PROJECT ON

Methodology of Lean System in the Sustainable Production

for Textile and Clothing Industry

Course Code: TXE-422

Course Title: Project – ii

SUPERVISED BY:
Md. Tanimul Bari
Lecturer
Department of Textile Engineering
Primeasia University

SUBMITTED BY:
ID NUMBER STUDENT NAME
191-007-041 Md Rakibul Hasan Limon
191-013-041 Md Mahamudul Hasan
191-028-041 Sajal Parvez
191-033-041 Tanzeem Tomal
191-055-041 Nafiuzzaman Shiam
191-079-041 Mazharul Islam
191-083-041 Asif Nawaz
191-093-041 Mehedi Hasan
103-464-041 Sah Aman Ullah

Date of submission: September 22, 2022

 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that, this set has been done by us under the supervisor of Md.
Tanimul Bari Lecturer, Department of textile Engineering Primeasia University.

We also declared that, neither this project nor any part of this project has been
submitted elsewhere for award of any degree or diploma.

191-007-041 191-013-041 191-028-041

191-033-041 191-055-041 191-079-041

191-083-041 191-093-041 103-464-041

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, we are grateful to Allah who gives us sound mind and sound health to
accomplish this project successfully.

We are also grateful to our supervisor Md. Tanimul Bari Sir, Lecturer Department
of textile Engineering, Primeasia University. His endless patience, scholarly
guidance, continual encouragement, energetic supervision, valuable advice,
reading many inferior drafts and correcting these at all stages have made it possible
to complete our project.

We are also thankful to our all teachers, Lab assistant and all the other employees
of Primeasia University.

Finally, we would like to express a sense of gratitude to our beloved parents and
friends for their mental support, strength and assistance throughout writing the
project report.

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 ABSTRACT

Lean manufacturing is a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating wastes

(non-value-added activities) through continuous improvement by conveying the
product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of production. In a more basic term,
more value with less work. Since lean manufacturing eliminates many of the
problems associated with poor production scheduling and line balancing, lean
manufacturing is particularly appropriate for companies that do not have ERP
stems in place or do not have strong material requirements planning (MRP),
production scheduling, or production allocation systems in place. This is
particularly significant in Bangladesh, where many private Bangladeshi garment
manufacturing companies are operating significantly below their potential
capacity, or experiencing a high level of late-deliveries, due to problems with their
current production scheduling and production management systems. Considering
all those facts this paper provides a roadmap as well as a framework to those
manufacturing companies who are really operating significantly below their
potential capacity. In this work, the existing layouts were studied and then layouts
are proposed to enhance the production system and Value Stream Mapping (VSM)
is used as a basic lean manufacturing tool and some cellular manufacturing
philosophies to find out the improved level of performance and productivity
particularly in the garments section of Bangladesh. At the final stage, research
work is reinforced by using a simulation software ARENA to judge the
sustainability of proposal.

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 CONTENTS
TOPICS PAGE
DECLARATION......................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.......................................................................................................iii
ABSTRACT….........................................................................................................................iv
CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................v

CHAPTER 01 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Lean Manufacturing..............................................................2
1.2 Objectives of the Study.........................................................2
1.3 Project Approach...................................................................3

CHAPTER 02 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Background...........................................................................5
2.2 Definition of Lean.................................................................6
2.3 Lean Principle.......................................................................7
2.4 Benefits of Lean Manufacturing...........................................7
2.5 Why Lean is so Successful....................................................8
2.6 Lean Manufacturing for Today’s World...............................9
2.7 Kind of Waste......................................................................10
2.8 Lean Manufacturing Tool....................................................12
2.9 Lean Production...................................................................13
2.6 Challenges in Lean Implementation & Sustainability.........15

CHAPTER 03 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Methodology of Lean Manufacturing..................................18
3.2 Case Study Analysis............................................................19
3.3 Recalling Lean with Other Systems....................................22
3.4 Implementation by Analysis in Clothing Industry..............25
3.5 Garment Manufacturing Process.........................................31

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CHAPTER 04 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Result and Discussion...........................................................41
4.2 Opportunity Table................................................................43
4.6 Graphical Representation for Clear Understanding.............44

CHAPTER 05 CONCLUSION
5.1 Conclusion..........................................................................48
5.2 Recommendation for Future Research...............................49
5.3 Limitations and Further Research......................................49
Reference.................................................................................51

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 Chapter – 01
INTRODUCTION

1
1.1 LEAN MANUFACTURING:
Lean manufacturing is a business model that focuses on the elimination of waste.
This can include focusing on how to deliver the same-quality product on time and
at a lower cost.
For many people, the phrase “Lean manufacturing” is synonymous with removing
waste – and eliminating waste is certainly a key element of any Lean practice. But
the ultimate goal of practicing Lean manufacturing isn’t simply to eliminate waste
– it’s to sustainably deliver value to the customer.

To achieve that goal, Lean manufacturing defines waste as anything that doesn’t
add value to the customer. This can be a process, activity, product, or service;
anything that requires an investment of time, money, and talent that does not create
value for the customer is waste. Idle time, underutilized talent, excess inventory,
and inefficient processes are all considered waste by the Lean definition.

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

Thus, the objective of this project is to find out how we can use lean manufacturing
to achieve the following:
1. To meet customer demand on time by eliminating non-value-added work
from the process.
2. To minimize the work in process inventory.
3. To create flexibility of style changeover.
4. To reduce rework percentage.
5. To create a pool of multi-skilled operators who can respond quickly for
changing style.

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1.3 PROJECT APPROACH:

The initial step in this research is to systematically study and define the history of
the lean manufacturing concept and its different tools and techniques. It will then
examine some most used lean manufacturing tools and techniques. This will be
followed by the study of the existing production system of the case company for
example the existing production layouts, inventory movement systems, work
balancing methods and other different variables which needs to be improved for
the betterment of the existing system.

To address the current issues of the industry, we try to find out the standard
operation time for each operation by using time study techniques and will try to
standardize all the operations. Once the standard operation time is obtained work
will be done to find out the best suitable production layout and WIP movement
methods, which will help to get flexibility in style changeover, should reduce the
production lead time, create operator multi-skilling etc. After doing these entire
things as project work, we will implement the research outcomes in the company
and the improvement will be measured against the existing process. Basically, this
is quantitative research where it is a part of the organization during the study.

