ABSTRACT In the present garment manufacturing scenario the major problems faced by them include improper line balance,

Work in process fluctuation and high percentage of Non value added activities on the shop floor. Kanban is the principle practice of maintaining precise production and conveyance sequence by ensuring that the first part to enter a process or storage location is also the first part to exit. FIFO is a necessary condition for pull system implementation. The principles of Lean do not work well when everyone is allowed to chose their own work method or work sequence in which to do a job the out come is unpredictable & flow and pull bare impossible The objective of flow project is to drastically reduce product throughput time and human effort to improve efficiency. This includes the reconfiguration of tasks in a cell so that machines / operations line up in process sequence with parts flowing quickly and smoothly from station to station.

Chapter 1
Introduction

COMPANY INTRODUCTION Intercraft South Export or ISEX, after over 3 decades of commitment to apparel design and production commences a new journey as the Evolv Clothing Company. Evolv Clothing Company is a Specialized and established manufacturer of high value woven garments with over three and a half decades of experience in design and production. Founded in 1975 by Mr. Ravi Malhotra, the organization currently headed by Mr. Atul Malhotra- Managing Director has emerged as a leading manufacturer of fashion apparel with a key strength of complete in house product development. In 1995, CAMICERIA Apparels was created with advanced structure to focus on the premium segment of the market. Armed with original values and a fresh approach, Evolv clothing company now aims to conquer new territories in domestic fashion in retail.

Installed capacity Laundry capacity Laundry facility

Product lead time Market Group turnover

In house : 1 ,25,000 pieces /month 1 ,25,000 pieces /month Garment wash Stone wash Enzyme wash 90-120 days The organization caters to well known European and American Brands US $ 18,00 Million

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION After Value stream mapping, a clear picture of excess inventory (waste) has been up streamed which has to be removed. 1. Cutting: Once fabric rolls are issued from stores are added in the WIP. The lead time of the style is supposed to be 120 days. But cutting department keeps the inventory before it is needed actually in the production floor and stop for certain period of time, which is accumulation of space and increasing the cost. Excess inventory is a mother of all other wastes. So, the project starts with elimination of excess inventory and implementation of FIFO (First In First Out) process with the help of Kanban supermarket system between the cutting and production department. 2. Stores: Excess inventory in stores, cutting and washing departments. Excess process steps for ordering and receiving cartons and printed books in stores, which is highly overloaded in terms of paperwork like purchase order, purchase indent raising, getting approvals, receiving books, deliver challans and reapproval for the received goods. 3. Overall Lack of communication/connection among the departments from customer order to shipment procedures. It creates misconception and confusion between cutting incharge and production supervisor. Supervisors get exhausted as he has to deal with the improper feeding of parts and absence of set of parts during the production stage. Material issued both from store to cutting, and cutting to production are pushed to the succeeding department irrespective of the demand for raw material. Overburdening and unplanned system of production leads to unevenness when it comes to assembly, which is a pacemaker of the manufacturing unit. This negligence prevailing in all the departments can be eliminated by bringing tem in one stream of production, that is, a way of cellular manufacturing technique will be the motive of the project. Lean tools like Kanban, 5S, Yamazumi (line balancing) and Anton systems are discussed in detail in the following chapter.

Chapter 2
Literature Survey - The Lean Thinking
2.1 The Lean production System vs. Traditional Production System. 2.2 The eight deadly wastes. 2.3 The four stages in Lean. 2.4 Leans impact on Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale and safety 2.5 The Lean house.

Traditional Production system Philosophy Performance Measures People Strategy Low unit cost Unit cost, earned

Lean Production System Waste elimination

hours, Total system cost, quality and delivery Eliminate Variations

absorption Improve individual efficiencies

Standard costing and standard Develop consistent process hours capability

Tools

Computer systems (mrp), time Standardized work elements clocks, reports performance boards, andon Standardized procedures work and

Methods

Time studies, work standards

Reason

Verify employee performance to Able to determine normal standard and cost eliminating from abnormal

Control Methods

Management

reviews

reports, Visual controls, planned and automatic audits that Abnormal conditions can be added corrected quickly and return to best methods

adjusts standards Effects Encourages increases activities Results behaviors non value

Waste increases, total system cost Reduced waste and total is higher system cost is reduced.

