National Institute of Fashion Technology

HYDERABAD
Master of Fashion Management (2013-15)

APPAREL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Quality Assurance Process For A
Manufacturing Unit - Trousers

Submitted By: Submitted To:
Chahat Jain (6)
Greeshma Vs ()
Isha Jain (15)
Raj Kumar ()



INTRODUCTION TO GARMENT MANUFATURING
Garment manufacturing is an assembly- oriented activity with a great range of
raw materials, product types, production volumes, supply chains, retail markets
and associated technologies.
Companies range from small family business to multinationals.
The clothing industry is labour intensive industry.


DEPARTMENTS IN GARMENT MANUFACTURING UNIT






MANUFACTURING WORKFLOW
Consumption planning to order fabric
Fabric order placement
Receipt of fabric
Fabric inspection
(Check physical appearance and properties)
Marker Planning
(For bulk production)
Sampling
Spreading & Cutting
Presewing operations
(Fusing, embroidery, marking- if required in style)
Bundling
Feeding in lines
(As per production plan)
Finishing
Packing
Warehousing
Packing and dispatch

GARMENT ENGINEERING
It starts in design development stage because it directly affects the
costing of the garments .
People involved: Designers, sample room manager, industrial
engineering department and production management should all report
from cutting to finishing.
Key areas for analysis:
Seam types Various seam types should be analyzed and
considered to simplify/reduce the work.
Stitch types- Explore various options in terms of seam types. For
example replace lock stitches by chain stitch in case of
Multineedle seams.
Machine types- Optimum use of technology to maximize, look in
to machine type, bed shapes and automation thats possible.
Attachments Attachment help in simplifying and reducing the
work content and to increase line balancing efficiency.
Special work aids- Special work aids can be used to
simplify/reduce the work content.
Fabric consumption- Fabric being 70% of the garment cost is
vitally important to monitor and if the engineering is done
properly we can certainly expect to save fabric or reduce
consumptions.
Cutting- how should it be done- we do not have Tailors now, we
have operators instead and they should be working with clippers
in their hands

Finishing- Finishing is the last link of the value chain which is
essential for p erformance point of view.

CAD DEPARTMENT
Receiving tech pack: Tech pack is received from Head office that contains all the
information regarding the style illustration, size, trims, colors, stitch and seam class, fit,
sampling details, and packing and finishing details.

Make basic pattern: Basic pattern is made manually by pattern master in one base
size.
Digitizing: This base size is then digitized on the Gerber digitizer board.

Grading: After digitizing, its transferred to the computer on Gerber pattern design studio.
Patterns initially are made in only one size. We need to proportionally increase or decrease the
size of a pattern, while maintaining shape, fit, balance and scale of style details. Getting correct
fit and drape of a garment but also maintain the measurements as graded specs is essential.
Using the CAD system, the pattern is resized according to a predetermined table of sizing
increments (or "grade rules"). The computerized plotter can then print out the pattern in each
size.
Incorporating shrinkage in pattern grading
- First fabric has to be relaxed so that there is no tension or strain during rolling or
unrolling while layering or cutting. This will ensure that there is minimum shrinkage in
garments.

- So unwashed garments are made with additional shrinkage tolerance included so that
they gain their original measurements after washing.
- Woven fabric garments shrink about 2-3%. This shrinkage incorporated in patterns could
be lengthwise or width wise depending on type of fabric.


Shrinkage adjusting
Shrinkage adjustments should not distort the original shape and balance of the patterns. When
shrinkage is applied to a panel in garment all corresponding patterns must also be applied with
shrinkage adjustments.

Gerber plotter printing: The patterns are then printed on the Gerber plotter. They
are then pasted to thick aortic sheets and converted into full fledged patterns.

Send patterns to cutting department

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Efficiency: Marker plans indicate efficiency of the cutting process i.e. the efficiency of
fabric consumption.
Lay plan: determines the no. of lays required to cut the specified quantity in the
predetermined size ratio.
Precision in checks in stripes



FABRIC STORE
This is the most important department of the unit, where in the quality and quantity of fabric is
inspected as soon as it is received in the store, along with storing and maintaining stock levels
and ensuring to stock up in proper clean way.
When the fabric is in-house, it should be capable of being supplied to the cutting department.
Inspection is done prior the cutting room issue so as to remove the defective fabrics.
WORKFLOW OF FABRIC STORE












Receive P.O at head office
D/O
Fabric received at gate (challan)
Document are sent to
dept for checking
Documents verified

Bales received in fabric dept

Bales counting Fabric unloaded
Swatches and cuts maintained Bales opened
JC & GRN Made
Checking 4 point system
Fabric mounted on greasy perch
Fabric sent for inspection
FCR prepared Fabric stored



FABRIC VISUAL INSPECTION
The 4 point system is generally used for fabric inspection. In this system, points
are assigned for every possible defect in the fabric as follows.
Width wise point criteria Penalty points
Upton 3 1 point
3-6 2 points
6-9 3 points
9 4 points

Length wise point criteria Penalty points
Upton 5 1 point
3-6 2 points
6-9 3 points
9 4 points

Area wise point criteria Penalty points
1X1 cm float 1 point
Upto 1X1 cm hole/stain 2 points
Over 1X1 cm to 2X2 hole/stain 3 points
Over 2X2 cm hole/stain 4 points

Yarn variation/Beam
motion/Barre effect
Penalty points
Minor 2 points
Major 4 points
Fabric issued to cutting room as and when required.

