APPAREL PRODUCTION Prof.

Lipsa Mohapatra

SYSTEMS FMS Department

WHAT IS A PRODUCTION
SYSTEM?
 Integration of
a) Materials handling
b) Production processes
c) Personnel
d) Equipment
That directs workflow and generates finished products.

Workflow is the movement of materials and garment processes

through the conversion process.
Can be impacted by
e) Part of a production process
f) Constraints
MANUFACTURING –
COMMONLY USED TERMS
1. Lead time - time between order placement and order delivery
2. Throughput time-amount of time taken by a single unit of style to go through the production
process from cutting to finishing.
3. Work- in - process -the no. of garments that are under production at any given time.
4. Balancing - the process of planning a smooth work flow with a steady supply of work for each
operation. It involves planning and scheduling input based on the demand for finished parts and
products.
5. Work Flow - movement of the materials and garment parts through the conversion process.
6. Buffer - is planned backlog of work that is available for processing for each operation
7. Throughput volume - is the volume of work that can be completed in a given amount of time.
8. Bottleneck - any area or operation that tends to slow down the entire systemic flow of the work
and causes delays in completing the work at the expected rate.
PROGRESSIVE BUNDLE
SYSTEM
1. Traditional production system
2. Widely used in the apparel industries for many decades till today. 
3. In this system bundles of garments parts are moved in sequence from one sewing machine operator to the next.
4. Each worker receives a bundle of unfinished garments and performs a single operation on each garment in the bundle.
5. After finishing the task the worker passes the bundle to the next oprerator in sequence.
6. Each PBS task is given a target time or “SAM” (Standard Allowed Minutes).
7. Time study engineers calculate the SAM for an entire garment for an experienced worker as the sum of the number of minutes
required for each operation in the production process, including allowances for worker fatigue, rest periods, personal time and so on.
8. The success of PBS depends on how the production system is set up and used in a plant.
9. In the cutting section cut components of one style and in one size are clubbed and bundled using ties. Bundle sizes could vary from 2
to 100 pieces according to the requirement of the production plant. Each bundle contains pieces of the same style and same size
only. A ticket number will be allotted to each bundle which represents style, size, shade of the garments and number of cut pieces
etc.
10. The bundles of cut parts are transported to the sewing section and given to the operators scheduled to finished the operation. Thus
bundles may be handled from one sewing station to another in various form such as tied bundles, bags, pocketed bags, bundle
trucks, boxes and baskets etc.
FEATURES
1. Sewing operations are laid out in sequence.
2. Each operator receives a bundle, does his work, reties the bundle and passes it to
the next operator.
3. The garments are gradually assembled as they move through successive sub-assembly and main
assembly operations in bundle form.
4. There is a storage facility such as rack, bin or table for storing the inter-process
work between each operation.
5. The work is routed by means of tickets.
6. The use of the system decrease as firms seeks more flexibility.
7. Machines and operations are organized into sections according to basic functions,
which produce subcomponents.
8. Within each section, works are balanced according to the time required for each sub-function.
9. The amount of machinery for each operation is determined by the output required.
10. This system is the most widely used system in the garment industry today.
11. It is used in shirt factories, jeans factories, jacket factories, etc.
ADVANTAGES OF PROGRESSIVE
BUNDLE SYSTEM
1. It allows high productivity.
2. A high level of labor utilization can be achieved and helps in reducing time and cost.
3. An uniform high quality of work can be ensured by in-process control.
4. Laborers of all levels (unskilled, skilled, semi-skilled labors) are involved in this system where
the operations are broken into simple operation. Hence, the labor cost of labor is low.
5. Individual performances can be monitored and incentives offered.
6. Due to bundle system, less chance to lot mix-up, size and shade variation of cut garment
pieces.
7. Tracking of bundles is possible, so identifying and solving the problems becomes easy.
8. An efficient production control system and quality control system could be implemented.
9. Small bundles allow faster throughput unless there are bottlenecks and extensive waiting
between operations.
DISADVANTAGES OF PROGRESSIVE
BUNDLE SYSTEM
1. Time-consuming due to assembling, moving, tying and untying of bundles.
2. Line balancing becomes difficult most of the time and this problem is solved by
effective production supervisor and IE Engineers.
3. Slow processing, absenteeism, and equipment failure may also cause major
bottlenecks within the system.
4. Large inventory, extra handling and difficulty in controlling inventory.
5. Inventory cost will be high due to higher WIP in each.
6. Proper planning is required for each batch and for each style, which takes lot of time.
7. Variety of styles and less quantity is not effective in this system.
UNIT PRODUCTION SYSTEM / OVERHEAD
PRODUCTION SYSTEM / HANGER
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
1. The unit production system (UPS) for apparel industries is a flexible material handling
system that requires a computerized overhead transportation system to move the
garment components automatically from one workstation to the next according to a pre-
determined sequence.
2. It replaces the traditional garment production system of handling, bundling, tying and
untying, and manually moving garment parts.
3. It provides uninterrupted workflow to the workers and helps to improve work efficiency
and product quality. In the fast-moving fashion and apparel industry, this is highly
essential.
OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF
UNIT PRODUCTION SYSTEM
This system is designed based on the following principles
1. An operator set the process in the control station.
2. Worker loads the cut pieces in a hanger from the loading station
3. The hanger routes to the next workstation automatically according to the predetermined process in the control
station.
4. Product is put together at every stage at each subsequent sewing station
