Remaining both profitable and competitive is probably more intense and challenging today than at any time during

the last 40 years in the garment industry. Manufacturers have principally reduced their costs to what they perceive to be the minimum; however, economic pressures require manufacturers to again re-examine their businesses and see where they can cut further fat. In the current circumstances the most cost-effective way to address cost control is not to indulge in grandiose changes of production methods or acquire equipments but to look inward and consider what is currently happening and utilize the existing resources of men and machines better. A thorough review of each production-related activity needs to be conducted and improvements are needed to be sought wherever possible. Paul Collyer, a garment industry expert with over 37 years of international exposure in production management, analyses how to evaluate production processes at various levels by questioning oneself in order to assess the scope of making ones factory more productive.

It Is Time To Go Back To The Basics

Ask Yourself
The time is for introspection for all the manufacturing concerns without exception. Maintaining cost effectiveness and quality are the areas where manufacturers are looking forward to improve profitability. But while doing so they should remember that: y They cannot gain an advantage over their competitors by the use of technology; the same equipment is available to everyone. y The purchasing of materials cannot give a competitive edge, particularly as many retailers now insist on materials being purchased from a limited number of approved suppliers. y So, what is left to do is examining the manufacturing costs, i.e. labour cost (standard hours) and the control of overheads as this is the only point at which performances of different manufacturers can be compared. I have, in my previously published articles in StitchWorld, discussed key elements of running production units including the performance of production management and supervisory staff, labour cost control monitoring, work methods, the implementation and cost measuring of systematic operator training systems and the combining of all activities into a systemic approach to managing a factory. It is time for manufacturers to revisit all of these areas of the business to ensure that resources are not being wasted. During the day-to-day management of a sewing unit it is easy for standards to slip, performances to drop and bad habits and poor practices to return. Action plans overseen by the senior management should be drawn up as part of a business improvement initiative.

People
The essential part of any factory is people; garment manufacturing is a labour-intensive business, therefore effective organization and control of the work force is crucial to its success. In any factory this role is the responsibility of production managers of varying levels of seniority, and supervisors. It is therefore necessary to consider: y How well are the operators performing?

y y y y

Do they know the levels of performance they should achieve? Do managers and supervisors know their roles and responsibilities? Have their roles been clearly defined in a job specification? Are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used and does the labour cost control system given clear feedback?

When supervisors/operators dealing with shorter production runs (in sampling lines) deal with large production orders, their efficiencies might be affected. The question to be asked:

y Is the performance system flexible enough to provide necessary consideration to it?

Performance reviews should be held at set intervals to a specified format so that everyone involved knows exactly what is to happen and how it will be conducted. Achievements can be discussed, shortcomings appraised and development plans agreed as required. An adequate planning of resources and a motivating payment system also helps boosting the performance. Following must be considered to do this: Is non achievement of production targets accepted by managers who consider absence or style change to be reasonable excuses instead of problems that should y have been overcome? y Does the payment system motivate both direct and indirect workers? Is salary related to achievement?

y y

How many helpers are present, what do they do, are they necessary or can their work be eliminated? Do the people have the skill and knowledge to carry out their roles to the required standards?

Lost

Output

Output is not only affected by the abilities of production managers and supervisors but the planning of orders and sourcing of materials. y How often are styles put onto the line without all of the components being available? y How much time is lost through operators waiting for work or machines to be mended? y How much production is lost because operators are working to low performances as they either have no incentive to work, or do not have the ability to perform due to the lack of skills, or are working to an inadequate work supply or target?

Equal production for all operations might not be a perfect balance

A major cause of lost production is operators working down to inadequate targets or work supply. If supervisors collect two hourly output figures from each operation then the following should be noticed:

y y y y

Does each operation in a production line produce exactly the same number of pieces as the previous and next operations? If so, then this is not a perfect balance but operations and operators are working down to their work feed. If two or more operators are doing the same operation do they all produce exactly the same quantity every hour? If yes, then they are not working to maximum but instead sharing the work. Do operations and sections produce their hourly and daily exactly same? If so, the target is wrong. Is the operation target being met but the operator(s) are working to a low performance? In this case, the balance is wrong! This situation will particularly inhibit the development of trainee workers.

The key is to ensure that operators are fully trained, have an incentive scheme that is both fair and transparent and have supervisors who are competent in production balancing techniques to ensure that sufficient work is available.

y Do supervisors monitor the output of operators to both balance the workflow and compare the output of individuals against targeted and planned levels?