3
 Chapter – 02
LITERATURE REVIEW

4
2.1 BACKGROUND:

Lean manufacturing or lean production are reasonably new terms that can be
invented to Jim Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos in their book, The
Machine that changed the world [1991]. In the book, the authors examined the
manufacturing activities exemplified by the Toyota Production System. Lean
manufacturing is the systematic elimination of waste.
Most of these benefits lead to lower unit production costs – for example, more
effective use of equipment and space leads to lower depreciation costs per unit
produced, more effective use of labor results in lower labor costs per unit produced
and lower defects lead to lower cost of goods sold.
In a 2004 survey by Industry Week Magazine, U.S. companies implementing lean
manufacturing reported a median savings of 7% of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as
a result of implementing lean. We believe that the savings may actually be higher
for companies in Vietnam considering the higher levels of waste which they
typically have compared to U.S. based manufacturers.

Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same
output with less input – less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery,
less material, less cost.
When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the
implementation of lean in 1995, they reported the following improvements
compared to their batch-based system in 1991
1. Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%;
2. Defects were reduced by 90%
3. Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours - 5 days; and
4. Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks.

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2.2 DEFINATION OF LEAN:

The popular definition of Lean Manufacturing usually consists of the following:

1. It is a comprehensive set of techniques which when combined allows you to

reduce and eliminate the wastes. This will make the company leaner, more flexible
and more responsive by reducing waste.
2. Lean is the systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through
continuous improvement by flowing the product or service at the pull of your
customer in pursuit of perfection

According to the lean operating system consists of the following:

a) A lean operating system follows certain principles to deliver value to the
customer while minimizing all forms of loss.
b) Each value stream within the operating system must be optimized
individually from end to end.
c) Lean tools and techniques are applied selectively to eliminate the three
sources of loss: waste, variability and inflexibility.

Thus, the organization who wants to implement lean should have strong customer
focus, should be willing to remove wastes from the processes they operate on daily
basis and should have the motivation of growth and survival.

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2.3 LEAN PRINCIPLE:

Principle 1: Accurately specify value from customer perspective for both product
and services.
Principle 2: Identify the value stream for products and services and remove non-
value-adding waste along the value stream.
Principle 3: Make the product and services flow without interruption across the value
stream.
Principle 4: Authorize production of products and services based on the pull by the
customer.
Principle 5: Strive for perfection by constantly removing layers of waste.

2.4 BENEFITS OF LEAN MANUFACTURING:

The implementation of lean manufacturing through trying to make value flow at

the pull of the customer (Just In Time) prevents and eliminates waste in your
processes. Waste being categorized as part of the seven wastes: Transport,
Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-processing, Overproduction, and Defects.
Many studies have shown that we only add value for around 5% of the time within
our operations; the remaining 95% is waste! Imagine if you could remove that 95%
wasted time and effort.
Typically, Lean will improve:
 Quality performance, fewer defects and rework (in house and at customer).
 Fewer Machine and Process Breakdowns.
 Lower levels of Inventory.
 Greater levels of Stock Turnover.
 Less Space Required.
 Higher efficiencies, more output per man hour.
 Improved delivery performance.
 Faster Development.
 Greater Customer Satisfaction.
 Improved employee morale and involvement.

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  Improved Supplier Relations.
 Higher profits
 Increase business

2.5 WHY LEAN IS SO SUCCESSFUL

Lean manufacturing talks about Optimizing and Eliminating wastes, rather than
minimizing. When we are trying to minimize one type of waste another will go
high. For an example if we are trying to minimize the machine idling time it can
increase the Work in Progress as machines are on over production. At the end of
the day the net out come on the organization will be negative. This is why Lean
promotes Elimination and Optimization. This may be the Core Concept of Lean
Manufacturing.

An organization which applies Lean Manufacturing must understand clearly what

is a waste? What is meant by improving? Etc. therefore it is very important to have
a clear-cut definitions about the Key Words in Lean Manufacturing. This is clearly
done in the Lean Manufacturing. It Answers the questions like, what is a waste?

One of the major concerns of the Lean Manufacturing is the WIP. But there are no
techniques appear to eliminate WIP directly. This is a very important example to
show the lean thinking of treating the cause not the effect.
Lean Manufacturing believes in continuous and steady improvement, rather than in
Rapid improvements. This introduces the process sustainability and the
involvement of all level of people. In Lean Manufacturing there is a role to be
played by the workers in the improvement and innovation. This is not so in the
conventional ways of management where the innovation and decision making are
completely a responsibility of Managers.
Continuous improvements in the organization and involvement of the employees in
the process of management decision making will motivate the employees. This will
release the Organizational Synergy into work. This at the end will become the
driving force of the organization.

8
Culture of team working is one of the major improvements Lean Manufacturing
promotes for an organization. Two people can collectively give more out puts than
the sum of their individual out puts. This is the Asian way of thinking about work.
This is promoted through team incentives and team recognition, unlike in the
western way of management where individual performances are given more
emphasis.

Participation of the all levels of employees in the process of decision making is one
of the major improvements made by the Lean Manufacturing. This drive out the
fear among the workers and made it easier to work with the decisions as they are a
part of the process of making decisions.
People often have more to offer than their physical strength, to the organization.
They have a brain and a heart as well. This philosophy really worked in the
organizations where Lean Manufacturing was practiced.
The single most important effect of Lean Manufacturing is the cyclic effect of all
Its interconnected processes. They work in harmony and improvement in one place
will improve the system as whole. Therefore, with the time processes quires
momentum and will start to run on their own. Therefore, they become self-driven.