3 points and 4 points are pointed and are called cutable defects.
1 and 2 point are identified by stickers and panels replaced cutting.
The maximum points and flags allowed as follows:-
FABRIC Max. no. of
allowed points
Max. no. of flags
per linear mts.
100% cotton and its blends 40 5
100% linear and its blends 40 4
Defect points/100m2 = Total pointsX3600/Fabric widthXFabric length.
If defect points/100m3 < 40 then accept the fabric.
If defect points/100m3 > 40 then reject the fabric.

Major woven defects : slubs, holes, missing yarns, yarn variation, end out,
soiled yarns, wrong warns.
Major dyeing or printing defects: out of register, dye stops, machine stops,
color out, color smear, or shading.

These defects are marked wth colored tape so that they can be easily
located.
Others Penalty points
Patta Cutable defect
Count or composition variation Cutable defect
Short end Reject roll
Selvedge loose Reject roll
Wrong drawing Reject roll
Reed marks Reject roll
Temple marks Reject roll
Damaged selvedge Reject roll
Wrong weave Reject roll


FABRIC INSPECTION MACHINE
This is used to inspect the fabric defects and measure the total meters of the fabric. Machinery
Brands include Kaigu, Aura, Ramsons checkmate.
FABRIC TESTS

o Fabric Shrinkage is a very important factor for any physical inspection. Mistakes in
appropriate checking might prove disadvantageous for the pilot run followed by
production. An optimum conduction of the width and shrinkage properties has to be
made. The fusing of lining to some parts may also be done in the cloth store. If the shrink
characteristics are consistent, then the patterns may be designed to the correct oversize
and sampling checks for consistent shrinkage carried out. Color changes can also occur at
the time of fusing as the temperatures might have been controlled or were out of the
prescribed limits.

E .g Size of the fabric= 100 * 100
Or
50 * 50

According to the above picture, a fabric piece of the above mentioned specification is cut
and marked accordingly. Then a wash with a soft enzyme is given. The deviation is
shrinkage if any is marked between the points. Shrinkage of 1-1.5 cm is acceptable. If it is
more than this then the merchandiser is supposed to take the desired action.
o Color Fastness or Crocking: In order to check color fastness, 2 fabric swatches are taken.
On 1 of the swatch, a white seam is put on all the four sides of the fabric. Both of the them
are washed and the results are compared. If it is stained or slotted then its rejected.

o C.S or Centre Selvedge test: This test is used to check the color variation in the fabric.
Full width of the fabric is taken (length can vary according to requirement say 10). The
Fabric is divided into 6 pieces and their grain line is marked.





These pieces are then cut and re stitched in a random series. For e.g. 3, 6, 2, 5, 4, 1.
When we arrange these fabric pieces in a series, we can see the shade variation in the same
fabric. Noting of this variation is very important at the time of cutting.
Maximum CS is seen in solid/printed fabrics as compared to stripes and checks.



o Others include dry clean and washability, abrasion resistance, pilling (especially for mixed
fibers), Bow and skew (using a ruler and set square for checks and stripes), Drape and crease
resistance (that includes permanent press capability), Strength (tensile, tear and bursting (for
seams), Flammability, Surface wetting and penetration.

FABRIC DEFECTS
o Abrasion Mark: A place in the fabric where the surface has been damaged
due to friction or abnormally weakened by any operation through which it
has been passed.
o Misprint: In printed fabrics, either missed, or partially missed, or incorrectly
positioned relative to each other.
o Double Pick: Two yarns running simultaneously, mostly in the weft yarn.
o Oil Stain: Oil mark on the fabric.
o Hole: A breakage of yarns in the fabric involving more than two yarns.
o Bow: When the weft/filling yarns lie in an arc across the width of the fabric.
o Skew: Distortion in the construction of the fabric i.e. in the yarn that
constitute the fabric.

o Crease: A fabric defect across the fabric width usually caused by a sharp
fold.
o Dye Stain: An area of discoloration due to uneven absorption of colorant.
o Miss-pick: A pick/weft yarn not properly interlaced.
o Slubs: An abruptly thickened place in a yarn.
o Screen Out: The appearance of a colored separation line in a printed
design.
o Calendar Line: Sharp pressmark on fabric due to the calendar during the
processing.
o Contamination: Colored fibers with the warp or weft fibers.













TRIMS STORES
This store is responsible for storing and neatly maintaining the trims received from the
suppliers, approved by H/O.
Trims card to be readily available for each of the PO/style being processed that is duly approved
by the nominated quality assurance person.
WORKFLOW OF TRIMS STORE





Different types of trims:-
- Buttons
- Hooks
- Badges
- Zippers
- Collar pick bone
- Tags : brand name, collection name and fit type
- Labels : wash care, size and fit, brand
- Fusible labels
- Leather patches
- Twill tape/ Cross grain tape ( cotton/polyester)
- Needles
- Threads : sewing and embroidery
- Packing materials: hangers, collar stand, brand label, packing box
Receive W/O Purchase dept issues
D/O to supplier
Challan
Trims receiving
Checking Make trims
card
Issue for stitching according to production plan


SPREADING AND CUTTING DEPARTMENT
Net cutting is an essential part of garment engineering that demands precession in cutting and
low shape deformation afterwards. Accurate control of cloth width produces economies in
edge margins. Precise cutting not only avoids spoilt work at the making up stage but is the key
to modern sewing room practice.
As soon as the work order is received, a fabric enquiry is conducted in fabric store weather the
fabric is available or not. The CAD department is responsible for making the pattern markers
available in various graded sizes for cutting purpose and calculate the consumption per
garment.
SPREADING
- Spreading is the process of unwinding large rolls of fabric onto long, wide tables and
laying them in superimposed plies of specified length.
- The number of lays depends upon the number of garments desired and the fabric
thickness.
- The maximum cutting width is the usable fabric width minus selvedge or needle marks
caused by stencil marks.
- Fabric utilization is the amount of fabric actually utilized in the marker as the percentage
of the total fabric area.
- The cutting marker is laid on the topmost layer.
Type of lay plan used: Since open width fabric is used, full garment lay is used that has
both left and right pieces.