It may be obvious that meeting the stated criteria is crucial to effective sections but they are the basics that companies must get right.
y How well is style change managed? y Is the supervisor given a sample and told to get on with it or is specialist support available to plan the line?

Methods
The customer pays you to sew a garment together, not to bundle or unbundle pieces. Methods being followed by operators are of utmost importance to standardize and control. To find out the efficiency of methods and bundle handling one should check: y How are pieces presented to the operator? y Is there an excess handling such as tying and untying? y Does the workstation allow the operator to work without excess reaching or repositioning of pieces? A minimum of 80% of time is spent handling; y Can this be reduced by the adoption of simple, cheap work aids and effective training?

A record of repairable faults must be maintained by the inspector and their repairing costs must be known

y Is the operator instilled with suitable skills by systematic training? y Does the operator search for a component?
y How much time of an operator is lost in handling garments and components during loading to the machine? Is it acceptable? y How far is the component stored from the needle point?

However, if you observe an operator reaching for a component, turning and lifting it, then the work station may need improvement. A simple rule is to try to place the work as near to the needle as possible and in the same lane so that it runs under the needle without having to turn around. Often people create more work through a lack of knowledge even when they are trying to be conscientious. The person who collates work bundles will put the small pieces (collars, cuffs, etc.) inside larger pieces so that they are not lost. However, it is usually the small pieces that are first worked on. Similarly, an operator will spend more time folding components when disposing only for the next operator to have to unfold before they can start work. If this is the case then the work handling system should also be reviewed.

Training
Trained sewing instructors are probably the most cost effective investments that a sewing factory can make. Reduction on training times, lower labour turnover, reduced faults and greater output from low performing operators can all be achieved by using instructors in a systemic approach to production management in which training is seen as a key part of management systems and not as a necessary expensive add-on. Ask yourself:

y y y y

A substantial amount of money and time is spent on operator training, but how effective is it? Do operators know how to sew to required standards of quality and quantity? How long are the trainees in the training school before they start to contribute? What is the annual labour turnover and how many of those who left were new recruits who could not make the grade?

Any production review must include the role of training, both new recruits and those operators in line who are not achieving results.

y How many low performing operators are there? y How long is it before recruits start to contribute? y Do trainees undergo a trainability test? y Are there any recruitment criteria for new recruits? Basic minimum qualification, if any? y How much time do trainees spend on different exercises? Paper test, muslin exercises? How much and how many fabric exercises? y What is your trainee to trainer ratio? y Do trainee operators have any experience of stitching? If yes, are their skills assessed first and then training is provided based on individual basis? y Are operations analysed for skills that are required to do them? y Do you train for specific operations or for overall skill development? y Are trainees instilled into the line after they have completed the training or is training a part of production lines with operators working with trainees to achieve results? y Why do you do training? To replaces losses or increase the work force? Quality Issues
It costs ten times as much to repair than it does to do it right first time. We must document how many repairs are being produced and rectified. Many companies record seconds but few know how many garments are repaired. There has to be a record of detected faults and the cost incurred to repair them.

y How many problems are observed by supervisors and repaired before they ever reach the inspection point?
Often when inspection figures are reported, valuable time is wasted on painstaking analysis that rarely means much in the context of production lines. A simple routine is to identify the faults which happened most number of times from the previous day and work on the causes until it is beaten. Both tenacity and an understanding of problem solving techniques are required but significant improvements (and cost savings) can be made. To do that first, we need to know:

y What systems are in place to prevent faulty garments being produced.

Do inspectors report what they are finding and if so is this information used to prevent further problems arising? About 20% of the operators will produce 80% of the faults. A system for identifying and helping (not hammering), these operators should be in place.
y y y y

What exactly do inspectors do? Do they trim threads or do they really check that garments meet specification? Do they have the information (specifications) and training they need to successfully identify faulty garments? Is operator output checked in the line or at the end when the garment is complete (too late)?

Conclusion
All of the above are some of the questions senior managers should be asking. It is not an exhaustive list as the process of manufacturing garments is complex but is enough to hopefully provoke thought. Companies can, in these difficult times, reduce costs by reducing waste by examining all their processes and sharpening up. As was stated at the beginning of this article savings can be made without the need for major capital outlay by utilizing existing staff in a controlled action plan and initiative. The only financial outlay may be in small work station improvements and if thought necessary specialist outside assistance to train and guide company personnel. Many managers will read this article and say, We already do all of this. The questions they should then ask are: Do we really do it or do we have a written system that says we do it but in practice we do not. y How well do we do it? y Is it working, and if not, then why not? y How can we do it better? Back to the basics is a slogan and philosophy garment manufacturers should be embracing.