2.6 LEAN MANUFACTURING FOR TODAYS WORLD:

Most of the people think lean manufacturing is the best way to earn more profit.
Yes, it is true. Lean manufacturing will save you costs, increase the productivity,
improve the quality and will shorten the lead time. All of these will save and
money and obviously give you more profits. But I believe lean manufacturing can
do much more than this to specially today’s world. Let me explain why I believe
this.
In this world there are more than six billion people. This population increases very
rapidly. But the resource this world has is limited. Even these limited resources are
consumed and degraded very rapidly. If you closely look at the problems the world
is facing today like wars and environmental problems most of these problems are
due to the limited availability and in appropriate use of the resources the world has.

9
Think how much of raw materials are wasted in the process of a fiber becoming a
finished garment. It is said that cost for the fiber in a finished garment is less than
1% of the value of the garment. Still much of the garment weight is consist of the
fiber.
If car engine is made 60% efficient the gulf war might have been avoided. Do you
agree? If the way of garment manufacturing can be changed, most of the
environmental problems in the manufacturing countries will end. If we transport
the vegetables carefully, war for the land and hunger in many countries will end.
I have only given you few examples. Think deeply you will find millions of
examples. One day I started thinking about this, actually I felt very sad. Can we
waste these precious resources? I do not think so.
This is why I believe lean manufacturing is a system that must be practiced
worldwide. At least the core concept of waste elimination must be obeyed in each
and every organization in this world. Waste is a common enemy regardless of the
nationality, race or religion. It creates pressure among the Societies. It makes the
deference between the rich and poor much wider. It creates global warming. It
creates war. Find out, there are millions of problems resulted from wastes in many
forms.

2.7 KIND OF WASTE:

A. OVERPRODUCTION
Producing items more than required at given point of time i.e., producing items
without actual orders creating the excess of inventories which needs excess staffs,
storage area as well as transportation etc.

B. WAITING
Workers waiting for raw material, the machine or information etc. is known as
waiting and is the waste of productive time. The waiting can occur in various ways
for example; due to unmatched worker/machine performance machine
breakdowns, lack of work knowledge, stock outs etc.

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C. UNNECESSARY TRANSPORT
Carrying of work in process (WIP) a long distance, insufficient transport, moving
material from one place to another place is known as the unnecessary transport.

D. OVER PROCESSING
Working on a product more than the actual requirements is termed as over
processing. The over processing may be due to improper tools or improper
procedures etc. The over processing is the waste of time and machines which does
not add any value to the final product.

E. EXCESS RAW MATERIAL

This includes excess raw material, WIP, or finished goods causing longer lead
times, obsolescence, damaged goods transportation and storage costs, and delay.
Also, the extra inventory hides problems such as production imbalances late
deliveries from suppliers, defects, equipment downtime, and long setup times.

F. UNNECESSARY MOVEMENT
Any wasted motion that the workers have to perform during their work is termed
as unnecessary movement. For example, the movement during searching for tools,
shifting WIP etc.

G. DEFECTS
Defects in the processed parts are termed as waste. Repairing defective parts or
producing defective parts or replacing the parts due to poor quality etc.is the waste
of time and effort.

H. UNUSED EMPLOYEE CREATIVITY

Loosing of getting better ideas, improvement, skills and learning opportunities by
avoiding the presence of employee is termed as unused employee creativity.

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2.8 LEAN MANUFACTURING TOOL:

A. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Continuous improvement (CI) can be defined as the planned, organized and
systematic process of ongoing, incremental and company-wide change of existing
practices aimed at improving company performance. Activities and behaviors that
facilitate and enable the development of CI include problem solving, plan-do-
check- act (PDCA) and other CI tools, policy deployment, cross-functional teams,
a formal CI planning and management group, and formal systems for evaluating CI
activities. Successful CI implementation involves not only the n-training and
development of employees in the use of tools and processes, but also the
establishment of a learning environment conducive to future continuous learning.

The short description of PDCA cycle is given below

1) Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.
2) Do: Implement the change on a small scale
3) Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it
has made a difference.
4) Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wide scale and
continuously assess the results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.
Thus, continuous improvement is an ongoing and never-ending process; it
measures only the achievements gained from the application of one process over
the existing. So, while selecting the continuous improvement plan one should
concentrate on the area which needs more attention and which adds more value to
our products.

B. JUST-IN-TIME
Just in time is an integrated set of activities designed to achieve high volume
production using the minimal inventories of raw materials, work in process and
finished goods. Just in time is also based on the logic that nothing will be produced
until it is needed.

Just-in-time manufacturing is a Japanese management philosophy applied in

manufacturing. It involves having the right items with the right quality and
quantity
12
in the right place at the right time. The ability to manage inventory (which often
accounts for as much as 80 percent of product cost) to coincide with market
demand or changing product specifications can substantially boost profits and
improve a manufacturer’s competitive position by reducing inventories and waste.
In general, Just in Time (JIT) helps to optimize company resources like capital,
equipment, and labor. The goal of JIT is the total elimination of waste in the
manufacturing process.

C. TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE

Machine breakdown is one of the major problems to production division. The
reliability of the equipment on the shop floor is very important because if any one
of the machines is down the entire shop floor productivity may be nil. The tool that
takes care of these sudden breakdowns and awakes maintenance as well as
production workers to minimize these unplanned breakdowns is called total
productive maintenance. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a maintenance
program, which involves a newly defined concept for maintaining plants and
equipment. The goal of the TPM program is to increase production, increase
employee morale and job satisfaction.

TPM is set of tools, which when implemented in an organization as a whole gives

the best utilization of machines with least disruption of production.

2.9 LEAN PRODUCTION:

Lean Production (LP) is a model of organization focused on the customer and

delivery of on time quality products, materials and information without any wastes,
i.e., activities that add no value to the products from the point of view of customer.
This designation, Lean Production means “doing more with less” where less
implies less space occupied, less transports, less inventories, and most important,
less human effort and less natural resources. LP had its roots in Toyota company
that designed, after the Second Great War, a production system, Toyota Production
System (TPS, which employed some pillars, like JIT production and automation
concepts and some tools to reduce lead times and the cost of products.
13
It was a book named – “The Machine That Changed the World”- written by James
P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones and Daniel Roos that gave the popularity to the Toyota
Production System (TPS).