Type of lay: Multiple Ply is used in which a number of fabric layers are stacked on one
top of other.

Forms of spreading: Fabric is laid the same way up with grain or print pattern running in
the same direction. Fabric has to be cut at the end of each ply.



Ideal lay height for cutting :





Laying parameters
Pattern matching.
Relaxing the fabric to remove all the tensions.
Allignment of ply edges in correct position over each other.
Lay order plan :

CUTTING
Cutting parameters:
- Precision in cutting: To ensure the cutting of fabric - accurately according to the line
drown of the marker plan.
- Clean edge: By avoiding the fraying out of yarn from the fabric edge. Cutting edge must
be smooth clean. Knife must be sharp for smooth or clean edge.
- Consistency in cutting: All the sizing safe of the cutting parts should be same of knife
should be operated of the right angle of the fabric lay.

Types of cutting equipments:
- Scissors
- Round knife
- Straight knife
- Band knife cutting m/c
- Die cutting ( collars and cuffs )

Methods for marking directly on the cloth:
Fabric weight Height
Heavy Weight 4-5"
Med Weight 3-4"
Light Weight 2.5-3"

CHALK: This is the traditional method in which thick lines are drawn on the cloth.

Preparation for sewing:
1) Position marking : Egg- pocket positions, tucks, pocket positions etc
2) Shade marking: each component is marked with a unique no. printed on a
small ticket stuck on the component.
3) Bundle making: according to size, color, quantity
4) Bungle tickets: to identify each bundle to size, lot, style and color wise.
5) Fusing parameters: There are different types of fusings depending upon the
end use and type of fabric.
Type Heat Pressure Time
Microdot 150 degree 2.5 13 sec
Semi fusing 140 degree 1.5 15 sec
Woven fusing 175 degree 3 18 sec

EMBROIDERY DEPARTMENT
Embroidery pattern is received that specifies the no. of stitches, colors, the pattern, size and
placement.
Design is loaded in floppy disc and inserted in the machine memory.
Embroidery machines:
Company No. of heads No. of needles No. of machines
Silver sun 9 9 3
Barudan 4 9 1

Embroidery defects: loose uncut threads, skipped stitches, pattern misalignment.
Type of stitches: satin, filling, patchwork etc

Types of motifs: Institutional logos (jindal, essar, cyberoam), kids wear motifs (cartoons),
company logos (oxerberg, J hampstead), jeans back pocket embroidery, shirt cuff and front
panel embroidery are done.
A Strike-off : is a pre production sample of embroidery which is done in order to check the accuracy
of the pattern and the associated stitches in it. This is then sent to the H.O for feedback and approval. If
any changes, theH.O will return their feedback with necessary changes or comments. The type of
stitches depends upon the fabric. If the fabric is thin, then heavy stitches are avoided.


SAMPLING DEPARTMENT
The sampling for each season begins according to the product cycle of style. This process is also
called Product development (P.D). One should also know the tentative size ratio in each style.
This is because the costing of the product depends highly on the fabric consumption. Kinds of
samples prepared:
1) Photosample: only sketch/illustration of the garment is present in the photosample
sheet.
2) Fit sample: one sample in base size measurement is made and send for approval at
head office.
3) Size set: one garment sample in each size is prepared and sent for approval. No need to
add the trims to the garment.
4) PP sample: This is the pre-production sample that is the exact replica like original
sample.
5) Shipment sample: A random sample is picked from the production lot and sent for
approval.
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT
Sewing Process


The basic process of sewing involves fastening of fabrics, with the help of needle and threads.
Most of such industrial sewing is done by industrial sewing machines. The cut pieces of a
garment are generally tacked, or temporarily stitched at the initial stage if required. The
complex parts of the machine then pierces thread through the layers of the cloth and
interlocks the thread.

Industrial Sewing
Industrial sewing is quite a complex process involving many preparations and mathematical
calculations for the perfect seam quality. Good quality sewing also depends on the sound
technical knowledge that goes into pattern designing and making. Flat sheets of fabric having
holes and slits into it can curve and fold in three-dimensional shapes in very complex ways
that require a high level of skill and experience to manipulate into a smooth, wrinkle-free
design. Aligning the patterns printed or woven into the fabric also complicates the design
process. Once a clothing designer, with the help of his technical knowledge, makes the initial
specifications and markers, the fabric is then cut using templates and sewn.

These undesirable variations in the cloth tension affect the product quality. Therefore, there
arises the need of strict control over the whole process. The work of sewing is focused on the
handling of fabrics lying on the working table and guide them towards the sewing machines
needle along the seam line. The attention is equally focused on the control of appropriate
tensional force so as to maintain high quality seam.

Pre sewing functions
Before the actual task of sewing begins, there are certain other tasks that have to be taken
care of which can be termed as fabric handling functions - Ply separation; Placing the fabric on
working table; Guiding the fabric towards sewing needle; and tension control of fabric during
the sewing process.

When the fabric is placed on the working table, the tasks that are performed before the
sewing process include - recognizing the fabric's shape, edges that will be sewn, planning of
the sewing process and identification of the seam line.