Table 2.1 difference between Traditional production system and Lean production system

The objectives are the same, namely, to provide the highest quality at the lowest cost, within the shortest time possible, however the thought process to achieve

these results in opposite. The Lean focuses on elimination of waste throughout the production process. Lower the waste processes, higher will be the Profit earned. 2.2. The eight deadly wastes Muda, it is a Japanese word which means waste specifically an human activity which absorbs resources but creates no value, mistakes which require rectification , production of items which nobody would want , so that inventory of remaindered goods pile up, processing steps which arent actually needed, movement of employees and transport of goods from one place to another without any purpose, groups of people in a downstream activity around waiting because an upstream activity has not delivered on time; and goods and services which dont meet the needs of the customer. Fortunately there is a powerful antidote to muda. The Lean Thinking. It provides a way to specify vale, line up value creating actions in the best sequence, conduct these activities without interruptions whenever someone requests and perform more and more effectively. In short Lean thinking is lean because it provides a way to do more and more with less and less human effort, less equipment, less time and less space while coming closer and closer for providing customer with exactly what they want. Lean thinking also provides a way to make more satisfying by providing immediate feedback on efforts to convert muda into value. And, in striking contrast with the recent craze for process re-engineering. It provides a way to create new work rather than simply destroying jobs in the name of efficiency

Value Added: Anything that changes shape, from or function of a product, sub- assembly, and information or service that customers is willing to pay for. Non Value Added: Any activity that absorbs or consumes resources without creating value is a NVA Activity. Waste: Waste is anything that adds cost to the product without adding value The eight types of wastes are discussed in detail in following ages. 2.2.1. Over Production Over Production is to produce sooner, faster or in greater than the absolute customer demand. Over production discourages a smooth flow of goods or services, and leads to excessive inventory. It is like manufacturing Just in Case Caused by Large batch sizes Poor people utilization, lack of customer focus; Sense of security against Effects Costs money, Consumes resources ahead of plan, Hides inventory/ defect problems, Space utilization

machine break downs, Defect and absenteeism; Variations in loading

Table 2.2 Causes of Over Production

Producing items earlier or in greater quantity generates other wastes, such as, overstaffing, storage, and transport costs because of excess inventory can be physical inventory or a queue of information.

2.2.2. Inventory Any raw material, work in progress (WIP) or finished goods, which are not having value added to them. Inventory includes raw materials, WIP and finished goods. Excess raw material, WIP, or finished goods may cause longer lead times, obsolescence, damaged goods, transportation and storage costs, delay. Also, extra inventory hides problems such as production imbalances, late deliveries from suppliers, defects, equipment down times and long setup times. Caused by Inaccurate forecasting Excessive downtime/setup time Large batching Effects Adds cost and could get damaged Extra storage & resources required Hides shortages and defects.
Table 2.3 Causes of excessive Inventory

The smooth, continuous flow of work through each process ensures that excess amount of inventory are minimized. If work in process develops because of unequal capabilities within the process, efforts need to be made to balance the flow of work through the system. Inventory ties up assets such as cash and real estate. Inventory often requires additional handling which requires additional labor and equipment .