Meanwhile, the Lean Production has evolved into a philosophy of thinking, Lean
Thinking whose basic principles are

1. Value
2. Value Stream
3. Continuous flow
4. Pull System
5. Pursuit perfection
These principles imply the dedication of all people, being the last one – pursuit
perfection (principle 5) – the one that implies the strongest and continuously
commitment of people in order to improve all the processes and activities in
companies, through the waste elimination.

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2.10 CHALLENGES IN LEAN IMPLEMENTATION
AND SUSTAINABILITY:

The challenges faced in the process of implementing and sustain lean is a tedious
job as the concept relates to time, cost, interest, and involvement, the concepts that
together support the new change for development in a firm. The study tells that
new firms introduce and accept lean manufacturing and other innovative concepts
than the old and existing firms. The forces opposing and driving a change to lean is
shown in image. The following important factor of resistance to change in
manufacturing sectors is

 Fear to change the legacy system with the new successful trends and
methodologies
 Not utilizing the opportunities and advantages of the new policies
 Market destabilization will lead to force the change, which will be in a non-
standard format.

Achieving sustainable work environment with Lean production

From the previous section, it was obvious that companies could save large amount
in reducing wastes, particularly of SME companies. With some exceptions,
garment companies are included in this category and presented many problems
such as accumulated stocks everywhere due to the wrong product produced, to the
anticipated production or to the large lots (overproduction), demotivation of

15
operators and high absenteeism, high level of accidents, operator’s specialization,
high energy and water consumption, high raw materials consumption and disposal,
high pollution of rivers, soil and air, among others.

According to the research, the apparel (garment) industry uses high volumes of
water in raw material production however authors are more concerned in the
manufacturing phase. This section mainly divulgates proposals to reduce the water
and energy consumption, environmental wastes and raw materials in
manufacturing phase. Additionally, proposals to improve leanness and agility are
summarized.

PROPOSALS FOR THE REDUCTION OF ENERGY AND WATER

CONSUMPTION:
This problem analysis could be detailed by technological process of the textile
industry: spinning, weaving, textile ennoblement (dyeing and finishing), knitting
and sewing. From all the processes, dyeing and finishing, are the one that consume
more energy and water: it is impossible to dye and finishing without water and
some processes have several washes, so, high water consumption and energy to
heat the water.

16
 Chapter – 03
METHODOLOGY

17
3.1 METHODOLOGY OF LEAN MANUFACTURING:

The initial state of performance and improvements after lean implementation were
measured through KPIs, such as dock-to-dock, on-time delivery, first-time-
through, fabric utilization, etc., generated from published records and the
company’s resource planning system.
Then the step-by-step implementation was carried out using the model developed.
The data to calculate KPIs were monitored and recorded throughout the period of
implementation for analysis purposes. The impact of lean manufacturing on the
organizational culture over the period of lean implementation was analyzed
through various layers of workforce, via interviews and observation of the
personnel who were directly involved with the implementation process.

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3.2 CASE STUDY ANALYSIS:

The company appointed a team comprised of internal staff and external experts on
lean to carry out and monitor the implementation process. The model was used as a
systematic approach in identifying and eliminating waste or non-value added-
activities through continuous improvement by making products on time with best
quality and lowest cost. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the
implementation process, different indicators were used mainly dock to dock
(DTD), raw material on time delivery (RM-OTD), floor space savings, first time
through (FTT), fabric Utilization ratio, plant efficiency and on-time shipment in
full (OTSF). Definitions of these indicators are listed in the appendix. These KPIs
were selected to provide a meaningful indication of performance in supporting the
success of their lean journey. The way each phase was carried out during the
implementation is discussed below.

3.2.1: CHANGE MANAGEMENT

This was a main objective and a challenge where the lean implementation team
(LIT) followed a well-planned approach to attract and align employees to the lean
culture based on Lewin’s force field analysis model (Lewin, 1947). The LIT also
used the action research approach as well as parallel learning approach for the
positive transformation of the culture. The team was intervening and resolving the
conflicts and issues encountered during the implementation phase. Employees at
all levels were encouraged and facilitated to actively take part in the problem
identification and applying relevant lean tools while customizing them to the
context of bulk apparel production. Top management commitment along with the
LIT’s strong belief of success was key for the positive culture shift. Dramas were
used to communicate well and establish the lean concepts among all levels of
employees. This approached helped to foster the idea of lean while eliminating
possible resistance for the changing culture.

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3.2.2: POLICY DEPLOYMENT

Objectives of the lean project aligned with the organization’s vision were defined
as the first step with the guidance of the top management. This vision was well
communicated and the commitment of all employees was focused towards
achieving the desired future state. The goals were high quality, low cost, and fast
delivery through shortening the production flow by eliminating waste. Traditional
mass production primarily focuses on the cost reductions through individual
efficiency gains within individual operations whereas lean manufacturing focuses
on quality and doing each activity right at the first time which will simultaneously
reduce cost and improve quality. Achieving lowest cost and shortest lead time are
essential to compete in the global apparel market. These two aspects are lagging
among all the Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers (Kelegama, 2005). Just-in-time
(JIT) and built-in quality concepts were used in addressing those aspects.

3.2.3: KNOWLWDGE MANAGEMENT

Awareness programs were conducted considering the employees’ educational

level. Training was conducted in the local language for sewing machine operators
together with other teaching aids to convey the message correctly. Furthermore,
workshops with practical demonstrations were used to improve the awareness on
lean among employees of all levels. Knowledge was shared amongst the executive
level and upper levels through structured training programs called Belt trainings.
There were three levels of belt training namely yellow, blue and black. At the end
of each training session, examinations were conducted to assess the knowledge
gained.

3.2.4: PARCTCIPATIVE MANAGEMENT

This strategy aimed at involving employees from multiple functions and levels to
work together to address a problem or improve a particular process. Employees
were welcomed to make suggestions to improve the current processes. These
kaizen activities played a vital role in participative management. Suggestion
pyramid was another method used to obtain the feedback of the employees and

20
sharing it with others. This was a pyramid structure displayed in the production
floor visible to all

21
encouraging others to generate their own new ideas thinking along the already
posted suggestions. Innovation of needle finder and button attaching using Bar
Tack machine were two key examples of this effort. Employees were rewarded
based on the financial benefits to the organization on the implemented suggestions.
Apart from that, Statistical Process Control (SPC) meetings were conducted by
production line supervisors along with machine operators to find solutions to their
work-related issues when practicing lean manufacturing.

