IMPROVEMENT IN THE MERCHANDISING PROCESS

A dissertation submitted in partial Fulfillment of

the requirement for the award of Degree in

Bachelor of Fashion Technology (Apparel Production)

Submitted By

SRISHTI GARBYAL

Under the Guidance of

Mr. Jomichan Pattathil

Department of Fashion Technology

National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai
May,2015

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Abstract

This project is on ―IMPROVEMENT IN THE MERCHANDIDING PROCESS‖

In the garment industry, the goal is not only to deliver the product at low cost but most
importantly in shorter time which can be achieved by ensuring proper coordination
among different activities. Entire pre production, production and postproduction
activities need to be managed properly.

In order to find the major problems leading to delay, TNA and delay analysis was done
from which one can come to a point that there is a lot of reconstruction required in the
sampling department and sampling work method. There may be a lot of reasons and
hidden causes for the samples getting delayed. But the root cause can be found out
only by a detailed study of sampling department work process

Analysis of the sampling department and analysis of line balancing was done.

Sampling is an inevitable process in merchandising and the importance of sampling and

the after affects of samples getting delayed are critical. Major delays are at pre-
production stage and remaining at the production stage. And reduction of such time can
help the company in meeting the delivery dates on time.

Controlling this delay would enable the company to reduce the deviation from the
scheduled lead time and honor the delivery date.

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 1. INTRODUCTION

Improvement in the merchandising process.

1. Introduction

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In the garment industry, the goal is not only to deliver the product at low cost but most
importantly in shorter time which we can be achieved by ensuring proper coordination
among different activities. In today scenario where ―lean is the buzz word making the
delivery quick and on time is the main objective of any retailer and manufacturer.
Reducing the delay elements which are normally non value added elements and making
the entire supply chain more efficient and agile. Hence entire pre production, production
and postproduction activities need to be managed properly. This also leads to getting
more order, more profit and good name in this competitive scenario. Pre – Production
delays are the extension of the days beyond standard and planned schedule for the
activities starting from order enquiry to all approvals required for bulk production.

1.1 Objectives of the study

1.1.1 Specific objective:

The main objective of this study is to improve the current merchandising process by
controlling delays and decreasing the lead time.

1.2.2 Sub- objectives:

 To study the merchandising process.

 To find the reasons behind the delay.
 To recommend ways to control the delay.
 To take a survey of the employees, to know whether they are aware of the
loopholes or is there any other way they can improve in.

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 2. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY

2. Research methodology

2.1 Data collection

 Primary data

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 Data is collected through observation and interview method. Studying
departments,direct interaction with the merchandisers and other team members.

 Secondary data
Secondary data is collected by understanding the process and information flows,
time and action calendar, past records and departmental reports of orders
executed by the company and vendor profiles in detail of the company.

 Sample size:
o Survey was taken of 15 members of the departments on order to get a
clear scenario of the current flow of the department.
o Time and action calendar (T&A) prepared for various styles has been
taken as samples for the study. The TNA was done under the guidance of
the head manager of the department.

 Collection of literature phase:

o Research is being initiated and frame worked after going through various
library books, journals, company news and knowledge bases across
internet.

 Presentation and interpretation of data:

o The collected data have been classified and tabulated. Simple tables have
been prepared. Graphical representations have been liberally used to
exhibit the classified data to provide easy and better understanding.

2.2 Research process

In brief, the research process consists of following steps:

 Study the current orders.

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 o Study about the customer.
o The required garment(construction and design).
o The required fabric (color and quality)
o Assortment and sizing.
o Order quantity.

 Survey of the employees.

o To find out the major faced problems in the system.
o To find if there are any loopholes, that needs to be worked upon.
o To know their personal view on improvisation.

 Make an activity sequence chart.

o All the activities of the flow in a sequence.
o Includes the planned start date and finish date.
o Includes the actual start date and finish date.
o Shows the delay in numbers.
o Show the outputs graphically using Gantt chart and PERT chart.