5. Product gets checked at the quality & control station (in line)
6. Product continues to be pieced together at the next subsequent stations
7. Final product gets checked and approved
8. Approved product lands at the unloading station
9. The empty hanger returns to the loading station.
COMPONENTS OF UNIT
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
UPS consists of different types of element, such as
1.Computer with Software
2.Hanger with Microchips
3.Overhead Conveyor with solid and strong structure
4.Easy Push Button
5.LCD Control Panel
6.LED Screen  
FEATURES OF A UNIT
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
 This system concerned with a single garment and not bundles.
 Layout design can be U, L, J, S and E shaped.
 This system is entirely computer controlled.
 It uses an overhead transportation system that automatically routes and deliver the cut pieces to each sewing
station.
 Some Manufacturer applies the ethernet communication mode that can communicate by point-to-point.
 Even if one station does not work, the whole system still works normally.
 The system can identify whether the atmospheric pressure is normal and will auto-alarm when the air pressure is
below the system requirements.
 It has been ergonomically designed to reduce the amount of handling of the garment.
 The UPS is expensive (800-2000 USD/Station) to install, but it allows manufacturers to respond quality to the
demand of suppliers.
 This system is capable for rework easily. Because each garment is tracked within the system and any problems to
with quality control can be traced back automatically to the operator to be corrected.
• This system also records all data in each workstation within the line and compute them for
Management Planning & Control.
•  The workstations are constructed as close as possible to the operator. So, the components are sewn
without removing from the hanger in most of the cases.
•  Sewing operators concentrate on sewing without worrying where workpieces are coming from and
should go to.
•  The system is highly flexible and can rapidly be modified to changes in the production line or the need
for expansion.
•  Up to 40 garment styles can be produced concurrently on this system.
•  It is possible to produce multiple designs, colors and sizes at the same time in the same production
line.
•  It can be widely used in garment factories, especially for knitted/woven, trousers/shirts and other
clothes.
ADVANTAGES
• Bundle handling completely eliminated.
•  UPS increase production efficiency 15-30%.
•  Decreased work in process (WIP), improved space utilization, and increased productivity are but a few
of the systems benefits.
•  Support multi-order, multi-style and small batches production.
•  Reduce production cycle.
•  Improve the machine utilization, reduce the handling and increase the moving time of needles.
• Generate real-time performance report.
•  Create a clean and tidy work environment.
•  Easy and efficient staff assignment with minimum human resources.
ADVANTAGES
• Improved lead timeless work in process.
•  Improved space utilization.
•  Better handling of garment without touching the floor.
•  No chance of serial and sequence mistakes.
•   Output is automatically recorded, eliminates the operator to register the work.
•  Increase enterprise image.
•  Rework can be done easily.
•  Labor costs reduced by elimination of bundle handling and employee attendance improved.
•  Less rejection and automatic counting of the finished product.
•  Required minimum ironing due to the hanging of garment pieces.
DISADVANTAGES
• Huge amount of cost, installing a UPS include costs of buying equipment.
•  Special training required for the system and for the employees.
•  Downtime is a potential problem with any of the systems.
•  Proper planning is required to be effective.
•  The payback period of the investment takes a long time.
•  Variety of styles & less quantity are not effective in this system.
•  Shuttle operators and utility operators needed in every batch to balance the line effectively.
•  Proper maintenance of equipment and machinery is needed.
 MODULAR PRODUCTION SYSTEM |
CELLULAR GARMENT
MANUFACTURING | TOYOTA
SEWING SYSTEM
•Modular production system involves a group of 4-17 people who set their own
standards and work together to produce a finished garment.
•They work as a team or module and each team member works on more than one
operation.
• In this system, operators help each other to finish the garment quickly and the team is
fully responsible for the production and quality.
•The number of teams in a plant varies with the need of the industry, size of the industry
and product line in garments.
•This system (MPS) is the perfect solution for the apparel manufacturer where quick
response is needed. This system is also popular as a Cellular Garment Manufacturing,
flexible workgroups or Toyota Sewing System (TSS).
FEATURES OF A MODULAR
PRODUCTION SYSTEM
• Usually U-shaped layout with more workplaces than operators.
• Required multiskilled workers and a small set of machines to produce a finished garment.
• Each operator performs approximately 2-4 operations, depending on the product.
•Workflow is sequential.
• WIP is less and productivity is high in this production system
• The operators stand /sit at their stations and rotate in different sewing machines to complete the
operations.
• Pull-type production systems, in which the job order arrives from the last step to previous steps
• Time spent per garment is also little; e.g. T-shirt 3 mins, Pull-on pants 6 mins., unstructured
jacket 25 mins., lined blazer 40 mins., tailored coat 120 mins.
ADVANTAGES
• MPS leads to cost savings.
• The system is highly flexible with style changes and permits better line balancing.
• Enables fast throughput time, lower WIP, and small batch size can be achieved.
• Peer pressure encourages a team spirit and discourages absenteeism.
• Productivity of human labour
• Reducing supplies of unfinished production
• Required less floor space
• Improved quality of the product
DISADVANTAGES
• High capital investment is needed in initial training workers to deal with several
tasks
at one station.
• This system requires a higher degree of communication and cooperation among
operators, mechanics, and supervisors.
• Operators cannot develop the rhythm and pace of high performance.
• No harmony between team members can cause problems, thus loss in production.
• Depend on the Team for whole Production.
APPLICATIONS
• Fashioned garments with quick response.
• Orders with low volume and frequent changes.
• Company with mutual trust between management and operators.