3.2. 5: PROCESS MANAGEMENT

The case company used formal lean manufacturing tools and techniques to reap the
benefits by effectively amalgamating human resources with manufacturing
process. These include value stream mapping (VSM), 6S (5S and Safety), visual
management techniques (VMT), error proofing, kaizen, total productive
maintenance (TPM), standardization, quick changeover (QCO), line balancing and
kanban. In VSM, a work plan was prepared to achieve the future state map. A work
plan to address the opportunities revealed from brainstorming sessions was
developed which consists of measurable goals based on clearly defined lean
metrics. Furthermore, the initial 5S program was extended to the 6Ss introducing
safety as the 6th S where the 6S program ultimately provides a strong foundation
for higher quality and productivity, cost reduction, timely delivery, greater safety,
and higher employee morale. VMT facilitated in identifying real time process
information such as signaling of malfunctioned equipment and in conveying
information such as production line performance.

22
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed for individual
manufacturing processes such as cutting, raw material sorting, quality inspection
and laboratory tests using standard work sheets. Physical space and the
documentation practices were standardized through the 6S program.

The quick change-over (QCO) technique was used to shorten the work cell set up
times and a pre-preparation area was allocated allowing mechanics to perform
machine setting-up operations before style changes.

After a series of kaizen events on set-up time reduction, the changeover times were
reduced from 3 days to an average of 15 minutes.

The kanban system was implemented throughout the bulk production value stream
from material stores to the packing section with two types of card systems, namely
production kanban and withdrawal kanban. PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act /
Deming cycle) meetings were conducted at each production line to generate and
implement kaizen ideas while promoting a participative culture. These kaizen
projects were targeted on efficiency improvements, cost saving projects by
reducing overheads, sewing technique standardization and suppliers development
to minimize the quality inspection of all supplies thereby reducing non value
adding activities. It was interesting to note that the kaizen implementations coupled
with the reward system significantly improved the employee motivation towards
the new kaizen culture. The use of the aforementioned tools provided a direct
impact to the company’s set objectives and KPI’s during the lean implementation.

3.3 RECOLLING LEAN WITH OTHER SYSTEMS:

A. LEAN WITH TOYTA PRODUCTION SYSTEM
Although Lean Manufacturing originated with the Toyota Production System
(TPS), Lean Manufacturing has been adopted by many companies and has
therefore become broader than what TPS encompasses. TPS can be seen as the
way one particular company has implemented lean in a very pure form. In TPS,
several key themes are emphasized:

23
 1. Standard Work – All production process is highly specified in terms of
work content, sequence of events, timing and outcome. The objective is
to eliminate any variation in the way that workers perform their
responsibilities.
2. Direct handoffs – Every customer/supplier connection must be direct,
and there always must be an unambiguous yes-or-no way to
communicate production requests between suppliers and customers. This
ensures maximum accountability by suppliers and ensures optimal
communication flow.
3. Production flow - The pathway for every product and service must be
simple and direct, with a predetermined flow. This means that goods do
not flow to the next available person or machine but to a specific person
or machine and that this person or machine is as close as possible to its
supplier.
4. Worker empowerment for process improvement - All improvements
must be made in accordance with the scientific method, under the
supervision of an expert, but should originate at the lowest possible level
in the organization. Toyota encourages workers to propose improvements
to the production process which can be implemented on a trial basis, but
any changes to the production process must be defined in detail in
accordance with Toyota’s standards for Standard Work, as described
above.

B. LEAN SIX SIGMA

Six Sigma is a systematic methodology for breakthrough improvement of business

processes by identifying the causes of variation in the production process which
lead to defects and then eliminating that variation to minimize defects. Since a key
objective of Lean Manufacturing is also to eliminate defects, statistical and
problem- solving tools of Six Sigma can be used in the implementation of Lean
Manufacturing. Often, they are implemented concurrently in what is referred to as
“Lean Six Sigma”.

24
C. LEAN AND ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has its roots in Material Requirement

Planning (MRP) systems for which production is typically scheduled based on a
push-based production plan. The schedules are updated based on information on
production status which is fed from the factory floor back into the MRP system. A
frequent problem that emerges with MRP systems is that the data from the factory
floor on production status and inventory levels may be inaccurate or not entered on
a timely basis, causing the MRP system’s production plan to use some incorrect
assumptions which cause bottlenecks and/or cause the MRP system to intentionally
produce more buffer inventory as a precaution. Most ERP packages are designed
for push-based, centrally-planned production.
It should also be noted that ERP systems typically include a number of modules
that don’t specifically relate to production planning – such as accounting, financial
analysis, human resource management, sales management, etc. These can often be
very beneficial for the company and have no direct impact on the company’s
ability to implement lean manufacturing.

D. LEAN WITH ISO 9001:2000

ISO 9001:2000 is a quality management system which aims to ensure that the
company has basic systems in place to consistently meet the customer’s quality
requirements. Relative to ISO9001:2000, Lean Manufacturing may be seen as an
efficiency management system which aims to reduce all waste and inefficiency
from the production process. Although these goals are overlapping in some ways,
particularly insofar as they both should result in minimizing the level of defective
products delivered to customers, there are substantial differences. For example, a
company could have 100% conformity with ISO9001:2000 but still have very high
levels of waste and inefficiency. An important distinction is that ISO9001:2000
requires that the company’s processes meet certain minimum criteria, whereas
Lean aims for continuous improvement in the company’s processes, and provides a
set of methodologies to achieve that. In general, it is considered that ISO9001
provides a good foundation for Lean and that the two are complementary to each
other.