2.2.3. Waiting Operators merely serving as watch person for automated machines, or having to stand around waiting for the next processing step, tool, supply part, etc, or just plain having no work because of no stock, lot processing delays, equipment down time, and capacity bottlenecks. Also known as queuing, waiting refers to periods of inactivity in a down steam process that occur because upstream activity does not deliver on time. Caused by Shortages & Unreliable supply chain Downtime/ Breakdown Ineffective Production planning Quality, design, engineering Issues Effects Stop/start production Poor Workflow continuity Causes bottlenecks Long Lead times and failed delivery dates
Table 2.3 Causes of Waiting

Time is a limited resource. Any waiting due to breakdowns, changeover, delays, poor layout or work sequence needs to be eliminated. Thorough preventive maintenance and rapid changeovers are essential to global competitiveness. 2.2.4. Motion Motion is the movement of people. Waste of motion occurs when individuals move more than is necessary for the process to be completed. To move and add value is called Work. To move and not add vale is called motion. Motion then means moving without working and adding cost. Any motion employees have to

perform during their course of work other than adding value to the part, such as reaching for, looking for, stacking parts, tools, etc. Also walking is waste. Caused by No Standard operating procedure Badly Designed work cells Inadequate training Effects It Interrupts production flow Increases Production time Can Cause injuries/fatigue

Table 2.4 Causes of Excessive Motion

Wasted motion occupies time and energy. Work process should be designed so that items are positioned close to each other. Unnecessary amounts of turning, lifting, and reaching are eliminated. The same improvements that eliminated wasted motion often have ergonomic benefits as well. 2.2.5. Transportation This is unnecessary motion or movement of materials, such as work-- in--process (WIP) being transported from one operation to another even if it is a shorter distance. Or it may be having to move the materials, parts, or finished goods into or out of storage or between processes. Caused by Badly Designed process/cell Poor Value stream flow Complex Material flows Effects Increases Production time It Consumes resource & Floor space Poor communication Increases Work in progress Potential Damage to products
Table2.5 Causes of Transportation

Inefficient layouts and facility design results in conveying parts, materials, and people more than what is necessary. Material should progress from one cell or position to the next as quickly as possible without stopping at any intermediate storage place. 2.2.6. Over Processing Over processing is taking unneeded steps to process the parts or inefficiently processing due to poor tool and product design, causing unnecessary motion, producing defects. It is processing beyond the standard required by the

customer. It also refers to the extra operations such as rework reprocessing, handling or storage that occurs because of defects, over production, or excess inventory. Waste is generated when providing higher quality products than it is necessary. At times extra work is done to fill excess time rather than spend it waiting Caused by Out Of date standards Not Understanding the process Lack Of innovation & improvement Effects It Consumes resource It Increases production time Its Work above and beyond specification

Lack Of standard operation procedure Can Reduce life of component

Table 2.6 Causes of Over Processing

2.2.7. Defects/ Corrections A defect is a component which the customer would deem unacceptable to pass the quality standard. The waste of corrections is a result of poor internal quality.

Producing defected Products or products requiring repairs adds the cost of extra manpower, materials, facilities and conveyance measures. Production of defective parts may lead to correction, repairing parts, scraps, replacement production, and inspection means wasteful handling time, and effort. Caused by Out Of control/ Incapable processes Effects Adds costs

Lack of skill, training & on the Job Interrupts The schedule and consumes support Inaccurate design & engineering Machine inaccuracy resources Creates Paper work Reduces Customer confidence
Table 2.7 Causes of Rework

2.2.8. Not Utilizing 4M Resources Not using the available resources optimally. The unused employee creativity, Losing time, ideas skills, improvements and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees. Caused by Effects

Lack Of skill, training & On the job Underutilized capacity support Not Understanding the process Lack Of innovation & improvement Lack Of standard operation Adds Costs of non utilized resources

procedure
Table2.8. Causes of Not Utilizing from available resources

2.3. The Four Stages in Lean

2.3.1. Identify the Value Stream

Value stream mapping is more than a neat tool to draw pictures that highlight waste, though that is certainly valuable. It helps us see linked chains of processes and to envision future lean value stream. Underlying value stream mapping is a philosophy of how to approach improvement. VSM provides the information management task running from order taking through detailed scheduling to delivery, and the physical transformation task proceeding from the raw material to a finished product to the hands of the customer. Identifying the entire value stream for each product is the next step in lean thinking, a step which almost always exposes enormous indeed staggering amounts of muda. Specifically, value stream analysis will almost always show that three types of actions are occurring along the value stream.---(1) Many steps will be found to unmistakably create value.---(2) Many steps will be found to create no value. And ---(3) Many additional steps will be found to create no value and to be immediately avoidable.

