Apparel Internship

Sai Creations, Noida

Submitted by:
Preeti Baheti
Shubhi Agnihotri
Introduction 

The purpose of apparel internship was to provide the practical exposure to our theoretical
knowledge gained so far. The following export house, Sai Creations, Noida, imparted us with an
understanding from the way they do marketing to executing to the final shipment of an order.
Besides their own manufacturing unit, they also outsource the work such as dyeing, printing, etc.
Certain projects related to increasing efficiency and productivity of people and processes were done
such as of 5S implementation on sewing and finishing floor besides that two other projects were
carried as per the mentor direction related to SOPs and market research. The whole manufacturing
process in the fast fashion keeps the production team on its toes since if any depending variable for
example, if a fabric get delayed then it will affect each process of production.  
 About Company
Name
Year Of Establishment
Annual Turnover
Managing Director (Founder)
Co-founder
Company's Mission
Sai Creations- Star Export House
1994
80 crore
Raj Kumar Anand
Mrs. Anita Anand
• To meet and exceed their customer’s expectations
through innovative products delivered to agreed quality
standards, on time every time.
• To meet the career aspirations of their employees and
make the organization a fun place to work in.
• To fulfill the expectations of their shareholders, supply
chain partners and the communities they operate in.
Company's Vision To inspire and lead the Apparel
Industry through Integrity,
Innovation, Collaboration and
Operational Excellence.

Product Categories​ Apparels: Women’s & Kid’s wear​

Accessories: Scarves, Stoles, Bags.​
Home Decor: Cushion Cover, Bed
Sheets, Curtains, etc.​

Major Buyers OMNES, Forever 21, Cotton-on,

Supre, Karen Millen, Oasis, Dotti,
Typo, Ross, etc.
Process flow
of
Organization
 Merchandising Department

• Process of planning right merchandise at right

time in the right quantity and at the right price to
meet the needs of the company’s target
customer. 
• Merchandiser is the person whose responsibility is
to execute the orders perfectly as per the costing
and pricing. 
Process flow
of
Merchandisin
g Department 
Fabric, Accessories & Trims Store
• These departments are centralized in the apparel industry,
and all the fabrics and accessories first come from the
supplier to the unit and are audited here and kept until
distributed to other departments.
• Main responsibility is to store all the raw materials
needed to make the garments.
• The ERP used at present was GreenMaple, in the past
they have used Bluekaktus. 
Process flow
of Fabric
Store
Process flow
of Trim
Store
Sampling Department
• First stage for garment production is sampling. 
• From sampling, we get information related to cost,
timing, labor and production of garment production. 
• Also gives us market knowledge along with other
knowledge of garment production.  
• The sample in garment production is as important as
the foundation in building a house. 
Process flow
of Sampling
Department
 CAD, Spreading and Cutting Department
• The function carried out in the CAD department are
as follows: fabric consumption planning, cut planning,
marker making, data entry, lay report generation & pattern
plotting.
• The CAD department use Optitex for pattern making and
the marker plotter machine is Handbond-H8 Plus.
• In Spreading, normally 2-3 people are involved. 
• The general relaxation time for a lay was 4 hours which can
get reduced to 1 hour in urgency.
• The marker from CAD is stuck on the top of the layer.
• The Kingsew Straight Knife is used to cut the pieces.
Process flow
of CAD,
Spreading &
Cutting
Department
Sewing department
• Line setting & operator allocation: The line of
common garments like casual shirts can be set in 1 to 2 days
(8hr/day). The 3rd day peak production ranges from 350-
500 pcs/day.
• In-line checking of parts of a garment- random inspection is
done to narrow down the root of end line defect and of
critical operation. 
• End line checking of stitched garments- defects per hundred
unit (DHU) is calculated and 100% inspection is done here.
• The target production is like 15% of the order on the first
day of set-up then 30%, 45% and goes up till 60% for orders
of 5,000 pieces; 65% for 7,000 pieces; and maximum up to
70% for orders above 7,000 pieces.
Process
Flow of
Sewing
Department
 Finishing department
• Before finishing if washing is required then in-house four
types of wash happen- softener, neutral, optical and with a
fixing agent.
• Finishing activities are performed prior packing garments into
poly bags. 
• The major activities of a finishing department include thread
trimming, checking garments and ironing. 
• The folding, tagging and packing of garments are done in the
packing section in the finishing department.
• The 100% metal detection check happens before carton
packing. 
• Finally it is packed and after that final inspection is done by
the buyer or its nominated representative. 
• After, clearance from them it is shipped.
Process flow
of Finishing
Department
Projects