25
3.4 IMPLEMENTATION BY ANALYSIS IN CLOTHING
INDUSTRY:

The learning’s below are from analysis of a few organizations in the textile
clothing sector involved with lean initiatives:
A. ALWAYS A ‘BIG PICTURE’ APPROACH

This model emphasizes that an organization should always focus on long-term

thinking in business process re-engineering while respecting its people and partners
in their journey.
Some organizations may try to understand and implement lean without knowing
what the organization as a whole would want to achieve. For example, the
organization would want to move in to Just in Time (JIT) production considering
that it enhances speed. However, based on the organization’s processes, the cost of
supporting a team may increase drastically where the cost of operations will be
impacted.
The way to start would be to understand the ‘bigger pain’ points in the
organization as a whole and then think what is needed to change as priority. For
example, if the organization is suffering from severe working capital constraints,
changing the floor plan with lean will not be the answer but instead to get back to
the basics.

26
B. FOCUS ON SYSTEMATIC ELIMINATION OF WASTE AND
NOT JUST WASTE ELIMINATION:

The significant impact from lean comes with the focus on elimination of seven
kinds of waste in an organization’s process (Schonberg, 1986). This is an area
where the authors found that most organizations have benefited in operations.
The principles will direct an organization to differentiate and eliminate activities
which are non-value adding.
For example, there is a major contribution to an organization’s working capital
from its raw material sourcing and stock holding. The lean theory helps the
organization understand the causes of non-value add activities such as stock
holding and develop mechanisms to reduce same.

Many companies in the industry have originated from mass manufacturing and the
stock holding days averaged between 65 to 85 days. With lean implementation
they have managed to reduce stock holding to an average between 20 to 40 days,
which creates a positive contribution towards working capital management and
space saving.
27
Example: Space savings from managing inventory/supply chain logically.

C. GET MANAGEMENT ATTENTION AND USE THE WHOLE

ORGANIZATION

Many organizations start lean with a selected consultative team and allocate the
total responsibility on making the change while not necessarily providing the due
authority. Lean leads to more of a cultural change in an organization. Culture
involves people and the whole team. Therefore, the responsibility cannot be given
to a focused group but must be with the total management. One may ask why it
should only be the management. The answer to that is the culture of this country.
Organizations in Sri Lanka are driven with hierarchical layers no matter how open
the culture would be. Therefore, it’s the management that will drive the change in
any organization and not the workers. However, for ‘change’ to work, one may
have to consult all levels.

D. REVIEW FINANCIAL BENEFITS BUT DON’T PUSH FOR

TARGETS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY IMPACT
PERFORMANCE

This subject might become controversial for some but the correct implementation
of lean is expected to deliver positive financial results. However, pushing ideas
with a financial target in mind might not be the best approach. This could lead to
28
divided attention and sub-optimization.

29
The financial figures should be reviewed as a feed-back mechanism, where it
indicates whether the selected initiatives are working or not. For an example, the
company might put targets on stock holding days and control the inventory to
manage working capital. However, in an apparel manufacturing organization,
predicting the future issues and working to a plan with 100% accuracy is not
possible/ practical. Therefore, there needs to be some level of planning for
contingencies.
Strict control on inventory will result in a ‘sewing line open’ situation if the ‘in-
house materials’ are rejected due to quality concerns. In such a situation, the cost
of ‘stopping production’ could be much greater than the lean initiative.
Therefore, there should be a practical approach to what you would wish to
objectively target for.

E. MAKE IT SIMPLE

This would be the key to success in lean implementation. The lean theory may
sound very complex but the knowledge it gives will be basic and very practical for
a learned individual. However, when cascading the information to the next level,
convert the message to a known, simple language rather than using complex
words.
People should find lean to be easy to understand and implement rather than seeing
it as a complex animal.

30
Before implementing 5s on Fabric Store:

After implementing 5s on Fabric Store:

31
Before implementing 5s on Sewing Section:

After implementing 5s on Sewing Section:

32
Cellular Line Balancing:

3.5 GARMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS:

Lean is most widely used in industries that are assembly-oriented or have a high
amount of repetitive human processes. These are typically industries for which
productivity is highly influenced by the efficiency and attention to detail of the
people who are working manually with tools or operating equipment. For these
kinds of companies, improved systems can eliminate significant levels of waste or
inefficiency. Examples of this include- Wood-processing, Garments
manufacturing, Automobile assembly, Electronics assembly and Equipment
manufacturing.

33
3.5.1 INDUSTRY BACKGROUND:

The thesis is conducted in garment industry whose major products are Men’s
formal shirt in various order size. The factory consists of central cutting
department, 15 independent stitching lines and central finishing (packing) section.
Generally, operators are responsible for the quality of individual work, even after
that there is quality check (audit) at the end of each section (department) so that
there should not be any defective parts transferred from one section to another
section. The overall production flow chart of the sewing floor is shown in Figure:

Figure: Garment production process flow chart

Garment manufacturing process consists of series of different steps. These steps
are broadly divided into two categories pre-production and production process. The
preproduction process consists of designing the garment, pattern design, sample
making, production pattern making, grading and marker making. Once the sample
is approved for commercial production, final marker is made for cutting. The
production process consists of cutting, stitching (preparatory and assembly) and
finishing all these processes are described here.

34
3.5.2 CUTTING SECTION

In cutting section fabric rolls are inspected as per work order. These inspected rolls
are Separated on two sides as the quality pass and fail. The pass rolls are taken into
the next operation whereas the fail rolls returned to store with red tags on them.
After this, depending upon the order, size and quantity ratio; the spreader
spreads the fabric for cutting. Once cutting is done, bundles of approx. 20to 30
pieces are made and fusing is done simultaneously. After fusing, all the parts are
collected and put in the cutting audit. The bundles which pass the cutting audit
are forwarded to the sewing section (i.e. preparatory section) whereas the fail
bundles were reworked for correction.

Fig: Cutting section production flow chart

35
 PREPARATORY SECTION

In preparatory section individual parts are made for assembly purpose. It consists
of four sub sections Cuff, Collar, Front and Sleeve. Each of these sections includes
the series of different operations to complete that part. These final parts are
checked (or audited) so that defective parts should not go to the assembly
operations; the flow of operations for the preparatory section is shown in Figure:

Fig: Preparatory section production flow chart

36
In current situation, the preparatory operations are aligned in a single line in order
of operation sequence. There is a continuous long table between the machines
which serves the material flow from one operation to another. Once the operator
finishes his (her) operation he (she) pushes the WIP to the next operator in the
table and this process continues to the end.

