Production Systems

An Apparel Production System is an integration of materials handling, Production processes, personnel and equipment that directs work flow and generates finished products

Any Production System requires an appropriate management philosophy, materials handling methods, floor layout, and employee training

Requirements of Production System for Apparel

Manufacture
Low costs and good labor utilization Rapid output of orders Flexibility of style Minimum Investment in stock Ease of Management control Rapid training of operators Ease of giving priority to orders

 Systems with high degree of Engineering, established skilled operators and hence high Productivity are preferred. The shift is towards systems which shorten lead times and improve flexibility. Firms may use only one system, a combination of systems for one product line, or different systems for different product lines in the same plant.

Make Through System

Traditional method of manufacture Operator makes right through one garment at a time. Advantages Quick throughput time. Easy to supervise. Disadvantages Low productivity High labour cost. Only very experienced operators can be used. Suitable only in couture and sample making.

Conventional Bundle System

Sewing machines are arranged in lines. Work flows from the central (store) area to the first machine, from the first machine back to the store, and then on to the next machine, and so forth. A distributor stationed at the store is responsible for receiving and dispatching the work. WIP is in the form of bundles. Bundles may be put on to a tray, a box, or a bag, or the garment parts may be wrapped and tied.

 Was widely used in garment factories in Hong Kong during the 1950s as the level of managerial skill was not as high. Still used in certain places where there are frequent changes in garment style but a low level of managerial skill.

The Clump System

Another example of Conventional Bundle system A worker collects a clump of materials from the worktable and carries out the first operation. Once he completes his part of the work, he returns it to the table. A worker for the second operation then continues the work and so on. The process is ' collection - work - return' continues until the whole garment has been assembled.

Advantages: Flexible system, as it can cope with frequent style changes Worker absenteeism does not cause any major problems, as the controller can control the amount of work received and dispatched. The system is easy to operate and supervise. This system may encourage individual workers to work faster, as they constantly have to return their own work to the central inventory. It is easier to obtain a uniform level of quality, as the controller can check the quality control.

Disadvantages Excessive handling of the materials by the operators, as they have to carry their work back to the central inventory Difficult to control the inventory. Difficult to see the WIP at the various stages of manufacture. Engineering of work places is difficult because machines are arranged in the limited capacity. High level of WIP. Large storage space needed for high WIP.

Progressive Bundle System

The sewing operations are laid out in sequence. Each operator receives a bundle, does his work, reties the bundle and passes it to the next operator. There is usually a storage facility such as rack, bin or table for storing the inter-process work between each operation Work is routed by means of tickets. Any imbalance in production can be corrected by using utility workers. Most widely used system in the garment industry today. Used in shirt factories, jeans factories, jacket factories, etc.

Advantages: High productivity A high level of labor utilization can be achieved A uniformly high standard of work can be achieved Training time and costs can be reduced Semi-skilled labor can be used Individual performance can be monitored and incentives offered.

Disadvantages
Machine investment costs are high System is not very adaptable for short-run production and frequent style changes, as these require rearrangement of the workstations Involves high handling costs for bundle handling and transportation.

Requires a high level of WIP and therefore a High capital commitment

Requires a high level of management skill to arrange the workflow and decide on the number of operators for each operation.

Flexible Flow System

Similar as the Progressive Bundle A section of sewing operators, each with a supply of work in a rack at the side, work at an engineered work place. The machines are laid out in such a way that a flow of work can be planned using the correct number of operators in sequence.

Two styles of garment are being made at one time. For style A garments, the work distributed after operation 1 can be distributed to the two operators performing operation 2.

 On Completion, the work from both workers is then sent to operator 3. After operation 3, the work is continued by the two operators performing operation 4 and so on. Style B progresses in more or less the same way.

 When a new style is to be loaded on to the system, the number of operators needed for each operation must be planned in detail to ensure a balanced output. The number of operators for an operation should be proportionate to the time needed for that operation. Detailed planning ensures that if the production run on a style is short, only a few operators are allocated to that style

Advantages: High productivity A high level of labor utilization can be achieved A uniformly high standard of work can be achieved Semi-skilled labor can be used Individual performance can be monitored and incentives offered. Machine investment costs are less than Progressive Bundle System System is adaptable for short-run production and frequent style changes, as these do not require rearrangement of the workstations.