1. 5S Implementation on Sewing and Finishing Floors

2. Standard Operating Procedures 
3. Market Research  
Project 1: 5S Implementation
Objective & Problem Definition

Objective: The objective of the project is to provide Step Name Japanese term Explanation
an organised and tidy environment on sewing floor
and finishing floor and making it easy to locate items Remove unnecessary
1. Sort Seiri (tidiness) items from each area
and places on the floor which ultimately increases
the efficiency. 
Organize and identify
2. Set In Order Seiton (orderliness) storage for efficient
use
Problem Definition: In Sai creations, the problems
that occurred interfered in the lead time of an order 3. Shine Seiso (cleanliness)
Clean and inspect
like wasted or rejected materials mixing with the each area regularly
current order products, workers taking leaves Seiketsu Standardize the
because of illnesses caused by unhygienic 4. Standardize
(standardization) procedures
environment, rejection of garments by the buyer due
to mix match of the product parts, not being able to Assign responsibility,
locate parts of garments or garment bundles and 5. Sustain Shitsuke (discipline) track progress, and
wastage of space.  continue the cycle
Methodology 
Implementation of 5S on sewing floor

1. Sort (Seiri)

Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Unnecessary items lying on the Sorted them out on the basis of More cleaner floors and space
floor and kept on tables their requirement frequency  created for items needed
 2. Set in order (Seiton)
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Trims and accessories lying on the Placed them on the racks and Easy to locate trims and accessories
floor randomly assigned it for trims and accessories reducing searching time

          Before             After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Cut panels were lying at random Got segments constructed under the More cleaner floors and space
places on the floor tables behind each line created for items needed

          Before           After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

No designated place to keep rejected, Got 3 boxes placed under the in-line More cleaner floors and space
checking table with labels “Pass”, created for items needed and search
accepted and on-hold products
“Hold” and “Rejected”. time reduced

          Before           After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

No designated place for the workers to keep

their belongings so they used to keep them Got racks placed on each floor More cleaner floors and space
near their legs which might become a reason for the workers to keep their created for items needed and
for some kind of accident in future and belongings search time reduced
occupying space

          Before           After
3. Shine (Seiso)
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

The floors and pathways were Removed the unwanted pieces and More cleaner floors and space
always dirty, with cut pieces and kept the needed ones on the tables created for walking and in case of
threads lying all over the floor. and racks emergency

          Before     After
 4. Standardize (Seiketsu)
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

We asked the organization and got Helps in identification and distinguish

Unable to differentiate between
color-coded jackets for helper and between workers, helpers and
worker, helper and checker checker checker. 

Cost of a jacket – Rs. 150

Brand – KT Automation(India)
Item weight - 380g
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

The line masters and floor supervisors were

The floors were always instructed to source cut panels from cutting
overloaded with cut panels as department two times a day, i.e. (I) In the evening Clean and tidy floors and
easy to locate pieces for
they were sourced from the for the next days’ work of first-half and (II) Half-
cutting floor more than required an-hour before the lunch break; no more than sewing
required for each half in-order to avoid overload

          Before           After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Clean spaces created and there is no

Heaps of sewed products were lying Got the floor supervisors instructed
at a corner on the floor (result of to get the sewed products supplied sudden load on finishing
department to finish garments or
not delivering the products to the to the finishing floor after every 4
for keeping them acquiring
finishing floor for 2 or more days) hour
unnecessary space

          Before           After
5. Sustain (Shitsuke)

• Designed some 5S charts printed and pasted

on the sewing floor. The spots are clearly
visible to everyone who is facing that
direction.
• The charts were made in Hindi language for
ease of operators to understand.
• The training process of whole system
was drippled down from higher management
to factory manager to supervisor and then to
operators.
Implementation of 5S on finishing floor 

