Authorized By:
S
L
01
NAME
ID
101-23-1927
saiful_1927@diu.edu.bd
02
101-23-1973
monjur.diu@gmail.com
03
A.S.N Mehdi
101-23-1824
mehdi_1824@diu.edu.bd
Supervised by
Abdullah Al Mamun
Assistant Professor
This Report Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering.
December, 2013.
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DECLARATION
We hereby declare that, this thesis paper has been done under the supervision of Abdullah Al
Mamun, Assistant Professor, Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International
University. We also declare that neither this thesis paper nor any part of this paper has been
submitted elsewhere for award of any degree or diploma.
Supervised by:
Abdullah Al Mamun
Assistant Professor,
Department of Textile Engineering,
Daffodil International University
Submitted By:
NAME
SIGNATURE
01. Mohammad Saiful Islam
02. Md. Monjur Hossain
03. A.S.N Mehdi
ID
101-23-1927
101-23-1973
101-23-1824
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At first we would like to express our heart-felt thanks to almighty ALLAH for his kind
blessing for complete of this project successfully.
We would like to thank our honorable course teacher & supervisor, Abdullah Al
Mamun, Assistant Professor at Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil
International University for his guidance, help and encouragement throughout the
progress of the thesis work. We are very grateful for his kind advice and
instructions.
We would like to thank Abdullh Al Rana Forhad, Manager, Research & Development
of Babylon Group and the Staffs of Industrial Engineering at Fakir Apparels Ltd who
motivate us thoroughly and the other people, who have made a significant
contribution to make this report successful. Their guide lines, suggestions &
inspiration helped us a lot.
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ABSTRACT
Traditionally operated garment industries are facing problems like low productivity, longer
production lead time, high rework and rejection, poor line balancing, low flexibility of style
changeover etc. These problems were addressed in this study by the implementation of lean tools
like cellular manufacturing, single piece flow, work standardization, just in time production etc.
After implementation of lean tools, results observed were highly encouraging. Some of the key
benefits entail production cycle time decreased by 8%, number of operators required to produce
equal amount of garment is decreased by 14%, rework level reduced by 80%, production lead
time comes down to one hour from two days, work in progress inventory stays at a maximum of
100 pieces from around 500 to 1500 pieces. Apart from these tangible benefits operator multiskilling as well as the flexibility of style changeover has been improved. This study is conducted
in the stitching section of a shirt manufacturing company. Study includes time studies, the
conversion of traditional batch production into single piece flow and long assembly line into
small work cells.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Content
page
CHAPTER-01
1
1. Introduction:..........................................................................................................................................2
1.1 Background........................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Project Objective:................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Project Approach:.................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER-02
4
2. Literature Review:.................................................................................................................................5
2.1 History of Lean Manufacturing:................................................................................... 5
2.2 Definition of Lean................................................................................................... 6
2.3 Objectives of Lean Manufacturing:............................................................................... 7
2.4 Key Principles of Lean Manufacturing:......................................................................7
2.5 Key implications of Lean Manufacturing:.......................................................................8
2.6 Lean Manufacturing Concepts:.................................................................................... 9
2.6.1 Toyota Production System:.................................................................................... 9
2.6.2 Value Creation and Waste:................................................................................10
2.6.3 Main Kinds of Waste:...................................................................................... 10
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CHAPTER-04
RESULT ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION................................................................ 43
4.1 Fabric Utilization Ratio........................................................................................... 44
4.2 Delivered On Time and Delivered In Full.....................................................................44
4.3 Floor Space Savings............................................................................................... 44
4.4 Reduction of Rework Level...................................................................................... 45
4.5 Operator Skill Improvement...................................................................................... 45
4.6 Graphical Representation for Clear Understanding:....................................................46
4.6.1 Material Transfer:...................................................................................... 46
4.6.2 Travelling Distance:...................................................................................46
4.6.3 Load Carrying Capacity:............................................................................47
4.6.4 Production Rate:....................................................................................... 47
4.6.5 Setup time (for new style):........................................................................48
CHAPTER-05........................................................................................... 49
5.1 Conclusion.................................................................................................... 50
5.2 Recommendation for Future Research.........................................................................50
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CHAPTER-01
INTRODUCTION
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1. Introduction:
1.1 Background
Due to the increasing labor wage in developed countries, the apparel manufacturing has been
migrating from the high wage developed world to low wage developing countries.
Even though the labor cost is cheaper than in developed countries; due to the specific market
nature of the garment industries for example: the short production life cycle, high volatility, low
predictability, high level of impulse purchase, the quick market response; garment industries are
facing the greatest challenges these days (Lucy Daly and Towers, 2004).
Garment industries in developing countries are more focused on sourcing of raw material and
minimizing delivery cost than labor productivity because of the availability of cheap labor. Due
to this, labor productivity is lower in developing countries than in the developed ones. For
example, labor is very cheap in Bangladesh but the productivity is poor among other developing
countries. Similarly, the cost of fabric is a major part of the garment so there seems to be great
need for improvement in this sector. Even in developing countries the CAD and CAM system for
fabric cutting has been implemented to save fabric. Now the worry is about labor productivity
and making production flexible; because the fashion industry is highly volatile and if the orders
are not fulfilled on time, the fear for losing business is real.
