Matrix Clothing Private Limited Sampling Department (Ladies Division)

Man Work Works

Project On How can we reduce the fabric consumption in the Garment Submitted By Amit Under the guidance of Ms. Ashu Uppal Department of management studies National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad-July, 2011

OBJECTIVE:The main objective of the study is: To minimize the fabric loss in a garment export house. Sub - objective of the study is Reduce wastage. Extract maximum profits. Optimize resources to achieve efficient and profitable results. To understand the CAD process To understand cutting section properly

Methodology: Get involved in the CAD department till the grass root level in order to understand the process properly. Understanding the cutting process briefly Prepare check list for each process. Interview people on the job. Keep the process divided into individual steps for easy understanding. Make the final plan by self-understanding the procedures.

60-80% of apparel manufacturing cost is fabric cost. Any saving in fabric makes a greater impact on overall organizational profitability.

ABOUT CAD:-

Computer aided designing is pattern making software integrated suite of software in which include pattern, design, Grading, details, marker layout full features CAD drafting system. Make the Pattern that matches the requirement. FUNCTIONS OF CAD ROOM CAD department is responsible for the following functions: Determining cutting average for costing Making the most efficient cutting marker Development and alteration of patterns Development of size set pattern by grading

BASIC WORKFLOW Firstly the merchandiser sends the following documents to the CAD room: Approved style sheet and spec sheet containing all the measurements. Graded measurement spec sheet.

 Fabric detail sheet containing information like fabric form (open roll or folded form), roll size, GSM, type of fabric, style no, vendor, buyer etc. Then the work of the CAD room begins.

Receive spec sheet form

Receive patterns from pattern

Pattern correction

Pattern grading

Output to Graphtec plotter

Cut ratio planning Market planning according to the cut plan ratio

Pattern sent to merchandiser for sampling

Output marker to plotter

Output mini marker to printer

WORK FLOW IN CAD DEPARTMENT

Send to cutting room for cutting

Send to merchandiser for costing

CAD AVERAGE: Is used to calculate minimum possible fabric consumption in the garment by the help of CAD software TYPE OF MARKER One way 2 way marker One way marker:In which all the garment pattern are placed in similar direction Like in velvet or printed fabric 2 way marker:Garment pattern are placed in two direction

STYLE NO: - #4010055/2266

FABRIC CONSUMPTION:Marker length x actual width x GSM 1550

Weighted average consumption/pcs:-.298 To calculate the fabric consumption GSM of fabric Pattern length (palla length) Type of fabric Marker length Fabric width

Marker planning is depend upon the Width of cutting table No of plies (layer) will be according to the cutting capacityofknife.
Sr.no Fabric width 1 2 3 4 5 S/2+XL/2 M/2+L/2 L/1+XL/1 1X/1+3X/1 1X/2+2X/2 Actual width 68 68 68 68 68 Usable width 65 65 65 65 65 Marker length 42.5 41.5 48.5 51 49.5 Fabric consumption 289 282.5 329.8 346.8 336.6 Marker efficiency 83.4 85 76.2 83.3 82.3 PO qty 4130 5290 328 354 2510 Fabric Requirement 1193.57 1492.838 108.1744 122.7672 844.866

Questionnaire for CAD department Dear Sir I am Amit a National Institute of Fashion Technology (Nift) Hyderabad student doing internship in matrix clothing private limited during internship I am working on the project How can we reduce the fabric consumption in the garment so I need some useful information to get the desired output from that project. CAD Evaluation format

1.

Which Cad system is being used in your organization? OPTITEX When was the CAD system being implemented in your organization? Before 5 years 3-5 years 1-3 years less than 1 year How many times has the organization upgraded the CAD software or installed / changed to a new one? Once Two - five times Almost every year Whenever required Is CAD easier than traditional methods? o Users point of view: yes

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For what purpose/s is the CAD system being used? (Can be more than one) Only for pattern making For digitizing the patterns provided by buyers Marker planning Alterations in patterns Grading Others Does CAD result in greater productivity, is it more lucrative? o Yes o If no, why? _________________________________________________ _____________________ Are traditional skills required to work on CAD? Please Comment: YES, Difficult to operate without traditional skills. Are experienced pattern makers (who manually developed patterns and markers) easily accepting the extensive use of CAD ? Yes No Was any training imparted to the operator when the new soft-ware was installed? Yes No If yes, then for how many days? - Less than 7 days - 7-15 days - More than 15 days Do you think that training is only required when a new software is installed or do you recommend an in-house training otherwise aswell?

