Department of Fashion Design and Technology

Course Name : Industrial Engineering

Course Code : IE-3022

Assignment On : Root cause analysis in Apparel Industry in Bangladesh

Submitted By : Submitted To
Sonali Akther Tumpa Mr.Sudipta Bain
Id : 2171401034 Assistant Professor
Semester : 11th Department of FDT
Batch : 14th Uttara university
Abstract
Bangladesh’s garment industry has increased its annual revenue from $19 billion to $34 billion
—a 79 percent rise. This makes the country the second largest exporter of garments in the
world, with the sector accounting for 80 percent of Bangladesh’s total export earnings. Global
competition in the garment’s market is changing day to day. Leading garment manufacturer
from all over the world are adopting new innovative features and techniques to sustain global
fierce competitive market. However, the point is, Bangladeshi garment manufacturers are not
lingered They are also emphasizing on better service quality by adding latest design features
and using the latest technologies to the garments. The sole purpose of this paper is to identify
the root causes of sewing defects of an apparel industry in Bangladesh and continuous
improvement in reducing the defects through Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) system

About Root Cause

The root cause analysis is an analytical tool which is defined by Wilson et al. He also mentioned
that this tool is very much effective which can be used to perform a corrective and
comprehensive system-based review of critical defects. The cause effect diagram actually
focuses on identification of the root for the specific defects and contributory factors. It also
concern for determining the defect reduction strategies and develop the action plan with
measurement strategy which helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the plans. t the most
important component for understanding defects in manufacturing is this root cause analysis

A cause & effect diagram is a simple but very effective tool that helps to identify, sort, and
display potential or real causes of a specific problem or quality characteristic. It can also be
used to graphically illustrate the relationship between a given outcome and all the factors that
influence the outcome. Because of its function of relating causes to their effect, it is referred to
as a cause-and-effect diagram. It is also called a fishbone diagram because the design of the
diagram looks much like the skeleton of a fish.
 Cause effect or fishbone diagram :

Man power Environment

Machinery

Cause 1
Cause 1 Cause 1

Cause 2
Cause 2
Cause 2

Cause 3 Cause 3
Cause 3

Effect
Cause 1
Cause 1 Cause 1

Cause 2 Cause 2 Cause 2

Cause 3 Cause 3 Cause 3

Measurement Method Material

 Root Cause Analysis for sewing department in the Apparel
Industry
The quality of any apparel is depended a lot on the absence of any defects. And this can be
made possible and consistent only if the quality in the manufacturing is kept at a strict control.

The following are some basic examples of defects of which the root causes have been found out
through this method

Broken Stitch root cause :

Broken stitch can be caused due to Rough Handling or Non-continuous sewing thread.To
eliminate the generating Broken stitch can prepare this diagram

Man power
Machinery

Tension high
Fabric
holding too

Needle plate pressure foot

Incorrect
needle
Faulty feed
dog

Broken Stitch

Incorrect Bobbins not

tension of used

Wrong
thread

Method Material
 Label Missing root cause :
This defect causes due to labels put on wrong side or label not attached . To eliminate the
generating label missing can prepare this diagram

Man power
Machinery

Label put on wrong

side

Label not
attached

Label missing

Weak
thread

Method Material
 Drop stitch/Skipped Stitch
It appears due to improper handling of cut pieces or machine usage. To eliminate the
generating skipped stitch can prepare this diagram

Man power
Machinery

Fabric holding tight SPI machine

low

Worn thread guides, path

or eyelets

Skipped Stitch

Needle worn
out

Method Material
Conclusion
Bangladesh garment-manufacturing companies are badly needed these techniques to survive in
the international market .Quality product is the only demand to the buyers .By implementing
quality control tools only can ensure the defect free production .Fish bone diagram helps to
determine the causes of a problem or quality characteristic using a structured approach. It
encourages group participation and utilizes team knowledge of the process. It uses an orderly,
easy-to-read format to diagram cause-and-effect relationships. It increases knowledge of the
process by helping everyone to learn more about the factors at work and how they relate.