Disadvantages : Involves high handling costs for bundle handling achieved and transportation. Requires a high level of WIP and therefore a high capital commitment. Requires a high level of management skill to arrange the work flow and decide on the number of operators for each operations.

Straight Line System

 The manufacturing process is broken down into several operations, which take the same time to complete. Groups of operators are required to handle only individual garments. The garment parts (in trays) pass from one operator to the next, until the garment has been completely made up by one group of operators. The central distribution unit may be a fixed table, which must be wide enough for the type and style of garment being assembled and long enough to accommodate the required number of operations.

 The distribution unit may be a conveyor belt, when a moving conveyor belt is used, its speed will be set to suit the cycle time. The straight-line system is used where production continues for six to eight weeks. In the garment industry, examples of this system can be found in factories making underwear, overalls, shirts, and certain classic garments.

Advantages: Throughput time is fast and WIP is low. Material handling time is low and there is no back tracking of material. The space required for each operator is small. It does not require a great deal of technical supervision. Shading control can be improved.

Disadvantages
Not very flexible to style change. Quality control can be difficult to achieve. Absenteeism can cause problems, as the system is based on workers working within a time limit. Machine breakdowns may disrupt the workflow. The opportunities to engineer work places are limited and it is difficult to introduce specialization. Requires a high investment in machinery, as it is necessary to duplicate several different types of machines. A high standard of work measurement is necessary and high pre-production skills are required.

Synchro Flow System

Similar characteristics to the Straight-Line Garment parts of the same size and color are processed separately. Different garment parts can be processed simultaneously for assembling. Main body of the garment goes down a central line in the given figure. At the same time, collars, sleeves, cuffs, pockets, etc., from other lines also go down a central line. The different garment parts are then processed together to form completed garments.

Advantages:

Throughput time is fast and the work in progress is low. Material handling time is low and there is no back tracking of material It does not require a great deal of technical supervision.

Disadvantages Absenteeism can cause problems, as the system is based on workers working within a time limit Machine breakdowns and worker absenteeism or lateness may disrupt the workflow A high standard of work measurement is necessary and high pre-production skills are required.

Unit Production System

A UPS is a computer-controlled production line. It is a type of line layout that uses an overhead transport system to move individual units from workstation to work station for assembly. All the parts for a single garment are advanced through the production line together by means of a hanging carrier that travels along an overhead conveyor.

 Production operations are completed without removing the parts from the carrier. Automated materials handling replaces the traditional system of bundling, tying and untying, and manually moving garment parts. Electronic data can be collected from workstations, which provides payroll and inventory data, immediate tracking of styles, and costing and performance data for prompt decision.

Advantages: Flexible and complied with work measurement The system has little work-in-progress,Fast through put time Low WIP leads to space saving. Application of Eton system reduces the handling time. High quality of garments can be made.

Disadvantages: Investment of the system is high. A central place may be needed for quality control. Small orders are not economical for using this system because high preparation works is needed for plant layout and line balancing.

Modular Manufacturing System

Modular manufacturing groups operators into teams, or modules. The team works on one/a few garment at a time instead of a bundle of garments. The operators stand /sit at their stations and rotate to different machines as they work, becoming familiar with multiple steps in producing the garment.

 They also inspect their team's own work, catching and correcting mistakes as soon as they happen. Besides inspiring teamwork and improving morale, it also enhances quality and reduces worker turnover. The through put time is reduced of producing a garment.

Advantages : One operator can handle more than one task The system is very flexible and permits better line balancing Fast through put time, lower WIP, small batch size can be achieved Less floor space is required More teamwork spirit is allowed, which creates a healthier working environment and improves quality Since the system is more quick response to the fashion change, which helps to develop fashion garment capability.

Disadvantages Multi skillful and very skillful labors are needed. Success of the system needs highly cooperation of the team.