2.3.2. Set the Flow Once value has been precisely specified, the value stream for a specific product, fully mapped, and obviously wasteful steps eliminated, its time for the next step. Connecting two or more processes into a continuous flow will increase the severity of the problem and necessitate their elimination.

Figure 2.1 Steps to create continuous flow

Connected flow across the industry means production in the entire facilityperhaps across multiple facilities will be shut down if the problems are not corrected effectively. Imagine the importance of equipment readiness and manpower availability and materials supply when thousands of operators

stopping their work if there is a failure. At Toyota this happens from time to time. The entire operation is connected, and so within a few hours a problem with a main component has halted the entire facility. Many organizations believe that this type of production stoppage is unacceptable. Stopping production is a sure ticket to the employment office. But Lean sees it as an opportunity to identify weakness within the system, to attack the weakness and to strengthen the overall system. It is the counter intuitive thinking that perplexes bottom line thinkers. Lean says that Failing and improving is the way to improve results for a long term Traditional thinking in contrast is that, success is achieved by never allowing the failures to attack the shot term results. Lean tools can help providing both support system and controlling methods to react appropriately to the emerging problems.

2.3.2. Pull A Pull system is an aggregation of several elements that supports the process pulling. The Kanban sign is one of the tools used as a part of pull system. The kanban is simply the communication method and it could be a card or an empty space or a cart or any other signaling method for a customer to say I am ready for more. There are many other elements including visual controls and standardized work. There are three elements of a Pull system that differentiate I from the Push System : 1. Defined: A defined agreement with specified limits pertaining to volume of product, model mix and the sequence of model mix between two parties; supplier and the customer.

2. Dedicated: Items that are shared by the two parties must be dedicated to them. This includes resources, storage, locations, containers, and so forth, common reference time (takt time). 3. Controlled: Simple control methods which are visually apparent and physically constraining, maintain the defined agreement. In a push system there is no defined agreement between the supplier and the customer regarding the quantity of work to be supplied and when. The first visible effect of converting from departments and batches to product teams and flow is that the time required to go from concept to launch sale to delivery, and raw material to the customer falls dramatically. When flow is introduced, products requiring years to design are done in months, orders taking days to process are completed in hours and in weeks or months of throughput time for conventional physical production are reduced to minutes or days. This produces a one time cash windfall from inventory reduction and speeds returns on investments. The ability to design, schedule and make exactly what the customer wants just when the customer wants it means the sale forecast is thrown out and simply make what customers actually need that is the customer pull the production as needed.

2.3.4. Perfection: The most common perception about Lean is that it is about Just in Time- the right part, the right amount, the right time, the right place. The key to eliminate waste is to create flow and the principle of pull requires production in a Just in Time manner.

Figure 2.2 Continuum of Flow

It is a best way to think of flow in a continuum as shown in the above figure. Even the dreaded schedules create some degree of flow; at the other extreme is one piece flow process with fewer inventories between operations. Between we can have a supermarket replenishment system to pull pats in sequence from one process to next, or we can flow through a lane with a definite amount of inventory without breaking the FIFO order. Waste is designed into the system. Both sequenced pull system and FIFO generally require less amount of inventory than super market system and have a better flow. If we have a supermarket replenishment process then we should take out it, and stress the system. If we have a FIFO lane then we can reduce the lane by one piece and it will force continuous improvement.

As organizations begin to accurately specify value, identify the entire value from the stream, make the value creating steps for the specific products flow continuously and let customers pull value from the enterprise, something very odd begins to happen. Getting value to flow faster always exposes hidden mudas in the value stream. And the harder it is pulled, the more the bottlenecks to flow are revealed so they can be easily removed. Dedicated product teams in direct dialogue with customers always find way to specify value more accurately and often learn the ways to enhance flow and pull as well.

