1.

Coordination Between Departments:

Your textile unit will have a marketing, apparel production, purchase and stores department.
How good is the coordination between these departments?
One of the most common forms of stress arises when departments work without
coordination. Each department might have the best interests of the firm in mind and exhibit
initiative and enthusiasm, but this is like sitting on the same boat and rowing in opposing
directions. The boat will stand still and so will your production and performance.
Communication and coordination are the keys to solve this puzzle.
Have regular meetings between decision makers in each department so they understand
the big picture and work towards holistic goals.
Marketing should have a clear idea about the yarn stock and the lead time to design/create
and deliver a lot. This will stop them over-promising and under delivering to their clients
which in turn will solidify trust.
Purchase and stores should shape a process to procure and stock materials needed with
clear timelines and keep production informed. This would mean developing a network of
suppliers that are trusted and sticking with them.
Production should review their staffing regularly. Staffing must be adequate with a required
buffer so employee leaves or absences in key areas of production don’t shake the process
and affect deliverables. One of the common errors in planning is to keep the manpower at
the barest minimum. This is dangerous and will backfire if not corrected. People work to live
and your employees are no different. Allowance must be made for illnesses to employees
their family members or to their social commitments.
2. Incentivize Innovation:
All employees are not the same, some work steadily and some think beyond their roles.
Keep an eye on the second type of employee. Your best chance to innovate and increase
productivity comes from them! Some of the best ideas to increase productivity come from
the ground up. Always keep that channel open for ideas to flow up and recognition to flow
down.
If one of your employees comes up with a solution to a production problem that saves time
or increases productivity, recognizes him/her without delay and rewards him/her
adequately. This will encourage more people thinking about improving the process and
consequently their part in it. Sometimes, the results could be far better than employing a
consultant!
3. Add Skills – Reap Rewards:
Do budget for regular training of your employees. In the long run, the returns will outweigh
the investment. An employee trained and updated on the latest production techniques and
processes will understand his/her role in the entire process and behave more responsibly.
The trust you show in them will almost always be reciprocated since they would see the
company as a place to grow and you as an employer who will nurture the talent. This
promotes long-term employment which in turn is more economical than having to recruit
and train a new employee.
4. Cross Training Employees:
In any unit, there are always chances to cross-train employees, grab this opportunity with
both hands. Cross training will improve employee performance and responsibility; create
buffers without having to recruit fresh and overall cut costs for your unit. If you are utilizing
contract workers, cross training will ensure regular employment which in turn promotes
loyalty and trust. For regular employees, this provides empowerment and creates
involvement.
5. Take Care of Your Machines -They Will Take Care Of You:
Most companies spend long hours on how to take care of their people but have no clear-cut
strategy on maintenance and replacement of their machinery. Get away from this bad
practice. Let your maintenance team create an overall schedule for maintenance and your
stores keep stock of frequently needed spares. Let not want of a horseshoe lose a war for
you. The maintenance schedule should be drawn in consultation with all the departments,
so there are no surprise spurts in demand when maintenance is due.
6. Productivity- The Man-Machine Duet:
Finally, productivity is a duet between men and machine. Both have to work at their peak to
ensure maximum productivity. Just like a machine needs maintenance and care for your
employees to need looking after. Create good employee care practices and follow them.
Promise good employment and deliver on the promise. You will be surprised at the results.
A happy employee always outperforms one who works under duress and stress. Reward
them with cool T-shirts or gift coupons using which they can buy their favorite merchandise
online.
Responsible Employment – Empowered Employee – Updated Machinery – Increased
Productivity