Even today, industries are getting the same or more volumes (orders), but the number of styles
they have to handle has increased drastically. Earlier industries were getting bulk order so there
is no need to worry; if the production line was set for the first time it would run for a month or at
least a week or two. But nowadays due to small order quantities and complex designs, the
garment industry has to produce multiple styles 13 even within a day; this needs higher
flexibility in volume and style change over.
In some cases it has been observed that, in developing countries the garment industries are run as
family business lacking skilled personnel as well as capital to implement new technologies for
improving productivity and flexibility. Because of this, industries have been running in a
traditional way for years and are rigid to change. They are happy as long as they are sustaining
their business. They dont have much confidence and will towards innovation over old processes.
Now the time has come to struggle with global market demand and niche market in garment
industries if they want to run it further.
This volatility of styles can be addressed only by flexibility in manufacturing. The best way to
cope with all these challenges is the implementation of lean manufacturing. This will serve our
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purpose of flexibility and save a lot of money by reducing production lead time, reducing the
inventory, increasing productivity, training operators for multiple works, and by reducing rework.
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CHAPTER-02
LITERATURE REVIEW
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2. Literature Review:
2.1 History of Lean Manufacturing:
Lean manufacturing or lean production are reasonably new terms that can be invented to Jim
Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos in their book, The Machine that changed the world
[1991]. In the book, the authors examined the manufacturing activities exemplified by the Toyota
Production System. Lean manufacturing is the systematic elimination of waste.
Most of these benefits lead to lower unit production costs for example, more effective use of
equipment and space leads to lower depreciation costs per unit produced, more effective use of
labor results in lower labor costs per unit produced and lower defects lead to lower cost of goods
sold.
In a 2004 survey by Industry Week Magazine, U.S. companies implementing lean manufacturing
reported a median savings of 7% of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as a result of implementing
lean. We believe that the savings may actually be higher for companies in Vietnam considering
the higher levels of waste which they typically have compared to U.S. based manufacturers.
Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same output with
less input less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery, less material, less cost.
When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the implementation of lean
in 1995, they reported the following improvements compared to their batch-based system in
1991
Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%;
Defects were reduced by 90%
Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours - 5 days; and
Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks.
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3. Continuous flow Lean usually aims for the implementation of a continuous production flow
free of bottlenecks, interruption, detours, backflows or waiting. When this is successfully
implemented, the production cycle time can be reduced by as much as 90%.
4. Pull-production Also called Just-in-Time (JIT), Pull-production aims to produce only what
is needed, when it is needed. Production is pulled by the downstream workstation so that each
workstation should only produce what is requested by the next workstation.
5. Quality at the Source Lean aims for defects to be eliminated at the source and for quality
inspection to be done by the workers as part of the in-line production process.
6. Continuous improvement Lean requires striving for perfection by continually removing
layers of waste as they are uncovered. This in turn requires a high level of worker involvement in
the continuous improvement process.
7. Output Insofar as reduced cycle times, increased labor productivity and elimination of
bottlenecks and machine downtime can be achieved, companies can generally significantly
increased output from their existing facilities.
Most of these benefits lead to lower unit production costs for example, more effective use of
equipment and space leads to lower depreciation costs per unit produced, more effective use of
labor results in lower labor costs per unit produced and lower defects lead to lower cost of goods
sold.
Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same output with
less inputs less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery, less materials, less costs.
When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the implementation of lean
in 1995, they reported the following improvements compared to their batch-based system in
1991:
Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%;
Defects were reduced by 90%
Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours - 5 days; and
Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks.
Lean Manufacturing
Orientation
Supply driven
Customer driven
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Planning
Batch size
Large
Small
Quality inspection
Inventory
Little or no work-in-progress
between each production stage
Handoff of works-
in-progress
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discount or discard them as scrap. However, there are some cases when an extra supply of semifinished or finished products are intentionally maintained, even by lean manufacturers.
2. Defects In addition to physical defects which directly add to the costs of goods sold, this
may include errors in paperwork, provision of incorrect information about the product, late
delivery, production to incorrect specifications, use of too much raw materials or generation of
unnecessary scrap.
3. Inventory Inventory waste means having unnecessarily high levels of raw materials, worksin-progress and finished products. Extra inventory leads to higher inventory financing costs,
higher storage costs and higher defect rates. For more on this, please see section 2.5 below.
4. Transportation - Transportation includes any movement of materials that does not add any
value to the product, such as moving materials between workstations. The idea is that
transportation of materials between production stages should aim for the ideal that the output of
one process is immediately used as the input for the next process. Transportation between
processing stages results in prolonging production cycle times, the inefficient use of labor and
space and can also be a source of minor production stoppages.