2.4. Leans impact on Quality, Cost, Delivery, Morale & safety 2.4.1. Quality Producing high quality product is paramount for any manufacturing industry and therefore, must be given priority. Customers will never continue purchasing a product if its quality is poor. Mission is to supply the customers (internal and external) with first quality products. To do this, Products must confirm exactly its design quality specifications. Defect free parts eliminate the wastes of rework and scrap, which in turn reduces costs. Reducing costs gives the luxury to remain competitive in an aggressive global market, and increase the market share. 2.4.2. Cost structure Lean cuts down the cost of manufacturing & brings down selling price by eliminating wastes in manufacturing processes. This results in satisfied customer as well as satisfied manufacturer. Lower the waste in process, higher will be the profit earned. The difference in the approach of earning profit makes a positive impact on the customer. Figure 1.3 shows the difference in the approach.

Figure 2.3 Comparisons between Traditional Approach & Lean Approach for Profit

2.4.3. Delivery Lean ensures DIFOT (Delivery In Full On Time) by the pull created by the customer, which makes it easier in manufacturing in the right amount with the right quality at right time at the lowest possible price. Since the waste is always identified and eliminated, the risk of ejections & rework are reduced. The customer gets quality products on time. Moreover the inventory is minimized to the lowest possible number which creates flexibility in the manufacturing system. Todays customer wants flexibility in terms of early delivery, change in style elements etc. 2.4.4. Morale Lean considers its employees as its biggest assets. All employees contribute o a creative and positive work place. Continuous improvement recognizes the

creativity, and problem solving ability of all participants. The person closest to the problem understands the problem well and lean puts every attempt to utilize the knowledge experiences and creativity of all employees to eliminate the root causes of the problem. This shows respect for the individuals dignity and worth. Creating an environment of mutual respect, trust and co operation is critical for making improvements and maintaining morale. 2.4.5. Safety Lean ensures the best possible way of doing a job, with less body motion, organized work ace, making the job easier. This increases the work place safety, which reduces work place hazards & shows respect for people. Every effort is made to make the work place as safe as possible. Safety is never sacrificed in the name of productivity. Proper safety standards are in place, and operators are monitored at a regular basis to follow them. In most organizations there is a substantial amount of waste that is caused by random activities and inconsistent methods. To eliminate wastes, the variation within processes has to be eliminated. Variation is the reverse of standardization. By definition, Variation implies the inability to standardize. The isolation of variation is a key to the establishment of standardized work methods and procedures. This also establishes a baseline and the ability to distinguish the normal standard method from nonstandard methods.

2.5. The Lean House The TPS Temple has a foundation based on operational stability that is the process behaves in a predictable way each time we run it. This is ensured through tools like standardized work, TPM etc.

Figure 2.5 The Lean House

2.5.1 Just in Time The Just In Time (JIT) philosophy advocates producing and/or delivering only the necessary parts, within the necessary time in the necessary quantity using the minimum resources available. Ideally the appropriate number of parts re produced and immediately shipped when the customer order is received. Upstream processes and supplier deliver

exactly the appropriate quantity of components when the downstream process needs them. In this situation there is no need for inventory. Eliminating all inventory and work in process (WIP) is impossible in the practical sense. The key to manufacturing efficiency is continuously decreasing the quantity of each in the system. There is a general tendency to react to problems by accumulating a reserve of stock based on an estimate of quality defects, equipment breakdown and team member absenteeism. But keeping excess stock means the various production problems are hidden or glossed over. This makes it impossible to establish a work site with a strong constitution. Stock used compensates for production halts due to defects or machine and equipment breakdowns hide the fact that these are problems. This hide need to forestall problems, prevent the recurrence, or improve the operational rate when defects or breakdowns occur. JIT manufacturing helps identify opportunities for perfecting processes rather than creating space for inventories 2.5.2. Pull System In conventional Production System, parts produced by one process, as defined by the production schedule, are delivered to following processes even if they are not yet needed there. This method may be good when parts can be produced on schedule throughput the whole process. But if just one process has trouble and the line stops, the processes directly related to the troubled one will suffer from a storage or a back up of parts. This is called push system. The pull system eliminates under or over production by limiting production to those parts demanded by the next downstream process. The customer pulls the items needed in the quantity needed, at the time needed. The Supplier replaces set up

