In this issue we venture into the cutting room and fabricreconciliation procedures and highlight priorities which can help improve competitiveness and eventually profitability.


The analysis is based upon the survey conducted by theMethods Apparel Consultancy. Ten factories were rated and 300 people wereassessed during the surveys in November-December, 2007 commissioned by theGerman Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in association with Okhla Garment andTextile Cluster (OGTC) to analyze current systems and advise ways to improve overall productivity. The survey was done in two parts, the first analyzing the factoryand the second evaluating the personnel.


A comprehensive checklist was developed which covered everydepartment and each point on the checklist was awarded a value of 1 to 5points, 5 being considered an International benchmark. The points awarded wereadded and a percentage score was calculated. Priorities for improvement for each department were established.


Cutting department -There is gold on your cuttingfloor


The Cutting room is one of the most important departments inthe factory; it scored a low 48 to 50% during the survey. The staff in many ofthese departments is not sufficiently fabric conscious. An improvement of 2% - 3% in utilization efficiency can make a huge difference to bottom line profitability. Comprehensive fabric reconciliation is essential; it is disappointing to see thatmost companies do not include this vital aspect in their controls.


Machinery


Machinery is generally well maintained. Fusing machines have proper maintenance schedule in place but regular temperature checks are notdone. Many cutting tables are of poor quality and not properly maintained. Mostlaying-up is done by hand. End cutters are not used as much as they should be.Pinning tables were used in only one factory.


Layout, Fixtures and Transportation


The floor layout is poor and work flow is unsystematic.Fusing machines and band knife machines are placed in corners. Storage andtransportation is poor in almost all cutting rooms. Fabric transportation ismanual in most companies. Storage of work is improper and under tables areuntidy.


Markers


  • Marker planning could be improved in some of the factories and as orders get smaller this becomes a vitally important feature in fabric utilization and cutting room productivity. The average marker efficiency was seen to be around 85%.



 


  • End loss losses are not well managed and were seen to be as much as 5-7 cms in some cases. The table length is often underutilized.
  • Markers are being made on the narrowest width resulting in width losses in excess of 2- 3 cms in many lays. The utilization of fabric width had a score of 40%. This is mainly due to the fact that fabric is not separated by width in the fabric store and hence markers are made to the minimum width.



Fabric Reconciliation


  • The majority of the companies do not have a properly managed fabric reconciliation system. This is a fundamental aspect of control in garment manufacturing systems which tell management what happens to every inch of issued fabric. To optimize fabric utilization it is imperative that accurate fabric reconciliation is done for every order.


 

Remnants


  • The remnant handling is poor. The measurement and management was rated at a very low level of 36%. The remnants were not measured properly. The storage of remnants was also not satisfactory. The remnants were simply kept in heaps under tables. Although remnant markers are made remnants are not fully utilized.



Numbering


  • The numbering system and number clarity is good. However, the position of numbering can be improved. A poorly positioned number sticker causes problems for the sewing operator since they have to remove and replace the sticker before completing the operation, wasting sewing time.


Operator Monitoring


  • There is no operator efficiency monitoring in cutting departments across the industry and in many cases score boards are not maintained.


Priorities


1)       Accurate Fabric reconciliations to be completed for each order.

2)       Standard times for each process must be established.

3)       An operator monitoring system to be introduced.

4)       Cutting room layout and the workflow investigated.

5)       End pieces and remnants should be properly managed.

6)       Markers made as per the fabric width.

7)       Work transportation trolleys and other work aids should be introduced.

8)       Simple laying-up aids introduced.


The article in the next issue will discuss production floors and its operations and illustrate priorities for the same.


(Surveys conducted by Methods Apparel Consultancy)


Source: AEPC Weekly