5. Waiting Waiting is idle time for workers or machines due to bottlenecks or inefficient
production flow on the factory floor. Waiting also includes small delays between processing of
units. Waiting results in a significant cost insofar as it increases labor costs and depreciation costs
per unit of output.
6. Motion Motion includes any unnecessary physical motions or walking by workers which
diverts them from actual processing work. For example, this might include walking around the
factory floor to look for a tool, or even unnecessary or difficult physical movements, due to
poorly designed ergonomics, which slow down the workers.
7. Correction Correction, or reprocessing, is when something has to be re-done because it
wasnt done correctly the first time. This not only results in inefficient use of labor and
equipment but the act of re-processing often causes disruptions to the smooth flow of production
and therefore generates bottlenecks and stoppages. Also, issues associated with reworking
typically consume a significant amount of management time and therefore add to factory
overhead costs.
8. Over-processing Over-processing is unintentionally doing more processing work than the
customer requires in terms of product quality or features such as polishing or applying
finishing on some areas of a product that wont be seen by the customer.
9. Knowledge Disconnection This is when information or knowledge isnt available where or
when it is needed. This might include information on correct procedures, specifications, ways to
solve problems, etc. Lack of correct information often leads to defects and bottlenecks. For
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example, unavailability of a mixing formula may potentially suspend the entire process or create
defective items due to time-consuming trial-and-error tests.
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4. Increased use of equipment and machinery, because of better scheduling and faster material
flow.
5. Allows the company higher degrees of flexibility to accommodate changes in customer
demand.
6. Promotes continuous improvement as problems are exposed to surface due to low WIP and
better communication.
7. Reduces throughput time and increases velocity for customer orders from order receipt
through production and shipment.
8. Enhances the employees productive capability through multi-skilled multi machine operators.
Apart from these tangible benefits, there is the very important advantage of cellular
manufacturing over the linear flow model. Due to the closed loop arrangement of machines, the
operators inside the cell are familiar with each others operations and they understand each other
better. This improves the relation between the operators and helps to improve productivity.
Where as in long assembly line one operator knows only two operators (before and after his
operation in the line) it seems that operators are working independently in the line.
2.7.2 Continuous Improvement
According to Continuous improvement (CI) can be defined as the planned, organized and
systematic process of ongoing, incremental and company-wide change of existing practices
aimed at improving company performance. Successful CI implementation involves not only the
training and development of employees in the use of tools and processes, but also the
establishment of a learning environment conducive to future continuous learning.
The short description of PDCA cycle is given below:
Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.
Do: Implement the change on a small scale.
Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a difference.
Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess the
results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.
Thus continuous improvement is an ongoing and never ending process; it measures only the
achievements gained from the application of one process over the existing.
2.7.3 Standard work:
Standard Work means that production processes and guidelines are very clearly defined and
communicated, in a high level of detail, so as to eliminate variation and incorrect assumptions in
the way that work is performed.
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The standard work guidelines used in Lean Manufacturing are typically defined in significantly
greater detail than the minimum required for conformity with 7.5.1 of ISO 9001:2000 on
Control of Production and Service Provision
1. Standard work sequence - This is the order in which a worker must perform tasks,
including motions and processes. This is clearly specified to ensure that all workers
perform the tasks in the most similar ways possible so as to minimize variation and
therefore defects.
2.
Standard timing Takt time is the frequency with which a single piece is produced.
Takt time is used to clearly specify and monitor the rate at which a process should be
occurring at various production stages. For lean manufacturers, the Takt time of each
production process is actively managed and monitored so that a continuous flow can
occur.
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3. Visual process indicators These communicate the correct production processes or flow of
materials. For example, this would include the use of painted floor areas for non-defective stock
and scrap or indicators for the correct flow of materials on the factory floor.
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Whereas in pull system; each work station pulls the output from the preceding station as it is
needed. Output from the final operation is pulled by customer demand or the master schedule.
Thus in pull system work is moved in response to demand from the next stage in the process. The
Kanban system is used to monitor the effective pull process.
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Quality Maintenance
It is aimed towards customer delight through the highest quality and defect free manufacturing.
In this system, one has to take care of parts which affect product quality and try to eliminate or
modify them to give customer superior quality.
Training
Employees should be trained such that they can analyze the root cause of the problem.
General know how of the problem is not sufficient rather they should be able to know why the
problem is occurring and how to eliminate it. For this employee need continuous training,
ultimately; the entire employee should be multi-skilled and should solve the problem in their area
by themselves.
Office TPM
This tool is about increasing the efficiencies in office (administrative) activities. This tool works
the problems like communication issues, data retrieval processes, management information
systems, office equipment losses, up to date information about inventories etc.