only those items are pulled by the customer. For a preceding process to produce requisite quantity of parts all production processes must be ready, like people, equipment and materials that can manufacture the parts just in time. This could be managed only if the downstream process proportionately increase or decrease output to compensate for the irregularity. Pull is a Methods of production control in which downstream activities signal their needs to upstream activities. Pull production strives to eliminate overproduction and is a key component of a JIT production system. In pull production, a downstream operation, whether within the same facility or in a separate facility, provides information to the upstream operation, often via a Kanban card, about what part or material is needed, the quantity needed, and when and where it is needed. The upstream supplier process produces nothing until the downstream customer process signals a need. This is the opposite of push production.

2.5.2 . Supermarket Pull System The most basic and widespread type, also known as a fill--up or replenishment or a--type pull system. In a supermarket pull system each process has a store (supermarket) that holds an amount of each product it produces. Each process simply produces to replenish what is withdrawn from its supermarket. Typically, as material is withdrawn from the supermarket by the downstream customer process, a Kanban or other type of information will be sent upstream to the supplying process to withdraw product. This will authorize the upstream process to replace what was withdrawn.

2.5.3. Jidoka Jidoka is roughly translated to mean intelligent machines, and specifically refers to the machines ability to detect a problem and to stop itself. It is an effort to have the machine work without continuous direct human monitoring, and it will sound an alert where there is a problem. Fortunately, many machine manufacturers today are building self checking capabilities into machines. As with many of the lean concepts, there is more to the concept of JIDOKA and self stopping machines.

Utilizing Jidoka is a matter of understanding where wastes is in any process. Do you currently have machines that need constant attention? Does this create waiting time for the operator? Close observance to understand the true condition is required. Long ago people realized that having an operator filed the time with busy work. Its not possible to see actual waiting , so we need to look at the activity being performed while machine is running. Is it value added?

Notice whether you have machines idle because they need service but there is no recognition of this. We often see machines that automatically feed material and feed gets jammed, or the material supply runs out, and the machine is waiting. This is a waste also. Machines should be equipped with sensing devices and Andon that sounds an audible alarm and convey a visual sign to notify operators when they need service (preferably before they run out the material) 2.5.4. Standardized Work Standardization is a critical ingredient for Jidoka and Just in time. Consistency in methods is critical to limiting variations in the process and achieving efficient

production in a timely manner. Many documents exist to guide operators, define processes, document standard methods, and team members.

The establishment of standardized processes and procedures is the greatest key to creating consistent performance. It is only when the process is stable that one can begin the creative progression of continuous improvement. The creation of standardized processes is based on defining, clarifying (making visual), and consistently utilizing the methods that will ensure the best possible results. As such standardization is not applied as a stand alone element at specific intervals. Rather, it is a part of the ongoing activity of identifying problems, establishing effective methods, and defining the way those methods are to be performed. And it is sufficient detail to make the standardization

Until standards are defined in any operation, it is not possible to truly make improvements. If a process is not standardized (it is random and chaotic), and improvements are made, there is no improvement but there is an addition of randomness or one more version of how they do the job which further increases the chaos. If a person creatively improves the work but it does not become a standard, then the work is only improved while that particular person is doing it. And nobody else will build on that improvement. If the improvement was to create standardization, then a platform has been created which enables teams to continuously improve the process.