3.5.3 ASSEMBLY/SEWING SECTION

This section consists of ten operations to make one full garment. The machines are
kept in single straight line according to the operation sequence. The final garment
from last operation is fully checked and corrected immediately for any defects.
WIP movement inside the assembly is made by the help of work aids attached with
each machine. The operator, after completing his (her) operation forwards the
semi- finished garments to the next machine with the help of work aids attached to
each machine. This process continues to the end of assembly line for each
operation
At the same time the required parts from preparatory are carried up to the assembly
section manually. The flow chart for the assembly operation is shown in Figure:

Figure: Assembly section production flow chart

37
3.5.4 FINISHING SECTION

Finishing section consists of three major operations: buttoning and thread cleaning,
ironing and final packing. But in some garment washing is needed, in this case
washing should be done before buttoning to minimize damages in garments for
longer washing cycles. In the case company after buttoning there is thread cleaning
section followed by ironing, finishing and packing. The operation sequence for
finishing section is shown in figure:

Figure: Finishing section production flow chart

38
3.5.5 STYLE COMMUNICATION

Style communication between different staffs and operators is critical part of

garment manufacturing to minimize style related confusion during production.
Because the fashion changes so frequently that there may be the need of producing
new styles every day, so in this situation if the production floor people didn't get
accurate information for the garment being produced chances of mistakes are high.
To minimize difficulties of this kind, there is pre-production meeting between
production floor supervisors, machine technicians and operators. The purpose of
this meeting is to communicate about the various requirements of the upcoming
style, for example critical operations on the garment, type of machine and machine
accessories required, garment specifications, type of seams, target production per
day, total order quantity, size ratio etc. In some industries trial production is done
for every new style, this helps to minimize the confusion and rejection during bulk
production. In this system commercial production starts only after checking the
final parameters of trial production. But nowadays, due to very small order quantity
(order volume) the trial production may not be feasible for each style. In such case
a clear information flow is of great importance.

39
3.5.6 EXISTING PRODUCTION LAYOUT

Existing layout of the sewing section (preparatory and assembly) is given flowing
Figure. In this layout, the individual parts are made in preparatory sections and
these parts are then transported manually to the assembly section. In the assembly
section, these parts are assembled to shape a final garment. There is quality check
at the end of each section to avoid defective parts to the next step. WIP movement
in preparatory section is made with the help of the long table along with machines,
whereas work aids attached with each machine serves this purpose in the assembly
section.

Figure: Existing production layout of stitching section

40
3.5.7 WIP MOVEMENT SYSTEM

There are different types of WIP movement systems applied in garment

manufacturing industries. Some of them are traditional, for example by trolleys or
by hand carry.
Some advanced factories use the slow-motion conveyor to move the parts from one
operation to another operation. The conveyor is designed such that it moves
according to the operation sequence. In this system, the first operator stitches and
puts the part in the conveyor, then the next operator receives that part. He also
sews it and puts it in the conveyor. In this way, the unnecessary movement is
reduced. This method is generally suitable for single piece movement. In some
industries, the work aids are designed such that the piece moves in forward
directions. When the first operator finishes his operation he gives it directly to the
next operator with the help of work aids, and this process continues. Thus, the
selection of the WIP movement method depends upon the design layout, the
technological advancement of the industry as well as expertise of the personnel.

41
 Chapter – 04
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

42
4.1 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

As the initial step a site tour was conducted with the management team and
followings observations were made.

4.1.1 ORGANIZATIONAL DISCIPLINES

Factory floor is reasonably clean but it must be free of anything in operation areas.
There is a scope for improvement. Some good visual control signs (e.g., hour by
hour board, floor marking and line identification) are in place. Some trails for
performance measurement board exist, but not working efficiently: no target, no
takt time, no abnormality management as well as no kaizen newspaper. Overall 5S
is not adequate and is given a low attention. 5S program must be promoted as a
pre- requisite of Lean Manufacturing implementation. Major improvements in
visual management can be made in order to incorporate abnormality management
helping to fix daily issues and to start process of continuous improvement.

4.1.2 MATERIAL FLOW AND PROCESSING

The site’s material flow is, at places, disjointed, resulting in excess transportation,
labor content and extended lead times. There are plenty of opportunities exist to
create better flow, to better synchronize processes with reduction in WIP as well as
lead time. There are many opportunities to improve flow and to move towards pull
system. Only production department has implemented line system. Furthermore,
there is no evidence of any “pacing” element in the lines to schedule delivery or
processing expectations. Improvements in this area will require TOP: Takt time
establishment, one-piece flow implementation and Pull production.

4.1.3 MACHINE UTILIZATION

No major setup time issues are observed in sewing lines. Reducing line setup time
tremendously is a future challenge, to provide more flexibility to customers’
requirements. No major machine utilization issues are noted.

43
4.1.4 QUALITY
Rework rates are very high as compared to industry standards. Abnormality
management with quick response time must be implemented first to reduce this
rework level. Improvement on supplier quality level is also a dramatic concern in
garment industry. Quality provided at final customer level is good but this quality
is produced at very high cost.

4.1.5 SEWING
There is always a challenge to run “One-piece flow” instead of batch with
imbalanced operations. One-piece flow will generate new opportunities for
improvement. Current “Hour by hour chart” does not demonstrate the initiatives on
abnormality management to solve day to day, hour by hour problems. Thus, line
management including line supervisor and production executive needs to play the
role of Lean leaders and prevent abnormal from becoming normal.

4.1.6 VISUAL MANAGEMENT

There is no evidence of visual control and visual management throughout the
whole system. Visual management has to be improved to see abnormalities easily
in both production area and warehouses. 5S is the first basic step of making system
more visual and it is below normal in warehouse areas as well as cutting and
numbering. SQCD (Safety, Quality, Cost, and Delivery) boards with adequate
performance measurement, abnormality management with quick response time as
well as Kaizen newspapers must be in place. Quick response time to problem
solving is a key success factor for employee’s motivation in Lean environment.
This is a key factor to sustain result successfully and to move to the next steps.