Safety Health and Environment
In this area, the focus is to create a safe workplace and a surrounding area that would not be
damaged by our process or procedures. This pillar will play an active role in each of the other
pillars on a regular basis. Safe work environment means accident free, fire less and it should not
damage the health of workers.
performance, safety, and quality. Using knowledge from ergonomics and methods analysis,
methods engineers are charged with ensuring quality and quantity standards are achieved
efficiently and safely. Methods analysis and related techniques are useful in office environments
as well as in the factory. Methods techniques are used to analyze the following:
1. Movement of individuals or material. Analysis for this is performed using flow diagrams and
process charts with varying amounts of detail.
2. Activity of human and machine and crew activity. Analysis for this is performed using activity
charts (also known as man-machine charts and crew charts).
3. Body movement (primarily arms and hands). Analysis for this is performed using micromotion charts.
2.7.13 Time Studies
The classical stopwatch study, or time study, originally proposed by Federic W. Taylor in 1881, is
still the most widely used time study method. The time study procedure involves the timing of a
sample of workers performance and using it to set a standard.
A trained and experienced person can establish a standard by following these eight steps:
1. Define the task to be studied (after methods analysis has been conducted).
2. Divide the task into precise elements (parts of a task that often takes no more than a few
seconds).
3. Decide how many times to measure the task (the number of cycles of samples needed).
4. Record elemental times and rating of performance.
5. Compute the average observed cycle time. The average observed cycle time is the arithmetic
mean of the times for each element measured, adjusted for unusual influence for each element:
Sum of the times recorder to perform each element
Average observed cycle time =
Number of cycle observed
6. Determine performance rating and then compute the normal time for each element.
Normal Time = (average observed cycle time) x (performance rating factor).
7. Add the normal times for each element to develop a total normal time for each task.
8. Compute the standard time. This adjustment to the total normal time provides allowances such
as personal needs, unavoidable work delays and worker fatigue.
Total normal time
Standard Time =
1 Allowance factor
Personal time allowances are often established in the range of 4% to 7% of total time, depending
upon nearness to rest rooms, water fountains, and other facilities. Delay allowances are often set
as a result of the actual studies of the delay that occurs. Fatigue allowances are based on our
growing knowledge of human energy expenditure under various physical and environmental
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conditions. The major two disadvantages of this method are; first they require a trained staff of
analysts and secondly the labor standards cannot be set before tasks are actually performed.
2.7.14 Work Sampling
It is an estimate of the percentage of time that a worker spends on particular work by using
random sampling of various workers. This can be conducted by the following procedures:
1. Take a preliminary sample to obtain an estimate of the parameter value (such as percent of
time worker is busy).
2. Compute the sample size required.
3. Prepare a schedule for observing the worker at appropriate times. The concept of random
numbers is used to provide for random observation.
4. Observe and record worker activities.
5. Determine how workers spend their time (usually as percentage).
To determine the number of observation required, management must decide upon the desired
confidence level and accuracy. Work sampling offers several advantages over time study
methods. First, because a single observer can observe several workers simultaneously, it is less
expensive.
Second, observers usually do not require much training and no timing devices are needed.
Third, the study can be temporarily delayed at any time with little impact on the results.
Fourth, because work sampling uses instantaneous observations over a long period, the worker
has little chance of affecting the study outcome.
Fifth, the procedure is less intrusive and therefore less likely to generate objections
2.7.15 Layout Design
Layout is one of the key decisions that determine the long-run efficiency of operations.
Layout has numerous strategic implications because it establishes an organizations competitive
priorities in regard to the capacity, processes, flexibility and cost as well as quality of work life,
customer contact and image. An effective layout can help an organization to achieve a strategy
that supports differentiation, low cost, or response
The layout must consider how to achieve the following:
1. Higher utilization of space, equipment, and people.
2. Improved flow of information, material or people.
3. Improved employee morale and safer working conditions.
4. Improved customer/client interaction.
5. Flexibility (whatever the layout is now, it will need to change).
2.7.16 Assembly Line Balancing
Line balancing is usually undertaken to minimize imbalance between machines or personnel
while meeting a required output from the line. The production rate is indicated as cycle time to
produce one unit of the product, the optimum utilization of work force depends on the basis of
output norms. The assembly line needs to balance so that there is minimum waiting of the line
due to different operation time at each workstation. The sequencing is therefore, not only the
allocation of men and machines to operating activities, but also the optimal utilization of
facilities by the proper balancing of the assembly line
The process of assembly line balancing involves three steps:
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1. Take the units required (demand or production rate) per day and divide it into the productive
time available per day (in minutes or seconds)
Cycle time = production time available per day / units required per day
2. Balance the line by assigning specific assembly tasks to each workstation. An efficient balance
is one that will complete the required assembly, follow the specified sequence, and keep the idle
time at each work stations to a minimum.
A. Takt Time
Takt is German word for a pace or beat, often linked to conductors baton. Takt time is a
reference number that is used to help match the rate of production in a pacemaker process to the
rate of sales. This can be formulated as below:
Available work time per shift
Takt Time =
Customer order quantity per shift
Takt time can be defined as the rate at which customers need products i.e. the products should be
produced at least equal to takt time to meet the customer demand. Takt time works better when
customer demand is steady and clearly known; but if the customer demand varies on the daily
basis then it is difficult to calculate the takt time as well as balance the production facility
according to varying takt time. So if the orders are varying every day the information of actual
shipments (not orders) should be gathered for last few months or years and takt time for the
particular product should be calculated. In this way, the production can be balanced to meet
changing customer demand.