1. Sort (Seiri)

Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Unnecessary items lying on the

floor and kept on and under the Sorted them out on the basis of More cleaner floors and space
their requirement frequency  created for items needed
tables
 2. Set in order (Seiton)
Problem Identified
Cluttered pathways and no space for
walking and Sacks of garments to be
finished lying on the floor hence
increasing searching time and
obstruction in the walk pathways
          Before
Actions taken Results
We instructed the workers to put the
items on their designated places to
facilitate easy return and retrieval and
minimize time and effort and made
More cleaner floors and space created
walk paths clear using tapes. We
for items needed and searching time
instructed the workers to place the
fabric under the table with labelling of reduced.
the order number, style number,
colour and size.
          After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

We instructed workers and got sorted

Rejected and accepted garments them out and trained workers to label Hence reducing time to find and
were not labelled creating a the green boxes as rejected garments distinguish between accepted or
confusion for the workers boxes and we assigned blue coloured rejected garments 
boxes for the accepted garments  

          Before           After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Personal belongings of workers like water

We requested the HR department
bottles, bags, purses and helmets were lying to place a rack especially for Creating more space for
under the checking tables and thus were
keeping these personal necessary items
acquiring the spaces designated for keeping belongings 
the sacks and rejected or accepted garments

          Before           After
Problem Identified Actions taken Results

Rejected garments were piled up near We removed these garments and

the fire extinguisher making it difficult to told them to place these in the Creating more space for
deal with the fire situation if any mishap rejection room and send it back for emergencies
happens correction

          Before           After
 3. Shine (Seiso)
Problem Identified Actions taken Results
We instructed the workers to put the extra
plastic bags in which the bits of trimmed threads
and paper bits can be stored and then ultimately
Extra trimmed threads, paper disposed of into a proper dustbin. This will Creating and maintaining
slips of tags and plastics lying on prevent the bits from falling on the ground and cleaner and more hygienic
the floor. creating clutter. we made sure proper cleaning is working environment
done in the morning before starting the work, in
the lunch break and in the evening after the
workers leave. 

          Before
           After
• The Standarization step was followed by fixing the location and procedure of the work beside
that similar to sewing floor jackets were introduced to distinguish the in-charge, so, that one
can directly contact him/her. 
• For Sustaining, we placed the charts similar to that in Sewing floor. There was an idea of making
an audit report format to ensure that the introduced process is being followed.
Result- 
As we contemplated, the speed and efficiency increased and thus the lead time was reduced, as well as
more space was created, therefore, no extra space was required to keep the input products,
thus, reducing in- line inventory cost and eliminating wastage. Previous output of finished product= 320-
350 pcs/hr. Output in a week of applying 5S = 340-380 pcs/hr. In sewing floor locating raw material was
easier but there was no effective change in the output.

Conclusion-  
The implication of 5S on floor helps in delivering the following: 
• Consistency: More organized workplace maintain a better consistency among workers.
• Efficiency and speed: Clean and organized floor make it easier find materials when needed leading to
better efficiency
The procedures doesn't guarantee excellent performance nor good results. However, it ensures that a
company  have an organized, tidy and well-settled environment, as well as a motivating culture.