Fabric Edges to be sewn
There are two basic types of stitches - one is that are for joining two parts of cloth together
and the second one is done for decorative purposes. Sometimes, both types of stitching have
to be done on some parts of cloth, for example, a denim pocket has to be joined on three
sides with the apparel as well as it may be given some decorative stitches too. At what points
and which type of stitching has to be done- all such information is decided by the industrial
engineering department and accordingly sewn.


Planning of sewing process
Sequence of seams to be stitched is determined before the sewing starts. Which part will be
joined first, what stitches will follow one another, etc. are decided. However, some stitches
have to be necessarily done before or after another stitch. In the example above, the
decorative stitches must be done first followed by the joining stitches.

Identification of seam lines
Sewing process is performed on seam lines situated inside the fabric edges, some millimeters
inside the fabric's outer line. For the straight lines, the seam line is found by transferring the
outer lines inside the fabrics i.e. the seam line is parallel to the outer edge and the distance
between the two has to be determined as it is different for different parts of the cloth. Seam
allowance is the area between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching.

Sewing Fabrics
The sewing process consists of mainly three functions - guiding fabric towards needle; sewing
of the fabric edge; and rotation around the needle. The fabric is guided along the sewing line
with a certain speed that is in harmony with the speed of sewing machine
The orientation error is either manually monitored or if monitored automatically then error is
fed to the machine controller so that the machine corrects the orientation of the fabrics.
When one edge of seam line is sewed, the fabric is rotated around the needle till the next
edge of the seam line coincides with the sewing line. The sewing process is thus repeated until
all the edges of seam line planned for sewing, are sewed.

Significant Aspects of Sewing

There are certain aspects that have to be carefully considered while the sewing process as
they are very crucial for high quality sewing.

Thread tension and consumption: Correct balancing of the stitch and the tension given to the
threads is very important for quality stitch formation. Thread consumption, which is closely
associated with correct stitch geometry and thread tension, is usually measured by digital
encoders.

Presser- foot displacement and compressing force: Presser- foot is the part of the sewing
machine that holds the fabric in place as it is being sewn and fed through by the feeder. The
feeding system is one of the most important constituting systems of the sewing machine. If
this system is not efficient then it results into irregular seams and many other defects,
especially when running on high speed. To evaluate feeding efficiency, the force on the
presser foot is measured with the help of electric or other sensors.


Needle penetration force measurement: The interaction of needle with fabric is very crucial.
Fault-free needle penetration depends chiefly on the properties of fabric and needle choice.
Needle penetration force is one of the variables whose measurement is important for the
analysis of quality problems or "sewability testing" and also quality monitoring. It takes
various factors into consideration, such as the needle geometry (including the point angle and
point length of the needle), the friction between the needle and the fabric, the friction
between the needle eye and the thread along with fabrics' property, and the sewing
conditions.





ACCEPTABLE QUALITY LEVEL (AQL) Quality measure

The AQL (Acceptable Quality Level) is the maximum per cent defective that for the purpose of
sampling inspection can be considered satisfactory as a process average. In inspection how
much percentage of defective pieces will be accepted, depends on acceptable quality level The
AQL level varies process to process, product to product and even buyer to buyer.
Sample size Code letter: This code is indicative a range of batch size. (Code 'G' means your lot
size range is from 151 pieces to 280 pieces.
Sample size: It means that how many pieces will be picked up for inspection from the total
offered pieces (Batch).
Ac (Accepted): The number in this column denotes that if the inspector finds up to that much
defective pieces the shipment will be accepted by buyer.
Re (Rejected): On the other hand number in this column denotes that if the inspector finds that
much defective pieces or more than the listed number, the shipment will be rejected (or asked
to the manufacturer for 100% inspection and re-offer for final inspection) by buyer.

Example: Suppose you have been offered a shipment of 1000 pieces for inspection. Select the
range from table, it is 501-1200. Now from table you have to select number of sample you are
going to actually inspect. According the above table you will select 80 pieces out of 1000
pieces. Now assume that you are inspecting at 2.5 AQL. So, after inspecting all 80 pieces if you
find 5 or less than 5 defective pieces will accept the shipment. And if you find 6 or more than 6
defective pieces in 80 samples you will reject that shipment.


LIST OF POSSIBLE DEFECTS IN PRODUCTION
Component and
materials
Possible Defects
Materials/fabric 1. Fabric holes
2. Slubs
3. Shading variation
4. Misprints, out-of-register prints, undesired color spots
5. Cut, visible notch mark tears or visible surface repairs
6. Bow or skew exceeding 1.5 percent
7. Double picks
8. Pilling
Cleanliness 1. Soil, Spots, stains or Dust
2. Attached thread clusters
Pressing 1. Burn or scorch marks
2. Glaring shine marks
3. Press marks from camps
Lot or Batch
size
Size
Code
Sample
Size
Acceptable Quality level
2.5 4.0 6.5
Ac Re Ac Re Ac Re
2 8 A
2 0 1 0 1 0 1
9 15 B 3 0 1 0 1 0 1
15 25 C 5 0 1 0 1 0 1
26 50 D 8 0 1 1 2 1 2
51-90 E 13 1 2 1 2 2 3
91-150 F 20 1 2 2 3 3 4
151-280 G 32 2 3 3 4 5 6
251-500 H 50 3 4 5 6 7 8
501-1200 J 80 5 6 7 8 10 11
1201-3200 K
125 7 8 10 11 14 15
3201-10000 L
200 10 11 14 15 21 22
10001- 35000 M 315 14 15 21 22 21 22