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 Training every year or 6-months Only when a software is installed 11. Do you think that the person working on CAD / CAM should be well versed in Pattern and Marker development or should he have fair knowledge about textile and styling as-well? Please Comment: Yes, he should have good knowledge. 12 How many people are working in the pattern development and marker making department? FIVE 13 Has the number changed (increased / decreased) with the usage of CAD? Reduced Are the same Cant say 14. What is the age of person working on CAD? 20-25 yrs. 25-35 yrs Above 35 yrs. 15. Does he have any prior work experience on CAD? Yes No If yes, then how many years? - 1 yr. - 1-2 yrs - More than 2 yrs.

Which system is best for your pattern development department and organization? Mention the CAD system under the evaluating points of 1-7.evaluate by giving score of 1-7 where 1 stands for best and 7 for the least.
Criteria
How you found out about them Communications-digitizers and file import Piece geometry identifications(points, lines, notches, orientations lines, piece rotation line for marker making) Pattern design functions-measurement capabilities Pattern design functions-darts, pleats, trace, cut, combine, shrink, stretch, flip, rotate patterns. Pattern design functions- seam allowance definition, corners, corner insert Removing and adding of patterns from present files, printing and redo and undo functions & keyboard and mouse hot keys- shortcut keys Pattern grading functions Maker making functions Automatic marker making functions Software platforms Outputs and consumables availability Manuals Communications access with respect internet compatibility

TUKATEK Market
2 2

OPTITEX Market
2 2

1 1 1 1 2 1 1

3 2 2 1 3 1 1

Warranty and after sales service CAM and CAD interface Customizing features Cost implications Interface capabilities with other design software Plotting facility TOTAL

1 1 1 3 2 2 26

1 3 1 3 2 1 38

About cutting process

Work flow in cutting department:

Ready for cutting (RFC) fabric is received

Initial shrinkage study

Pattern required in size set

Laying

Manual / CAD marking

Cutting

Sent for embroidery/ printing

Recutting

Stickering / Bundling

Fusing

Panel checking

Part change (matching the lot)

Storage in the rack

Issue in the production line

CUTTING DEPARTMENT SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) Check the lot nos. of the received fabric. Layer the lot wise fabric for cutting to be cut in desired ratio. Check layer height. Select approval pattern for cutting and confirm style no., width etc. Lay the pattern and cut the layer. Inspect all the Panels for the cutting accuracy. Number the panels with lot no., size, and panel no. Blocks are sent for embroidery/ printing. Recutting of the embroidered panels. Bundle the numbered panels. Issue to the production lines.

FUNCTIONS SPREADING/LAYING Spreading or laying is done completely manually in the unit. The laying workers receive the laying details which contains all the details required for laying the fabric. The workers go and get the fabric from the storage racks. If the fabric is in folded form, then the fabric is kept under the laying table on a sheet to prevent the fabric from getting dirty. Knitted fabrics are generally kept for 24 hours for relaxation. If the fabric is in roll form then either it is unwound from the roll form or otherwise the roll is placed using a rod and the rod stand on one end of the table. Normally there are two to three people involved in the process of spreading. One person stands on the end of the table and pulls the fabric and releases it for spreading. The other two persons carry the fabric from one end to the other. The spreading process goes as a cycle. The cycle is mentioned below: Worker standing on the end of the table pulls the fabric to the other end of the table using both hands and releases it for spreading. Two workers carry the end of the fabric till the other end of the lay. The end of the fabric is matched with the end of the lay. Then they put the weight at the end of the fabric lay to hold the fabric. After that they match the selvedge of the fabric with the edge of the lay.

