Broken Needle and Auxiliary

Sewing Tool Policy

Columbia Sportswear Company requires that no metal items used in production of materials, trims or completed
packaged product make it to the final consumer where there is potential for injury.

Auxiliary Tools Policy

Columbia Sportswear requires that suppliers follow a strict auxiliary
tools control policy which is defined as follows:
1. No pins or staples should be used during any stage of Columbia
Sportswear production.
2. All auxiliary sewing tools such as trimmers, scissors or any other
sharp metal object used during the course of production should be
attached to the machine or table top.
Sewing Needle Policy

Columbia Sportswear requires that all suppliers follow a strict needle

control system which is defined as follows:

1. There must be only one person responsible for dispensing sewing

needles.
2. The responsible person must keep the needles in a safe, locked
location and keep detailed records to confirm that no needles are lost in
production.
3. If a needle is broken during manufacturing then the following process
must be followed:
• Stop the machine
• Inform the supervisor
• Locate all broken needle parts
•• Return broken parts to the needle control person.
• Needle control person will record the information on a broken needle
log and issue a new sewing needle to the supervisor
 Finished Garment Testing
The testing of the finished garment provides Columbia Sportswear with the first opportunity to know how a
garment is going to perform after different materials are sewn together and in some instances being subjected to
additional finishing procedures.

Procedure:
• Two garments of each colorway should be pulled for wash testing. One will be tested and the other will be used as
a standard reference.
• Condition the garments to be tested a minimum of 4 hours until the garment has reached a state of equilibrium
with the atmosphere. (Use ISO 139 Standard Temperature)
• On the test report record the temperature and humidity at the time of the initial and after was evaluation
• Examine the production garment to determine if it was made according to PDM
• Verify that the care instructions are correct in the garment (care label matches PDM)
• Inspect the garment for physical appearance and irregularities
• Inspect the garments for color quality issues, crocking or color migration. Color migration may originate from
piecing light colors or white with darker colors, threads used for construction, embroidery, or screen printing.
• Measure and record the chest width and body length measurements for tops and the hip and inseam (or skirt
length) measurements for bottoms.