B. Cycle Time
Cycle time is defined as how frequently a finished product comes out of our production
Facility Cycle time includes all types of delays occurred while completing a job. So cycle time
can be calculated by the following formula:
Total Cycle Time = processing time + set up time + waiting time + moving time +inspection time
+ rework time + other delays to complete the job
Summary: This chapter briefly describes lean manufacturing tools and techniques for waste
reduction and efficiency enhancement. Literature defines lean manufacturing, describes some
lean tools (most relevant to this project ), work standardization and assembly line balancing
tools. The lean tools selected consist of cellular manufacturing, single piece flow, just in time
(pull production), work standardization methods, continuous improvement process, and some
other waste reduction tools. The chapter ends with the work standardization process by time
studies, layout design and assembly line balancing methods. Lean is a powerful tool, when
adopted it can create superior financial and operational results. But in many cases, the confusion
about how to start lean, from where to begin is also a problem for new practitioners. In some
cases, the company tries to implement lean but it does not give effective results and stops inbetween. All these are due to lack of clarity before implementing lean and lack of top
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management commitment. So to avoid the chances of failure one has to prepare in advance for
the outcomes of the lean and should involve all employees on improvement programs. Lean is
not just about the implementation of tools but also the development of its employees to adopt
these tools.
So, regular training and upgrading of employee skill is the most important factor for the success
of lean.
2.8 Methodology of Lean Manufacturing:
various layers of workforce, via interviews and observation of the personnel who
were directly involved with the implementation process.
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Awareness programmes were conducted considering the employees educational level. Training was
conducted in the local language for sewing machine operators together with other teaching aids to
convey the message correctly. Furthermore, workshops with practical demonstrations were used to
improve the awareness on lean among employees of all levels. Knowledge was shared amongst the
executive level and upper levels through structured training programmes called Belt trainings. There
were three levels of belt training namely yellow, blue and black. At the end of each
training session, examinations were conducted to assess the knowledge gained.
Participative Management
This strategy aimed at involving employees from multiple functions and levels to work together to
address a problem or improve a particular process. Employees were welcomed to make suggestions
to improve the current processes. These kaizen activities played a vital role in participative
management. Suggestion pyramid was another method used to obtain the feedback of the employees
and sharing it with others. This was a pyramid structure displayed in the production floor visible to
all encouraging others to generate their own new ideas thinking along the already posted suggestions.
Innovation of needle finder and button attaching using Bar Tack machine were two key examples of
this effort. Employees were rewarded based on the financial benefits to the organization on the
implemented suggestions. Apart from that, Statistical Process Control (SPC) meetings were
conducted by production line supervisors along with machine operators to find solutions to their
work related issues when practicing lean manufacturing.
Process Management
The case company used formal lean manufacturing tools and techniques to reap the benefits by
effectively amalgamating human resources with manufacturing process. These include value stream
mapping (VSM), 6S (5S and Safety), visual management techniques (VMT), error proofing, kaizen,
total productive maintenance (TPM), standardization, quick changeover (QCO), line balancing and
kanban. In VSM, a work plan was prepared to achieve the future state map. A work plan to address
the opportunities revealed from brainstorming sessions was developed which consists of measurable
goals based on clearly defined lean metrics. Furthermore, the initial 5S programme was extended to
the 6Ss introducing safety as the 6 th S where the 6S programme ultimately provides a strong
foundation for higher quality and productivity, cost reduction, timely delivery, greater safety, and
higher employee morale. VMT facilitated in identifying real time process information such as
signaling of malfunctioned equipment and in conveying information such as production line
performance.
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Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed for individual manufacturing processes such
as cutting, raw material sorting, quality inspection and laboratory tests using standard work sheets.
Physical space and the documentation practices were standardized through the 6S programme.
The quick change-over (QCO) technique was used to shorten the work cell set up times and a prepreparation area was allocated allowing mechanics to perform machine setting-up operations before
style changes.
After a series of kaizen events on set-up time reduction, the changeover times were reduced from 3
days to an average of 15 minutes.
The kanban system was implemented throughout the bulk production value stream from material
stores to the packing section with two types of card systems, namely production kanban and
withdrawal kanban. PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act / Deming cycle) meetings were conducted at
each production line to generate and implement kaizen ideas while promoting a participative culture.
These kaizen projects were targeted on efficiency improvements, cost saving projects by reducing
overheads, sewing technique standardization and suppliers development to minimize the quality
inspection of all supplies thereby reducing non value adding activities. It was interesting to note that
the kaizen implementations coupled with the reward system significantly improved the employee
motivation towards the new kaizen culture. The use of the aforementioned tools provided a direct
impact to the companys set objectives and KPIs during the lean
implementation.