4.1.7 INVENTORY
RM - First, 5S is to be implemented at raw material, cutting and numbering
departments. Both inventory and lead time reduction must be managed in parallel.
Better control of inventory level will be achieved by introducing Pull system for
repetitive parts. Poor quality and long lead time for incoming fabric is always a
huge issue for garment industry. Negotiations must be done with the suppliers of
fabric in near future.

44
4.2 OPPORTUNITY TABLE:

Waste Type Opportunity

Transportation *Re-layout of washing & drying process

*Relocate panel inspection section inside the cutting department

*Reduce embroidery & printing lot size

*Reduce embellishment by giving accurate figure to suppliers

*Coordinate with embroidery/ printing plants and reduce their inventory

up to 2 days

*Start one-piece flow manufacturing in sewing department

Excess inventory
*Arrange shipment weekly basic to reduce to finish good inventory

*Reduce fabric inventory by having proper fabric in date

*Establish proper scheduling for ratio packing

*Use to folding board & tools to reduce packing time.

*Style wise locate the fabric in stores.

*Get down the fabric 7 to 10 days before PCF

waiting *Reduce relaxing time of fabric in the cutting department

*Establish an electronic indication method for mechanical soppy

over production *cut only next day sewing requiem

*Establish a visual link between cutting & production department

*Eliminate / reduce numbering process

*Eliminate repacking

45
4.3 GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION FOR CLEAR
UNDERSTANDING:

4.3.1 MATERIAL TRANSFER:

Time taken to transfer 100 pieces was 100 seconds. After Implementation it took
only 82 seconds for 100 pieces.
100-82=18 seconds. Therefore, Percentage reduction of material transfer is 18.

4.3.2 TRAVELLING DISTANCE:

Distance from Cutting floor to production floor:

The Travelling distance from cutting floor to production floor was 68 feet. After
implementation the distance was reduced to 10 feet. Therefore, reduction of
distance from cutting floor to production floor is 85.3%.
Distance from Cutting floor to inspection floor:

46
The Travelling distance from production floor to inspection floor was 40 feet.
After implementation the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore, reduction of
distance from production floor to inspection floor is 97.5%.
Distance from inspection floor to packing floor:

The Travelling distance from inspection floor to packing floor was 10 feet. After
implementation the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore, reduction of
distance from inspection floor to packing floor is 90%.

4.3.3 LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY:

The load carrying capacity was 19.2 Kg. After implementation the capacity was
reduced to 4 kg. Therefore, the load carrying capacity is reduced to79.17%.

47
4.3.4 PRODUCTION RATE:

At the earlier stage the production rate was19600 pieces/shift. After

implementation the production rate was increased to 27440 pieces/shift. Therefore
40.0 % of production rate is increased.

4.3.5 SETUP TIME (FOR NEW STYLE):

In the existing state the time required for change of setup from one style to another
was 28 minutes. Later it was reduced to 8 min 10 sec. Therefore, the setup time
percentage is reduced to 70.84.

48
Chapter – 05
CONCLUSION

49
5.1 CONCLUSION:

Manufacturers are under intense, remorseless pressure to find a new way to reduce
production cost, elimination of waste, enhance high quality of product, increase the
productivity, and better customer satisfaction. These parameters are usually
achieved through the implementation of lean management practices in their
industries. The traditional manufacturing practices are indicated inadequate
representation in lean management. This paper presented an important imminent
into the status of lean manufacturing implementation in manufacturing industries.
The progress in lean implementation is snail-paced and needs to be augmented. It
has a further scope to develop focused lean concepts, which could be implemented
in other kind of manufacturing environment like low volume, high variety and high
volume and low variety. The major reasons for the low level of lean management
were anxiety in changing the attitude of workers, lack of awareness, and training
about the lean management concepts, cost and time involved in lean
implementation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the manufacturing industry
needs to give more attention to implement lean management in all the key areas.
Hence, appropriate lean education, training, and research setup in association with
manufacturing industries are to stimulate the lean awareness and technological
development in all type of manufacturing industries. This helps to industries and
researchers create awareness about Lean Managements Tools, and techniques, so
as it could be supportive to opt suitable lean practices for implementation,
continuous development and for sustaining leanness in the competitive
environment of current scenarios. Conclusion of this survey reveals that the
successful Lean Manufacturing System implementation needs integration and
simultaneous implementation of Lean elements along with proper sequence. The
survey also proposes the detailed implementation Road Map which gives a unified
theory for Lean Manufacturing System implementation. Thus, the proposed
implementation structure reduces the implementation duration and reduces
manufacturing system divergence. As a result, it is proposed that the Lean
Manufacturing System can be sustained in competitive business environment.
Future research should try to find Scheduling structures in- line with EPEI pull
system by considering the whole lean elements.

50
5.2 RECOMMENDATION FOR FUTURE RESEARCH:

In this research, only the stitching operations of a formal shirt are standardized due
to time limitation and availability of running style during the time of research. But
this work can be extended for any new style and data bank should be prepared for
other styles also. This will minimize the duplication of work and it is easier to
calculate standard time of new style by reallocation of some operations over
existing. In the research the idea of cellular manufacturing has been implemented
to increase the productivity. This can be further improved by using the system of
group incentive and reward systems. Similarly, the sitting operations have been
converted into standing operations for the better movement of operators in between
the machines, from the perspective of work balancing and uniform work load
distribution. But it is necessary to understand whether this standing operation is
appropriate from the ergonomic point of view or not. Similarly, if there is any short
(long) term health problem of standing operation or not. Because most of the
workers were ladies and this mass consists of some pregnant women also. So, this
issue needs to be reviewed some other way also, rather than productivity point of
view only.

5.3 LIMITATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH:

The study has been conducted for a selected garment style in an organization in the
apparel sector in Sri Lanka. In future, researchers can deploy VSM for different
styles, for several organizations across the apparel industry. It is also possible to
examine the waste elimination level / improvement level over time during different

51
periods since present study has taken into observations one single time slot. (E.g.,
observing waste elimination over several discrete time periods and variation.

52
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