventory Turnover
What is this metric?
Inventory turnover is defined as how many times the entire inventory of a
company has been sold during an accounting period.
Why is this metric important?
In the garment manufacturing industry, inventory generally refers to raw
materials. Since inventories represent a sizeable investment of company
funds, larger inventories mean higher costs (space, insurance, taxes, capital
38. costs, etc.). Low inventory turnover means the company is carrying too much
inventory, which unnecessarily restricts access to cash.
14. Approved Sample Product
What is this metric?
The percentage of product samples that meet with customer approval.
Why is this metric important?
Sampling is one of the main processes in garment manufacturing and it plays
a vital role in attracting buyers and confirming the order, as the buyer
generally places the order once satisfied with the quality and responsiveness
of the sampling. A higher rate of sample approval directly corresponds with
the number of orders a factory may receive.
39. 15. Rework Production Ratio
What is this metric?
The percentage of product rework required to deliver an accurate order.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Engineering and
Applied Sciences, 21% of quality inspections for Cutting Departments result in
Failure, and 39% of quality inspections for Sewing Departments result in
Failure.
Why is this metric important?
Measuring the ratio of rework to correct products is vital to tracking internal
failure costs or operational wastages associated with discovering poor product
40. quality before the product reaches the customer site. Minimization of reworks
is a must in quality and productivity improvement.
16. Amount of Dead Stock
What is this metric?
This is the measure of how much fabric is left over after the order has been
shipped.
According to Methods Apparel Consultancy, typical fabric wastage amounts to
about 18% of a total order. Of that, 41% is attributable to Dead Stock.
Why is this metric important?
Knowing the average Dead Stock for each order will help improve production
planning, which in turn lowers costs.
41. 17. Cut to Ship Ratio
What is this metric?
This ratio represents the number of garments shipped compared to the
number of garments cut.
According to Methods Apparel Consultancy, the Cut to Ship Ratio varies
between 95% and 99%.
Why is this metric important?
This indicator is measured to control surplus quantity after shipment, reduction
in extra cutting and damaged garments.
42. 18. Return of Defective Product
What is this metric?
The percentage of defective products returned by customers.
According to a garment industry textbook published by Pearson, consumers
return only about 10% of defective garments to the retailer, even though they
report dissatisfaction with over 20% of their clothing purchases. The number
of defective garments returned to manufacturers is even smaller. Because
most people do not return garments with which they are dissatisfied, a return
by a single customer may represent the dissatisfaction of many others. Some
manufacturers consider each return representative of eight nonreturned
defective garments.
43. Why is this metric important?
This can be an indicator of the attentiveness of the Quality Assurance
department, and at the very least represents lost revenue and a degraded
reputation.
Want to improve your metrics?
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Work Analysis
Remaking the same styles over and over? Got thousands of repetitive operations for hundreds of ordered
styles?
Break down hours of operations into their elements, and find the secret in leaner production — optimized
work designed to reduce motion waste. Wastes take value out of your production chain, and adds to your
cost. Take control, increase efficiency, work smarter and learn better with work analysis done
right. Continuously discover new ways to sew styles better for the 21st century. By designing work better,
GPRO’s work analysis solution can help you realize savings of up to 25%.
46. Work analysis solution to improve sewing operations with time and motion data.
Standard work data to eliminate waste
For industrial engineers, starting in pre-production, GPRO’s solution improves how you collect stop watch
time and motion studies, with efficient and intuitive short cuts. You can then share the updates with shop
floor staff when you need to deploy work improvements on the shop floor. With GPRO’s award winning
and made for industry solution — its standard work analysis done right.
Advancements to make work better for every one
Customers rely on our solutions today to find, tag, compare, and analyze the impact of work improvement
changes quickly from historical work and motion study analysis data. No more guess work. For
supervisors and operators, they get better instructions and techniques to help them perform better. For
production planners, they get more reliable estimates, which helps scheduling and forecasting.
We’ve taken modern advancements in video and information management to create an award winning
work analysis solution for the industry. With support for motion analysis videos recorded in a variety of
video codecs, stored time data to aid future reference, and all changes are checked-in, version-controlled
and logged. Work together, better, with a multi-user workflow. With easy motion logging shortcuts, easy
backup, and seamless integration option with our shop floor data collection solutions, you get a
compelling, proven work analysis solution that does what you need.
How work analysis improves productivity without the stress
Fix the right work methods from the start. Adequate work analysis, done early in process, takes out
wasteful work motions, reduces WIP, optimizes machine usage, improves line planning decisions and
equipment placement.
Achieve higher ROI on training. In high volume apparel manufacturing, optimizing repetitive motions
with good work study is critical but hard to measure. For example, skilled operators tend to have
47. economical motion control in certain operations but inexperienced or poor performing operators incur
more waste. Training and efficiency tends to improve quicker when new operators have a standard work
method to measure up and learn from.
Seamless integration, low maintenance. If you have GPRO’s shop floor data collection solution,
GPRO’s solution integrates with your shop floor data collection solution so you can remove redundancy,
reduce maintenance, increase ROI and automate information updates across your business.
More ways that work analysis improves textile and apparel manufacturing
Better pre-production process and time planning.
Simplified work.
Sewing operators can learn leaner methods better, faster.
Get more predictable work methods.
Lower WIP.
Centralized repository of best practice work methods.
Faster time to market.
How benchmarking and standard work analysis works
1. Collect motion and time data — With video camcorders, industrial engineers capture sewers
time and motion measurements of operations in a style before mass production starts.
2. Upload for analysis — In GPRO’s work analysis solution, digital motion videos and time data
are uploaded and categorized.
3. Define and work break down — Video of work motions are analyzed, time and work elements
broken down and defined. Standard time is derived. Additional work factors such as machine
RPM, material handling time, etc are factored in.
4. Analyze and summarize — Compare before and after charts. Simplify. Review methods used by
operators.
5. Improve — Identify improvement opportunities. Measure gains, check in and reuse.
Learn more
G.PRO IEES – Time, measure, analyze and improve work estimates
Benchmark shop floor sewing and work motions, set up operator best practices and get predictable,
reliable estimates you can trust.