 After they reach the other end they cut the fabric from both the sides with the help of scissors. After that, again both the workers move towards the other end with the edge of the fabric and the whole cycle is repeated again and again till required number of layers is not laid. When a thaan or roll of fabric finishes in between laying, the end bit is cut, measured, recorded and kept separately. Big end pieces are used later in single piece or two piece marker. The smaller end bits are used to replace defective pieces. MARKING & CUTTING After the marking is done the CAD marker is spread over the fabric which is received from the main building. The CAD marker has all the information regarding the pattern such as the size of the pattern, style number, notches and the length of the marker, width of the marker, efficiency, number of patterns in the marker is also mentioned on the CAD marker. The CAD paper is torn at various places and then they stick the thick cello tape over those torn places so that the CAD marker does not move from its place. The lay is stuck to the table from both the ends with the help of the thick cello tape. The lay number is written on each pattern by one of the layer man. Sometimes the marker is made manually by keeping the patterns on the lay and weights are kept. The patterns are received from the CAD department.

After all the adjustments are made and the lay is ready for cutting, cutters start cutting the lay using straight knife. Block cutting is done for those panels which is to be sent for embroidery and printing. Most of the notches are made using the straight knife only. Smaller patterns of the marker are cut on the band knife. All the smaller patterns are set at one side of the marker, they are cut separately as a block and if the fusing is required it goes for fusing and then again if its big enough to handle, it is cut into smaller blocks at the cutting table using straight knife and then it is transported to the band knife by the help of a trolley table. The power for cutting machine (band knife) is received from the overhead power line. TICKETING The pieces cut out from the lay are now sorted out size wise. All the components of one garment size are bought together. It is very important to take care that pieces cut from two different bundles of fabric are not mixed up. This is because within a lot there are bundle-to-bundle variations in the color shade. The sorted pieces are now ticketed. Ticketing is the process of marking the cut components for shade matching precision, and sequence identification. The worker secures one end of the stack and puts on the ticket using ticket gun as he flips over the cut parts. The ticket contains the size, bundle number and piece

number and serves as important means to track the parts of the garment in the assembly line from start to end. After all the pieces are cut, they are taken for ticketing by trolley. A normal hand held ticketing machine is used for this purpose. A sticker contains the size and a continuously increasing number. The number on the ticket can be 3 4 digits. Different colored tickets are used like white, blue, yellow, light green and pink. The numbering starts from 1 for every color in one style. There were two tables for shorting and ticketing. One table was for those panels which directly go to the production department after ticketing and bundling and the other table was for those panels which are sent for job work such as embellishment, pin tucks and printing or washing. These panels are labeled using a golden ink so that it does not wash off. Since the stickers which are stuck on the panels may get detached to the panels while handling it. ASSORTING AND BUNDLING The checked components of one style and in one size are now clubbed and bundled using waste fabric ties. The size of bundle depends upon the requirement of the production plant. Each bundle will contain pieces of the same style and same size only. The cutting department issues the amount required by the production department when asked for.

Each bundle is folded into a roll and tied with waste fabric. Each bundle is attached with a small card containing information about that bundle: Layer Style Size Order number Color and Shade Plies Bundle

CUT PANEL CHECKING The ticketed panels are now sent to the checking area for inspection of every individual piece for any objectionable faults. Panels having faults like wrong grain line, inappropriate size, incorrect shape and any fabric defects like holes, cut, shade variations etc. that cannot are not within the acceptable quality parameters, are removed from the cut lay. A cutting component checking report is filled for the total quality cut, checked and approved. The rejected using the end bits of same color and shade. Pieces are sent back and an equal number of fresh panels are separately cut, replaced in the set and ticketed with the same number as the rejected ones

Other mendable faults are marked with an alteration sticker and passed on. These will be spotted out during garment finishing or washing. All the cut pieces are checked one by one for defects. All the defective pieces are taken out and recorded by the workers. Workers checking the cut parts have been told of what kind of defects to look for and of how much intensity. Defective pieces are kept separately and can be used for cutting smaller pieces if required. PART CHANGE TABLE Here the defective panels are replaced using the end bits of same color and lot by the operator. Then it is passed to the other next table where serial wise matching is done. EMBROIDERY/ PRINTING The cutting department is responsible for sending the cut components of a style for embroidery or printing as stated in the production package. They check for any embroidery/ printing and follow up these departments accordingly. Blocks of panels are sent for embroidery/ printing, which are re-cut after receiving back.