4. Absence of pressing when specified
5. Products packaged moist after steam pressing
6. Improper pressing
7. Seams not lined up when specified for center leg crease
8. Loops twisted after pressing
9. Uneven creases after press
Seams and Stitching 1. Twisted, roped, or puckered seams
2. Open or broken stitches
3. Raw edges where covered edges are specified
4. Seams not back stitched or bar tacked when specified
5. Irregular or uneven top stitching
6. Seam grin-through, seam slippage
7. Pinching or any part of product caught in seam or stitches
8. Any exposed drill holes
9. Length of legs off by more than 3/8 inch
10. Stitch count not conforming to specifications
11. Stitch or seam type not conforming to specifications
12. Label is not correctly attached, position and layout
13. Sewn on design attached at incorrect place and
sewn not according to specs
14. Double needle stitch on crotch seam is missing
15. Use of monofilament thread, other seams than where specified
Button holes 1. Size is not within specs
2. Ragged edges
3. Uncut button hole
4. Out of alignment or improper button spacing
5. Stitch depth too narrow or wide
Button/Button Sewing 1. Button not securely attached
2. Butler-missing
3. Broken or damaged button
4. Out of alignment or improper spacing
5. Button not matches to specs
6. Lack of support materials on fragile fabric
7. Buttons that crack, chip, discolor, rust, bleed, melt or otherwise cause
consumer dissatisfaction when care label is followed
Waistband 1. Uneven in width
2. Excessive fullness, puckering or twisting
3. Closure misaligned
4. Belt loops are crooked
Belt Loops 1. Not fully secure

2. Extend above waistband
3. Missing tacks
4. Color shade not to specs
5. Thread shade not to specs
6. Raw edges showing
Front and back 1. Uneven at bottom hem
2. Under facing showing
3. Pockets conspicuously uneven
4. Darts uneven in length
5. Darts poorly shaped
6. Spot shirring not even right and left sides
Hems 1. Twisted, roped, puckered, pleated, or excessively visible from exterior
2. Uneven in width
3. Uneven length of product unless specified
Pockets 1. Not uniform in size and shape
2. Misaligned horizontally or vertically
3. Crooked
4. Missing bar tack, back tack or rivet where specified
5. Bar tack or rivet not as specified
6. Sewn-in pleats or puckers
Zippers 1. Any malfunction in operation
2. Tape does not match color specs
3. Wavy zipper
4. Exposed zipper that distracts from product's appearance
5. Irregular or uneven stitching on zipper
6. Crooked or uneven zipper
7. Bar tack missing or incorrectly located at bottom or base of zipper
Gripper 1. Misaligned
2. Missing or incorrect
3. Defective in operation
Fly area 1. Width is not uniform
2. Bottom stopper does not securely clinched
3. Top of zipper not caught in band
4. Either side of fly extends past other side by excessive amount.
Labels 1. Labels are not correct, text and/or layout
2. Located at incorrect location
3. Insecurely attached to the garment



Garment inspection procedures :

During the course of garment production, i.e right from cutting to final dispatch, Oxemberg
QAD team will conduct various inspections as follows:

1. Inline/mid inspection : This will be carried out during the production of garment in
order to carry out this inspection effectively following information is a must.
A) Updated W/O sheet
B) Style approved, saple approved by the merchandiser
C) Fabric, trims and accessories cards rectified by the merchandiser.
D) Approved measurement specification.

2. Random final audit or inspection : this will be carried out when goods are in the
pressing and packing till its completion. Oxemberg QAD team will carry out random
audit at AQL 4 inorder to make this audit a truly effective tool, since it is the last check
point before dispatch, following information is essential.
A) All the line detail information mentioned there in plus.
B) Washed approved samples ( in case of washed order).
C) Packing list wherever applicable.




PRODUCTION PLANNING, SCHEDULING
AND CONTROLLING
i. Planning: This involves a long term overview around the year, based on market
forecast. An agreement is necessary about whether the production unit can cope up
with the expected sales, in terms of overall volume and in terms of specialized plant and
operatives. The action is required of relevant departments to revise the plan, purchase
the necessary machinery, train staff, obtain new premises or lease off unwanted ones,
buying additional capacity from other manufacturers etc.


ii. Scheduling: The work is allocated to the production capacity according to the agreed
plan as soon as the orders are confirmed. It is at this stage that schedules are prepared
as an exercise and later drafted in detail.

iii. Controlling: The production process is very uncertain and rarely goes according to the
schedule, especially when the processes are complex and dependent on the
performance of individuals. Sometimes orders are cancelled and rush orders come
through. Inefficiency can be avoided if the preliminary work is done thoroughly and the
routine terms are accurately recorded. Balancing is a part of the process.

KEY FACTORS IN CONTROLING AND SCHEDULING

i.Time/ unit input: e.g. meters of cloth or SAM of work per minute.

ii.Work in process delays: Extension in output time is necessary to provide buffer against
fluctuations in output where the no. of processes involved are many.

iii.Technical maintenance: Proper usage and maintenance of the machines and other
electronically equipments should be done to provide smooth operation processes.

iv.Employee Training: The employees should be trained efficiently to increase production
efficiency and reduce wastage.

v.Non productive hours: A provision for non-productive hours should be provided in the total
available minutes as these by default are bound to happen. For e.g. lunch time, talking, going to
washroom, sitting idle etc. These hours can be deceased by making changes in the production
plan wisely.

vi.Line balancing: This is necessary to reduce the wastage of time as some workers might be
sitting idle because the feeding has not been done properly and the pieces are not being
delivered to them on time. The overall operation machine layout is faulty due to improper line
balancing. A machine layout is considered to be optimum if all the machines in the line are
producing their required quantities of pieces and no worker is sitting idle. Line balancing can be
a way to increase the productivity as increasing or decreasing unwanted operations from the
line can be done.


vii.Analyzing labour requirements and deficiencies: A difference in skilled and non-skilled labour
can be assessed and accordingly work can be assigned to them.

viii.Optimum utilization of time and raw materials: Any type of unnecessary wastages should be
avoided as far as possible. This requires a good production plan and the co ordination of related
activities.