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1. Standard Work All production process are highly specified in terms of work
content, sequence of events, timing and outcome. The objective is to eliminate any
variation in the way that workers perform their responsibilities.
2. Direct handoffs Every customer/supplier connection must be direct, and there
always must be an unambiguous yes-or-no way to communicate production requests
between suppliers and customers. This ensures maximum accountability by suppliers
and ensures optimal communication flow.
3. Production flow - The pathway for every product and service must be simple and
direct, with a predetermined flow. This means that goods do not flow to the next
available person or machine but to a specific person or machine and that this person
or machine is as close as possible to its supplier.
4. Worker empowerment for process improvement - All improvements must be made
in accordance with the scientific method, under the supervision of an expert, but
should originate at the lowest possible level in the organization. Toyota encourages
workers to propose improvements to the production process which can be
implemented on a trial basis, but any changes to the production process must be
defined in detail in accordance with Toyotas standards for Standard Work, as
described above.
2.9.2 Lean Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a systematic methodology for breakthrough improvement of business
processes by identifying the causes of variation in the production process which lead to
defects and then eliminating that variation to minimize defects. Since a key objective of
Lean Manufacturing is also to eliminate defects, statistical and problem-solving tools of
Six Sigma can be used in the implementation of Lean Manufacturing. Often they are
implemented concurrently in what is referred to as Lean Six Sigma.
2.9.3 Lean and ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has its roots in Material Requirement Planning (MRP)
systems for which production is typically scheduled based on a push-based production plan. The
schedules are updated based on information on production status which is fed from the factory
floor back into the MRP system. A frequent problem that emerges with MRP systems is that the
data from the factory floor on production status and inventory levels may be inaccurate or not
entered on a timely basis, causing the MRP systems production plan to use some incorrect
assumptions which cause bottlenecks and/or cause the MRP system to intentionally produce
more buffer inventory as a precaution. Most ERP packages are designed for push-based,
centrally-planned production.
It should also be noted that ERP systems typically include a number of modules that dont
specifically relate to production planning such as accounting, financial analysis, human
resource management, sales management, etc. These can often be very beneficial for the
company and have no direct impact on the companys ability to implement lean manufacturing.
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CHAPTER-03
LEAN IMPLEMENTATION
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Garment manufacturing process consists of series of different steps. These steps are
broadly divided into two categories pre-production and production process. The
preproduction process consists of designing the garment, pattern design, sample making,
production pattern making, grading and marker making. Once the sample is approved for
commercial production, final marker is made for cutting. The production process consists of
cutting, stitching (preparatory and assembly) and finishing all these process are described here.
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Fig:
In current situation, the preparatory operations are aligned in a single line in order of operation
sequence. There is a continuous long table between the machines which serves the material
flow from one operation to another. Once the operator finishes his (her) operation he (she)
pushes the WIP to the next operator in the table and this process continues to the end.
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company after buttoning there is thread cleaning section followed by ironing, finishing and
packing. The operation sequence for finishing section is shown in figure:
the trial production may not be feasible for each style. In such case a clear information flow is of
great importance.
Some advanced factories use the slow motion conveyor to move the parts from one operation to
another operation. The conveyor is designed such that it moves according to the operation
sequence. In this system, the first operator stitches and puts the part in the conveyor, then the
next operator receives that part. He also sews it and puts it in the conveyor. In this way, the
unnecessary movement is reduced. This method is generally suitable for single piece movement.
In some industries, the work aids are designed such that the piece moves in forward directions.
When the first operator finishes his operation he gives it directly to the next operator with the
help of work aids, and this process continues. Thus the selection of the WIP movement method
depends upon the design layout, the technological advancement of the industry as well as
expertise of the personnel.
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(her) machine and do the next consecutive operation. In this way, all the workers will rotate
inside the cell in zigzag pattern to balance the work. This way of moving operators inside the
work cell is called floating balancing
This model emphasizes that an organization should always focus on long term thinking in
business process re-engineering while respecting its people and partners in their journey.
Some organizations may try to understand and implement lean without knowing what the
organization as a whole would want to achieve. For example the organization would want to
move in to Just in Time (JIT) production considering that it enhances speed. However based on
the organizations processes, the cost of supporting a team may increase drastically where the
cost of operations will be impacted.
The way to start would be to understand the bigger pain points in the organization as a whole
and then think what is needed to change as priority. For example, if the organization is suffering
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from severe working capital constraints, changing the floor plan with lean will not be the answer
but instead to get back to the basics.
B. Focus on systematic elimination of waste and not just waste elimination:
The significant impact from lean comes with the focus on elimination of seven kinds of waste in
an organizations process (Schonberg, 1986). This is an area where the authors found that most
organizations have benefited in operations.
The principles will direct an organization to differentiate and eliminate activities which are nonvalue adding.
For example, there is a major contribution to an organizations working capital from its raw
material sourcing and stock holding. The lean theory helps the organization understand the
causes of non-value add activities such as stock holding and develop mechanisms to reduce
same.