Learning Experience- We learned a bunch of new skills including a very important, i.e., people
management and realised about the issues that arise when you apply a tool in a practical scenario.
Since it was our first industry enc, we learned how to convince industry people for our ideas and how to
put forward our views and highlight issues in a professional manner. 
Project 2: Standard Operating Procedures
What are SOPs?
Specific to operation, an SOP describes the activities necessary to complete tasks in accordance with
industry regulations, provincial laws or even just one’s own standards for running business. SOPs are
procedures, policies, and standards one needs in the operations, marketing and administration
disciplines within the business. 
Problem definition and methodology:
• Any industry or business that has quality standards must have an SOP. In the absence of SOPs the
problems observed were long halts due to unnecessary delays and thus leading to inconsistency. 
• The general methodology followed is: 
• Observation in the different departments process flow and writing them down 
• Analysis of the issues and charting a Standard Operating Procedure to prevent the issues from
arising again. 
• Discussing them with the Operations Manager and making people understand its benefits. 
SOP of
Merchandising
Department
SOP of
Fabric Store
SOP of
Cutting
Department
SOP of
Sewing
Department
SOP of
Finishing
Department
Conclusion 
Apparel production demands organized and timely output. SOP proves to be an extremely useful
business tool as it communicates the correct way of carrying out an activity within the organization. 
It helps deliver the following:
• Consistency– Procedures are made for consistency in the process. The more consistent a process is
from person to person, the less chance there will be of quality problems.
• Reduction of errors– A written procedure details a set of instructions for performing a task. As long
as each individual within the team performs the task as directed, less errors will be observed. 
• Communication– SOPs are beneficial for communication. Short and crisp instruction, updating
them requires new training. Updating SOPs provides a method to communicate the process
changes to employees. 
• Procedures are not a be-all, end-all solution– SOPs will ensure that an organization have structured
quality system and processes in place and informed employees. They directly doesn't affect the
productivity of organization.

Learning outcome
We all know the benefits of following a routine but discovering its benefits in a manufacturing
environment was new for us. It made us realize why and how standard operating procedures are
helpful to a corporation practically. We learned the processes of the different departments in detail. 
Project 3: Market Research
Introduction

Market research is a detailed study of every event and product that is popular in the market, the
business rivals, threats, etc. It helps to understand what the customer/consumer wants, needs, desires
for. 
Wittybae (for women) was a brand founded by Mr. Rahul Anand and Mr. Akash Anand, the Directors of
Sai Creations. The brand was doing well for some period of time but then it collapsed. The demand for
their products decreased while their inventory was still not empty. They had to sell all the left-over
product on loss and then they shut the brand in  2017. This was all the result of poor market research
and poor strategy. Now, they want to restart their brand Wittybae and 2 other brands dedicated
purely for kids and men. 
Lean canvas
Outcome 
The result of this research resulted Mr. Anand and all of us realized the mistakes that were made earlier
and we helped him with the detailed analysis about this brand's competitors also. This made his work to
start the brand again easier and more clear.

Conclusion
Market research is the base to a business, and this cannot be done wrong or the consequences can be
very harsh. One wrong information can ruin the complete research and also waste all the efforts and
investments made for the business.
This does not guarantee hundred percent profit but if done right then it makes sure that business does
not fail and instead rises with at least baby steps.

Learning outcome 
As our interdisciplinary minor we have been studying marketing but applying it practically gave us a lot of
confidence and we learned about different customer bases and what factors affect the buying decision of
the customers. We also learned a new tool called lean canvas that helps you identify problems and jot
down solutions as well. This tool is not only smart but it makes the picture more clearer and makes you
visualize things a lot better. 
Learning experience of the internship

Our internship at Sai creations, Noida over the period of six weeks has been a highly enriching
experience. We received the practical acumen of operations of various departments. This has led to
belief that studying a subject and implementing it in a real scenario are two completely different
tasks. 
All the three projects that we did during our internship gave us deeper knowledge in various fields and
led to our practical involvement in the industry. 
As a part of the internship we visited various departments and experienced first-hand how a garment
industry functions.
In the pursuit of our project work we learnt that soft skills play a major role in receiving information
and having one's work done. We also got the opportunity to interact with workers and our seniors for
the information and learning. 
References

• ASQ Quality Press. What are the five S'S of Lean. https://asq.org/quality-resources/lean/five-s-tutorial

 
• Oragui, D. How to Write Effective Standard Operating Procedures.
https://helpjuice.com/blog/standard-operating-procedure 
• Ordnur. Merchandising Duties and Responsibilities in Garments Factory.
https://ordnur.com/apparel/merchandising-duties-and-responsibilities-in-garments-factory/ 
• Tallyfy. How to Write a Standard Operating Procedure.
https://tallyfy.com/write-standard-operating-procedure-sop/ 
• Textile Academy. Role of Merchandiser with Different Departments.
https://www.onlinetextileacademy.com/Role-merchandiser-departments-garment-industry/ 
Thank you