Production flow

This refers to the series in which the garment moves from one workstation to another,
requiring completion of the desired operation. The garments move from one work station to
another in a straight line. The straight could be work stations set up on either side of a belt
conveyer/runner table. There is little amount or work in process between the stations. In these
cases, a limited amount of storage occurs after each workstation. This can take the form of
work bins attached to the machines stand in which the work is
Straight line or conveyer chain system



Where a work station is is storage indicates the direction of movement

A production process comprises of : Fabric consumption calculation, Thread consumption
calculation, Fabric inspection, pattern making, fabric cutting, machine layout and SAM
calculation completed, pilot run completed, testing sampling completed, line sewing
completed, finishing sewing completed, final machine inspection completed, end of line quality
check completed, off pressing and finishing done, packing completed and goods dispatched.
Production Quality Control


Quality implies value. It is something that is build into the garment from the stage of market
research and design right up to pack and dispatch and extends beyond a careful analysis of the
customer returns and consultation with the buyers. The quality of the garment is the reason
that is bought by the customer and comprises of a set of quality characteristics which together
make up its fitness for purpose. The key to profitable garment manufacture is to provide the
best combination at lowest cost the economic quality level.
The costs of quality come from:
style;
fabric and trimmings;
cutting and making and packing (including repairs and rejects);
Quality control function;
Learning time of the workers;
Work content;
Present productivity;
Other overhead costs (like salary, electricity, administrative cost, maintenance, transport
etc)

Fitness for purpose comprises of:
Quality of design
Quality of conformance
Quality of delivery and service
Economic cost


Quality Control Department

The main function of the quality control department is not to control quality but to provide a
service which allows people to make good clothes. Their main concern should be to do this at the
minimum cost, balancing the expense of the department against the savings in terms of reduced
repairs and rejects. One aspect of this is to define the quality level of plant and of the workplace
in it. The raising of quality levels requires a major project involving investment in machinery and
training which cannot be done quickly.

The maintenance of quality at an agreed level implies clear specifications and these are an
important task for this department. The Product information sheet for individual styles can be
kept as brief as possible. They should contain the maximum information in the form of sketches
and all dimensions should me quoted with tolerances. Tolerances reflect the extent to which less
than perfect is acceptable. However, small tolerances exist for the garments.
The function of the quality control department is to reduce the amount of bad work being made.
This gives savings in cost of the repairs and rejects but also speeds up delivery. Its aim is to make
garments correctly at the first time. When the consistency of quality is poor, the expected quality
level is substantially below standard. Greater consistency has an even higher priority than raising
the standard of the majority of the garments made.
Tolerances
These are the limits of acceptability expressed in figures usually or by examples or photographs
to demonstrate the limits of acceptability. For example, the specification for a seam margin may
be 1 cm and the tolerance is -/+2 mm.
Quality characteristics
Quality of design requires higher amount of market research to establish what is the ultimate
customers preference at an acceptable price amongst a competitive set of characteristics. These
can form the basis for design. Customers demand various combinations of the following, in
various orders of importance:
Price and value for money
Individuality of appearance
Fashion is appropriate to the period and group
Image enhancement (e. g reliability of an executives suit, smartness for the air hostess
etc)
Comfort in wear, both from cut and fabric
Durability of function and appearance
Psychological qualities(waterproofing, warmth, sweat absorption etc)
Ease of Care (crease and stain resistance, shape retention, washability etc)
Size and shape
Consistency of the product
The production incharge must stick to the specifications and should also consider the
needs of the retailers like:

Consistency (means to achieve the required quality level, the will to confirm of
Management and workforce, maintaining the specifications with tolerances).
Delivery on time
Lower cost to support competitive price.

Quality Specifications
o Factory specifications
Cloth and trimmings, button spacing
Threads, needle types and sizes, by fabric and seam type
Stitches per inch or per 2 cms
Seam types, seam margins and tolerances
Cutting standards

o Style or garment specifications
Items of difference
Special size ranges and grading
Key features and quality points
Special tolerances
Fabric and trimmings, colors and shades ( shade cards checked regularly for fading)



Department wise quality system in factory

1) FABRIC STORES:
o Neatly arrange the fabric rolls received and maintaining the department cleanliness to
avoid spotting and contamination of the fabrics. Packing the fabrics in plastic sheets can
be useful.
o Fabric inspection is done on 4 point system.
o Shade cards/fabric quality swatches for each style approved by the PO are maintained.

2) TRIMS STORES:
o Trims stores have racking system to store the trims in a proper order.

o Trims card for each PO/style being processed should be maintained.

3) CUTTING SECTION:
o Making CSV ( centre to selvedge variation) sample for each of the roll to analyze
the shade variation.
o Maintaining shade samples and providing shade details to presentation checkers
in finishing dept for shade reference.
o Proper pattern checking report.
o Proper lay check, marking check, sorting/bundling check report.
o Cutting projection tallies updated.