Many companies in the industry have originated from mass manufacturing and the stock holding
days averaged between 65 to 85 days. With lean implementation they have managed to reduce
stock holding to an average between 20 to 40 days, which creates a positive contribution towards
working capital management and space saving.
Example: Space savings from managing inventory/supply chain logically.
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Strict control on inventory will result in a sewing line open situation if the in-house materials
are rejected due to quality concerns. In such a situation, the cost of stopping production could
be much greater than the lean initiative.
Therefore there should be a practical approach to what you would wish to objectively target for.
E. Make it simple
This would be the key to success in lean implementation. The lean theory may sound very
complex but the knowledge it gives will be basic and very practical for a learned individual.
However when cascading the information to the next level, convert the message to a known,
simple language rather than using complex words.
People should find lean to be easy to understand and implement rather than seeing it as a
complex animal.
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An Organization which applies Lean Manufacturing must understand clearly what is a waste?
What is meant by improving? Etc. therefore it is very important to have a Clear cut definitions
about the Key Words in Lean Manufacturing. This is clearly done in the Lean Manufacturing. It
Answers the questions like, what is a waste?
One of the major concerns of the Lean Manufacturing is the WIP. But there are no techniques
appear to eliminate WIP directly. This is a very important example to show the Lean Thinking of
Treating the Cause Not The Effect.
Lean Manufacturing believes in continuous and steady improvement, rather than in Rapid
improvements. This introduces the process sustainability and the involvement of all level of
people. In Lean Manufacturing there is a role to be played by the workers in the improvement
and innovation. This is not so in the conventional ways of management where the innovation and
decision making are completely a responsibility of Managers.
Continuous improvements in the organization and involvement of the employees in the process
of management decision making will motivate the employees. This will release the
Organizational Synergy into work. This at the end will become the driving force of the
organization.
Culture of team working is one of the major improvements Lean Manufacturing promotes for an
organization. Two people can collectively give more out puts than the sum of their individual out
puts. This is the Asian way of thinking about work. This is promoted through team incentives
and team recognition, unlike in the western way of management where individual performances
are given more emphasis.
Participation of the all levels of employees in the process of decision making is one of the major
improvements made by the Lean Manufacturing. This drive out the fear among the workers and
made it easier to work with the decisions as they are a part of the process of making decisions.
People often have more to offer than their physical strength, to the organization. They have a
brain and a heart as well. This philosophy really worked in the organizations where Lean
Manufacturing was practiced.
The single most Important Effect of Lean Manufacturing is the Cyclic Effect of All Its
Interconnected Processes. They work in harmony and improvement in one place will improve the
system as whole. Therefore with the time Processes quires Momentum and will start to Run On
Their Own. Therefore they become self driven. These are few of the identified advantages of
lean manufacturing. There can be many more advantages which you will experience by
implementing Lean Manufacturing in your
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CHAPTER-04
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The lean practices discussed in the above sections are in different levels of implementation in the
case company as it is a never ending journey. In identifying the impact of lean practices in any
organization, it is essential to have industry specific indicators. But the published literature lacks
such lean indicators specific to the apparel sector. Hence, the analysis of results is based on the
specific quantitative performance indicators used by the subject. It is interesting to note that
almost all the KPI(key performance indicator) used by the subject have shown favorable trends
during the lean implementation process. The following sections discuss the impact on
performance and the culture of the organization considering the KPI variations over a period of
two and half years of implementation.
4.1 Fabric Utilization Ratio
Waste minimization and quality improvement activities have mainly driven the improvement of
the fabric Utilization ratio. As the fabric cost is the largest contributor to the cost of a garment,
increase in this ratio has a direct impact on improving profitability. The lean implementation has
enabled the company to achieve above 99% in the fabric Utilization ratio which is a gigantic
saving to the company. TPM, QCO, VSM and Kaizen activities helped to
minimize the number of defected garments which contributed to this
exceptional performance.
4.2 Delivered On Time and Delivered In Full
These indicators reflect the benefits of lean to the downstream participants of the supply chain. It
measures how often customers get the required quantity at the required time. Both KPI(key
performance indicator) reflect high performance (above 99.5%) of the case company with a
favorable trend as well. The value stream mapping tool was used to identify the
non-value adding activities in the production process and using the other
lean tools the value addition was gradually improved ultimately resulting in
superior performance. The efforts on lean helped to achieve improved
customer satisfaction while the above KPIs could be used to win new orders
catering wider customer base.
4.3 Floor Space Savings
The company was able to save over 20,000 square feet of total floor space
during the period of lean implementation. This was mainly achieved through
6S activities and kaizen activities which contributed largely. Furthermore,
practicing the demand pull production facilitated to reduce WIP freeing more
space for value adding activities. This eventually leads to reduce the wasted
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motion of both workers and material allowing them to use the recovered
space for alternative value adding activities.