Fusing Fusing is also carried out in the cutting room itself. The parts to be fused are separated from the bundle. The fusing material (like interlining) is cut according to the size of the components to be fused or the whole block is fused and then the panels are cut either on band knife or straight knife The components along with the fusing material is passed through the fusing machine. By means of the temperature and the pressure fusing takes place at a particular speed and for a particular time. The pack comes out at the other end on the conveyors and the pieces are removed and re bundled.

NUMBER OF MACHINES: Band Knife 01 Straight Knife 05 Ticketing Machines 05 Fusing Machines 02

Problems with Recommendation by Self-Understanding the Procedures 1. Problem uneven cutting of layers. Solution The laying up process will dictate the cutting room output. During the cutting of layers by hand lead to unevenness cutting of layers, to get an appropriates cutting of layers End Cutter tool is very much essential to save the fabric and cutting can be done accurately . End Cutters these tools are inexpensive and help greatly to save fabric, you will soon recover the cost of buying them.

End Cutter

2. ProblemWastage in form of end bit. Solution End bit should be monitor properly An end bit is a piece of cloth that is longer than the length required to lay up one complete size. End bits of course will come in all different lengths, and unless you splice there will be pieces of fabric which are shorter than the length of the lay being layed, these pieces should be treated with great respect. They should be measured, have a sticky label attached with the length on it, and then folded and put into piles of

similar length to be used on smaller markers later. I do not believe in keeping fabric for panel replacement unless there are important reasons to do so, so I want to produce garments from all of the available fabric. The off cuts (pieces too small to make a garment) will be used to replace smaller parts of the garments that need replacement. 3. Problemfabric wastage during sampling Solution When Fabric is issued from store department for sampling should be according to garment required. I.e should be according to the cad average. Generally merchant takes the fabric for their own observation that leads to fabric wastage. 4 problems: - wrong placement of layers (end loss) Solution:End loss losses are not well managed and were seen to be as much as 57 cms in some cases Automatic spreading machine should be used for proper placement of each layer, without crease formation, smoothness in each layer

5. Problem:-variation in GSM Solution GSM of fabric should be maintain properly as GSM of fabric increase the consumption of the fabric also increases.GSM of fabric vary with each lot , variation leads to more fabric consumption. 6. Not using the best software for pattern making. Solution Marker planning could be improved in the factories and as orders get smaller this becomes a vitally important feature in fabric utilization and cutting room productivity. The average marker efficiency was seen to be around 85%. TUKATEK CAD software will be more useful as compare to optitex in term of Pattern grading, Pattern design functionsmeasurement capabilities, Maker making, Pattern design functions-darts, pleats, trace, cut, combine, shrink, stretch, flip, rotate patterns. 7. ProblemNo Fabric reconciliation Solution Company does not have a properly managed fabric reconciliation system. This is a fundamental aspect of control in garment manufacturing systems which tell management what happens to every inch of issued fabric. To optimize fabric utilization it is imperative that accurate fabric reconciliation is done for every order. 8 .Problem:-wastage of fabric during cad cutting Solution

Should use Remnants marker

The remnant handling is poor. The measurement and management was rated at a very low level of 36%. The remnants were not measured properly. The storage of remnants was also not Satisfactory. The remnants were simply kept in heaps under tables. Although remnant markers are made remnants are not fully utilized. 9. problem----- mix up during numbering process Solution Numbering The numbering system and number clarity is good. However, the position of numbering can be improved. A poorly positioned number sticker causes problems for the sewing operator since they have to remove and replace the sticker before completing the operation, wasting sewing time.

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