4) SEWING SECTION
o Effective maintenance for each of the machine.
o Proper updated broken needle log (should have needle issuing record from
stores and properly pasted broken needle book).
o Keyhole, bartack, overlock, label attach operation internal approvals and display
of mockups.
o Effective mockup system on all operational areas.
o All scissors and trimmers should be secured properly.
o Clearance of WIP at all levels.
o Display of trim card at required areas.
o Checking garments before wash and after wash for both quality and
measurement.
o Random in-line checking at each chain stitch operation like feed of arm machine.
o Each supervisor is advised to check randomly the operation in their own working
limits.
o Each operator is advised to clean their machine and area before start of work in
the morning and after lunch- waste fabric is issued to the operator for the same.
o In-line and end-line checking report.
o Before wet processing in-line audit report is also maintained.
o Washing facility is not available in-house. Its done on jobber basis.

5) FINISHING SECTION
o Fabric defect identification by stickering and alteration piece identified by
knotting at place of alter by the checker.
o Dusting is done by dust pads wherever sucking machine is not used.
o Cartoons are properly stacked.
o Presentation checker to have ready reference of shade cards of fabric and trims
cards as well.

o Daily checking report is maintained.
o Measurement audit report is maintained.
o Pre-final auditing is also gone on garments.
o Defective cartoons are replaced by good cartoons.

6) PACKING AND DESPATCH SECTION
o Separate departments are maintained for topwear and bottom wear.
o The fully packed garments are racked in sequential manner and each rack is
given a number for identification.
o Garments are stored brand wise, sizewise, and garment wise.
o Barcode stickering is done and checked.
o Packing in inners and outer cartoons is done according to the size ratio or
packing specifications as specified.
o Goods to be shipped are packed readily with proper covering and sealing and
kept near the main gate to be loaded in the cargo.
o Proper recording of dispatch, packing and stock stored in-house pending for
shipment are maintained along with Chelan entries of cargo and transportation
services.
o Good relations with distributors are held.

7) ENTIRE WORKING AREA
o Properly certified fire extinguisher to be free from all obstacles.
o Each operator to wear mask to avoid inhalation of dust inside the factory.
o Dust collection bags for each work station/machine.
o Separate area for storing rejected garments.
o Proper covering of stored pieces.
o Properly maintained QC reports and files maintained by QA.










Department wise quality check points


Fabric Store - 100% fabric inspection
Trim & accessories - Trims inspection
Cutting Room - Marker checking
- Cut parts checking or audit
- Bundle inspection
Embroidery - 100% inspection of embroidery
Sewing
Department
- Inline check point (at critical operation)
- Roaming checking (Random checking)
- End of Line checking (100%)
- Audit of checked pieces
Finishing
Department
Initial finishing inspection (after wash) and alterations
- Final finishing inspection (After Pressing)
- Internal shipment audit


1. Fabric Store: In the fabric store fabric is being checked before issuing it to cutting
department. In general not all the fabric is checked. 100 % fabric checking is done. Fabrics are
checked in flat table, flat table with light box or on fabric checking machine. 4 point system for
fabric inspection is used to measure the quality level of the incoming fabric.
2. Trims & Accessory: Trims quality is also very important for having a quality garment.
Trims inspection is done randomly against the given standards, like color matching. But for
trims and accessories quantity checking is essential.
3. Cutting Room: It is said that cutting is the heart of production. If cutting is done well
then chances of occurring defects in the following processes comes down. In cutting room,
check points are I) marker checking, ii) cut part audit and iii) bundle checking.
4. Embroidery checking: It is also not a compulsory process. If there is embroidery work in
the garment panels then 100% inspection is done before issuing to sewing.
5. Sewing Department: Checkpoints in the sewing departments are as following.
- Inline inspection: In assembly line generally check pints are kept for the critical operations. In
these checkpoints, 100% checking is done for partially stitched garments and defect free pieces
are forwarded to the next process.
- Roaming inspection: In this case checkers roam around the line and randomly check pieces at
each operation.
- End of line inspection or table checking: A checker checks completely stitched garment at the
end of the line. 100% checking is done here.

- Audit of the checked pieces: 100% inspected garment are sent to finishing from sewing
department. And all defective pieces are repaired before sending to finishing.
6. Finishing Department: Check points in finishing department consists
- Initial finishing inspection: checking done prior to pressing of the garment at finishing room is
known as initial finishing.
- Final finishing Inspection: After pressing garments are again checked and passed for tagging
and packing.
- Internal final audit: After garments are packed up to certain quantity, quality control team,
does audit of packed garments. This process is carried out to ensure that before handing over
shipment.
If the completed work is being checked at each process and defective pieces are corrected
before handing to the next process than at the end of production there is very little chance to
have a defective at final inspection stage.










FINISHING DEPARTMENT
The finishing process includes all those activities concerned with making the appearance of the
fabric more presentable. It includes activities like stain removal, thread trimmings, washing,
ironing, tagging, and hanger alignment.





TYPES OF DEFECTS

I. PATTERN DEFECTS IN GARMENTS: (CAD)

Some parts of pattern are missing, probably because the marker did not include the
correct number of parts.
Mixed parts, probably because the marker is not correctly labeled, resulting in a
marriage of wrong sized parts. Patterns not facing in correct direction on napped
fabrics.
Patterns not aligned with respect to the fabric grain.
Poor line definition (e.g. too thick chalk; indistinctly printed line, perforated lay not
powdered) leading to inaccurate cutting.
Bartack and
buttonholing
Washing Button and rivet attatch
Thread trimming Stain removal Thread sucking
End of line inspection Alteration Ironing
Tagging and stickering Packing Warehousing

Skimpy marking, caused by either the marker did not use the outside edge of the
pattern; or the pattern was moved or swung after partial marking to squeeze the
pattern into a smaller space for economizing the fabric.
The pattern may have worn out edges.
Generous marking, especially in combination with skimpy marking results in
components being sewn together with puckering and pleating.
When the marker is too wide, the garment parts at the edges of the lay get cut with bits
missing.
Not enough knife clearance freedom.
Wrong check matching, i.e. lines across the seam are not matching.
Wrong checks boxing i.e. checks are not showing a full/partial box across the seam.
Notches and drill marks omitted, indistinct or misplaced.