Elimination of non-value adding activities and strict cost reduction practices
helped to achieve a drastic cost reduction of 10% for the group during the
last year of study. Implementation of lean in the case company together with
other companies of the group has resulted a 30% overall reduction of lead
time. It is evident that the case company has achieved drastic performance
improvements with the lean implementation.
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Time taken to transfer 100 pieces was 100 seconds. After Implementation it took only 82 seconds
for 100 pieces.
100-82=18 seconds. Therefore Percentage reduction of material transfer is 18.
The Travelling distance from cutting floor to production floor was 68 feet. After implementation
the distance was reduced to 10 feet. Therefore reduction of distance from cutting floor to
production floor is 85.3%.
Distance from Cutting floor to inspection floor:
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The Travelling distance from production floor to inspection floor was 40 feet. After
implementation the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore reduction of distance from
production floor to inspection floor is 97.5%.
Distance from inspection floor to packing floor:
The Travelling distance from inspection floor to packing floor was 10 feet. After implementation
the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore reduction of distance from inspection floor to
packing floor is 90%.
The load carrying capacity was 19.2 Kg. After implementation the capacity was reduced to 4 kg.
Therefore the load carrying capacity is reduced to79.17%.
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At the earlier stage the production rate was19600 pieces/shift. After implementation the
production rate was increased to 27440 pieces/shift. Therefore 40.0 % of production rate is
increased.
In the existing state the time required for change of setup from one style to another was 28
minutes. Later it was reduced to 8 min 10 sec. Therefore the setup time percentage is reduced to
70.84.
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CHAPTER-05
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5.1 Conclusion
Finally, this Thesis paper has the proof of advantages when applying lean principles to the
garment production floor. According to our familiarity, it is the prime time that lean thinking has
successfully implemented in the garment production floor.
Due to increased customer expectations and severe global competition, the Bangladesh garment
industries try to increase productivity at lower cost and to produce with best product and service
quality. Under these considerations, the authors have implemented lean manufacturing
techniques to improve the process environment with reasonable investment. In this paper, the
effectiveness of lean principles is substantiated in systematic manner with the help of various
tools, such as Value Stream Maps, JIT, cellular manufacturing, kaizen, standard work and visual
management, etc.
Even though, the complete success of the application of lean thinking in the extensive run
depends on close understanding between the management and production floor personnel.
Effective management information systems are required for instilling proper organizational
values and continuous improvement programs. If these management principles are fully
integrated with production floor principles, then lean systems can be applied efficiently to attain
the maximum output.
However, it is proven that efforts taken in implementing lean manufacturing in a well planned
manner will be a worthwhile investment despite the difficulties faced. Based on the positive
trends of qualitative and quantitative performance indicators, it can be concluded that
organizations in the bulk apparel production industry could achieve a positive cultural shift and
gain financial benefits through the implementation of lean manufacturing practices
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References:
1. http://www.onlineclothingstudy.com/2013/06/8-preferred-lean-manugfacturing-tools.html
2. http://www.cimaglobal.com/Thought-leadership/Newsletters/Regional/The-CIMA-EdgeSouth-Asia-and-Middle-East/20111/November--December-2011/Lean-management-inthe-garment-industry/
3. www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/34405/Paneru_Naresh.pdf
4. http://www.thinkinglean.com/img/files/PAPER1.pdf
5. Womack, J.P., Jones, D.T. and Ross, D. (1990).The Machine That Changed the World.
6. Canada: Macmillan Publishing Company.
7. Shahram, T. and Cristian, M.The Impact of Lean Operations on the Chinese
Manufacturing Performance. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Vol. 22
No. 2, 2011, p. 223-240.
8. Shahidul, M. I. and Syed Shazali, S. T. Dynamics of manufacturing Productivity:
9. Lesson Learnt from Labor Intensive Industries. Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management Vol. 22 No. 5, 2011, p. 664-678.
10. Lucy Daly, M.B. and Towers, N. Lean or Agile: A Solution for Supply Chain
Management in the Textile and Clothing Industry. International Journal of Operations &
Production Management Vol. 24 No. 2, 2004, p. 151-170.
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ABBREVIATIONS
CAD: Computer Aided Design
CAM: Computer Aided Manufacturing
CI: Continuous Improvement
FSVSM: Future State Value Stream Mapping
ISVSM: Ideal State Value Stream Mapping
JIT: Just in Time
MTM: Methods Time Measurement
PDCA: Plan Do Check Act
PFD: Personal Fatigue and Delay
PMTS: Predetermined Motion Time Systems
PSVSM: Present State Value Stream Mapping
SAM: Standard Allowed Minutes
SMED: Single Minute Exchange of Dies
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APPENDIX- I
Time Study Data Collection Sheet:
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APPENDIX- II
5s audit Score Sheet Floor Sewing Section:
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APPENDIX- III
Line Graph:
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APPENDIX- IV
Sewing Floor Layout:
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APPENDIX- V
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Photo Gallery:
Before implementing 5s on Fabric Store:
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