Chapter 3 Methodology
3.1 Methodology 3.2 Tools and techniques to be used 3.3 Scope

3.1 Methodology 1. Literature review 2. Understanding the product family 3. Understanding the tools and machines involved 4. Understanding the process & information flow 5. Value stream mapping 6. Finding out the wastes of excess Inventory and over processing areas 7. Observing those departments lead time, cycle time for several products 8. Setting Kanban 9. Layout change 10.Pull Production system Implementation 11.Line Balancing (Yemazumi) 12.Andon System Implementation 13.Analyzing the existing problems involved in the shop floor 14.Analyzing the elements required for standard work through pull production analysis 15.Study the effects of just in time (KANBAN) implementation in the line Further scope of improvement 3.2. Tools and Techniques to be used Standard WIP (Pull system ) Yamazumi Chart & Combination Cellular Layout 6S Ishiwaka Diagram Skill matrix Development

Value stream mapping Time Study Process flow chart Elemental Breakdown KANBAN (Supermarket) Work station Layout

Work

3.3 . Scope To understand the shop floor requirements for effective product and material flow bringing all departments in production stream into one cell. Implementing the effective changes based on KANBAN Pull production system and Cellular manufacturing method.

Approach to the Problem

Chapter 4

Planning for Cellular Manufacturing

5.1. 5.2. Macro planning Micro planning

5.1 Macro planning The tools and techniques used in macro planning are 5.1.1 Process flow chart 5.1.2 Kanban super market 5.1.3 5S 5.1.4 Elemental breakdown

5.2 Micro planning In micro planning, the work is planned on a micro level which includes the final machinery requirements, Final manpower requirements, work combination, time study, , Cell layout, line balancing and Standard WIP. Tools used in this section include:-5.2.1 Cycle times (cutting) 5.2.2 Cycle times (production/pre-production) 5.2.3 Cell layout 5.2.4 Standard WIP in each workstation 5.2.5 Yamazumi Chart 5.2.6 Feeding point 5.2.7 Andon system

Each &every stage in Micro planning is equally important to make the job easier during production.

A detailed explanation of each tool used is given below: 5.2.1 Cycle times (cutting) In cutting operations from spreading to bundling and feeding to the racks have different operations for plain and checked fabrics. cycle times is never stable for the operation. deep analysis of cycle times and lead times of the cutting operations is required for reducing lead time of cutting . 5.2.2 Cycle times (production/pre-production) The time it takes an operator to complete all the work elements at a station before repeating them, as timed by direct observation.

5.2.3 Cell layout Cut to pack in one cell which does not need separate departments for value addition to the raw material instead whole processing steps of garment is within one stream; and the responsibility relies on one person who will be aware of the problems occurring and find solutions immediately and otherwise stop the production. And he can prevent any problems that may occur in future. 5.2.4 Standard WIP in each workstation For establishing the cellular layout, direction of all the processing in the sewing line should be uni directional. Layout should be modified in U-shape preferably, without any zig-zag or criss-cross interactions. Basic total preventive maintenance should be in its place. One piece movement is mandatory (1piece = 1 unit, that is, 3,4,5, pieces in a unit)

5.2.5 Yamazumi Chart Yamazumi is Japanese for pile or stack. It is a graphic tool that assists the creation of continuous flow in a multistep, multi--operator process by distributing operator work elements in relation to takt time. 5.2.6 Feeding point Feeding point should not be more than one in a line for production floor. 5.2.7 Andon system A visual management tool that highlights the status of operations in an area at a single glance and that signals whenever an abnormality occurs. Sakichi (Toyota team) invented a power loom, and ultimately he solved a nagging problem with power looms. The problem was, if a single thread broke, then all he material woven after that was until somebody noticed the problem and reset the loom. The solution was to build into the loom the human capability to detect the problem and stop itself. To alert the operator that the loom needed assistance, he developed the Andon system, which signaled the need for help. This invention became the basis for one of the main pillars of the Toyota Production System- JIDOKA (machines with human intelligence). It is the foundation to Toyotas philosophy of building in quality. When there is a problem, do not just keep going with the intension of fixing it later. Stop and fix the problem now. Productivity may suffer now, but in long run productivity will be enhanced as problems are found and countermeasures put in place.