II. SPREADING DEFECTS IN GARMENTS

Not enough plies to cover quantity of garments required.
Plies misaligned, resulting in garment parts getting cut with bits missing in some plies at
the edge of the spread.
Narrow fabric width, causes garment parts at the edge of the lay getting cut with bits
missing.
Incorrect tension of plies, i.e. fabric spread too tight or too loose. This will result in parts
not fitting in sewing, and finished garments not meeting size tolerances.
Not all plies facing in correct direction (whether 'one way' as with nap, or 'one way
either way' as with some check designs). This happens when fabric is not spread face
down, face up, or face to face as required.
Unacceptable damages in the garment parts. Parts not fully included owing to splicing
errors.
Spread distorted by the attraction or repulsion of plies caused by excessive static
electricity e.g. in satin fabric.
Plies are not spread accurately one above another for cutting. This results in
mismatching checks.

III. CUTTING DEFECTS IN GARMENTS

Failure to follow the marker lines resulting in distorted garment parts.
Top and bottom plies can be a different size if the straight knife is allowed to lean, or if a
round knife is used on too high a spread.

Notches, which are misplaced, too deep, too shallow, angled, omitted, or wrong type to
suit fabric.
Frayed edges, scorched or fused edges, caused by a faulty knife, not sharp enough, or
rotating at too high a speed knife cut.
Garment part damaged by careless use of knife, perhaps overrunning cutting previous
piece.
Marker incorrectly positioned on top of spread.
Garment parts have bits missing at edge of lay. If too tight or too loose then garment
parts are distorted.
Spread distortion due to electricity, particularly in checks.

IV. COLOR DEFECTS IN GARMENTS

Color defects that could occur are difference of the color of final produced garment to the
sample shown, accessories used are of wrong color combination and mismatching of dye
amongst the pieces.

V. SEWING DEFECTS IN GARMENTS

Broken buttons
Broken snaps
Broken stitching
Creasing of garments
Defective snaps
Different shades within the same garment
Dropped stitches
Exposed notches
Exposed raw edges
Fabric defects
Holes
Inoperative zipper
Loose / hanging sewing threads and buttons
Misaligned buttons and holes
Missing buttons
Missing stitches
Needle cuts / chews
Open seams
Pulled / loose yarn ( thread tension )

Stain
Unfinished buttonhole
Wrong stitching technique
Zipper too short
Usage of different color threads on the garment, creasing of the garment
Sizing defects - Wrong gradation of sizes, difference in measurement of a garment part
from other, for example- sleeves of XL size but body of L size. Such defects do not occur
has to be seen too.

VI. WASHING DEFECT IN GARMENTS

A rotation, usually lateral, between different panels of a garment resulting from the release of
latent stresses during laundering of the woven or knitted fabric forming the garment. Twist may
also be referred to as Torque or Spiraled.

WAYS OF DEFECT ALTERATION OBSERVED
Most of the fabric defects that are not acceptable in garments are removed during cutting and
stitching processes. Still damaged part is found in the sewn garment due to heavy washing,
dyeing or other reasons.
Instead of rejecting the defective garment, only damaged part can be changed and converted it
into a quality garment. It should not increase the fabric consumption or produce further
defective garment in the part changing process

1. End bit usage for part changing:
In the cutting room, during layering cutters store end bits that are not layered in the lay
for a cutting. These end bits are one type of cutting waste. So for the part change we
can use those end bits without increasing fabric consumption.
We need to take care about shade matching or lot matching of the fabrics with the
damaged garments.
If the garments were heavily washed, then it will be very difficult to match the garment
fabric shade. After changing the parts garment must be washed again to give matching
finished look and similar hand feel.
2. Fresh fabric usage for Part changing:

If there are not enough end bits to replace the damaged parts from the garment, then
available fresh fabric is used. Only use fresh fabric if there is no problem with shade
matching otherwise it will increase the fabric consumption. But for solid colors and yarn
dyed fabric there is no issue related to shade matching.
3. Using good components from other damaged garments:
This option is chosen when garments are dyed and there are no fresh fabric or end bits
or fresh fabric for that order.
Also for the high value garment with fine hand embroidery work and where you have
less time to complete the shipment, this option is preferred.
Here we need to keep care of shade matching.

TROUSER WASHING
1. Drum washing m/c (horizontal loading)
Capacity: 98kg (big) 450 and 48kg (small). This machine is used for washing cotton shirts
and trousers.
This machine can also be used for dyeing.
Trouser 700 germs

Garment 98kg m/c 48kg m/c
Trousers 200 pHs 80pcs

2. Sample washing m/c (horizontal loading)
Capacity: 8 kegs
This is used for washing the samples that are less in quantity.

3. Hydro extractor (squeezing m/c)

4. Dryer (S.R.E engineering)
Trouser 60 pcs

5. Steam boiler
Gas, coal, thermal oil


WASHES
a. Softener wash ( enzyme wash )
Its of 3 types ionic, non-ionic, and cationic.

b. Enzyme wash
OT, desizer, lubricant, water washing at 52degrees, Acetic acid (pH), Enzyme (to
stabilize), Water wash, Silicon, softener.

Power wash enzyme: Powdered enzyme is used with ball beating
Biofinish

c. Detergent wash
Ariel and tide
d. Leather wash
e. Powder wash pumice in powder form
f. Pumice stone wash