 Analyzing the information.

o Analyze the information collected from the outputs of the surveys and the
charts.
o List all the problems.
o List all the loopholes.

 Recommendations.

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 3. LITERATURE
REVIEW

3 .Literature Review.

A merchandiser is the most important person in garment merchandising. All the work
done in the process are done under the merchandiser. If the merchandiser manages the
flow of the system the right way, there’ll be very less problems faced.

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Time consumed in the merchandising process is the biggest issue. Approvals and bulk
fabric in-house consumes approximately 75% of the total pre-production activity time
and as far the most time-consuming task. Whole supply chain needs a system which

 Reduces time.
 Co-ordinates internally for all pre production activity.
 Producing high quality clear-cut specifications for manufacturing and quality
purposes.

About 60% of the delays are at pre production stage and remaining at the production
stage and reduction of such time can help the company in meeting the delivery dates on
time. Controlling the delay would enable the company to reduce the deviation from the
schedules lead time and honor the delivery date. (Yadav, 2011)

3.1 OPERATION IN APPAREL PRODUCTION

Manufacturing operations in garment production incorporates pre production, production

and post production activities.

3.1.1 Pre production activities

Apparel manufactures develop sample size garments for a specific target market and
size range. The first step to successfully executing an apparel product line for
manufacturing is the development of a sample garment which meets the specifications
fit and desired look of our client. If no prototypes or samples exist, product Development
Department will assist in the development of original prototypes. If the replication of an
existing garment style and fit is requested then it will match the fabric, trim and wash
desired to client’s specifications and create sample garments for final approval and pre
production. If a prototype of a new design is needed. then Product Development
Department will work as an advisor with the client’s design and merchandising staff to
develop a new garment from scratch. A prototype garment is generated for approval
and fit modifications. After final approval of sample garments and final approval of fit
and tolerances, the product development team and production team will create a size
range and deliver a PreProduction package to manufacturing facilities, monitoring and

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requiring that each spec standard is met to the requirements of the customer. Sourcing
is to provide an experienced understanding of supplier relationships in order to develop
procurement strategies destined to reduce costs, make procurement customizable,
predictable and repeatable, and to provide leverage over suppliers in negotiation on
behalf of our clients. Leverage is therefore eliminating one of the biggest problems
associated with sourcingand manufacturing by translating all specs into an
understandable sourcing/manufacturing language, and by supervising on site all
aspects of the production process. In all relationships people work best when speaking
the same language, but thatlanguage changes slightly as you move from one area to
the other.

Some of the important pre production activities like

• Proto-type Sample development

• Fabric Sample development
• Colour Development
• trim Management
• Fit Sample Development
• Specification Finalization and Costing Calculation

. People involved in are:-

• Development Team
• Designers/Sample Developers
• Customers/Clients
• Textile technologists
• Garment technologists
• Packaging & Dispatch
• Sourcing & Purchasing
• Costing & Finance
• Sales & Marketing
• Production Team
• Planning & Control

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• Testing & Quality Control
(Critical path method and garmenting, 2014)

3.2. DELAY

Delay means retarding detention and postponement of set of event and activities and to
put off them to future time. It is unplanned deferment of a scheduled activity because of
something or occurrence that impede its commencement or continuation. It has
time associated cost effects on a contact which may be measured in term of time
money or a combination thereof. As far as apparel industry is concerned ―Deviation
from quoted lead is referred to as delay.

Delays occur due to several reasons and these can occur at various stages of product
and hence broadly main causes for the delay can be classified as:-

1) Technical Problem
2) Employee related Problem
3) System related Problem

1) Technical Problem

These problems are incurred due to some problem in making out the use of technology
effectively and efficiently. Poor utilization of capacities also lead to delay as it would
result to piling up of work which would stand pending until the earlier loads are
completed.

2) Employee related Problem

The garmenting activities are primarily people driven functions and employee play a
very important role. There are several reasons under this category also some of them

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are miscommunication, wrong interpretation of the information and work get affected as
all activities are interdependent on each other.

3) System related Problem

This is mainly related to the process activities and the way entire system works. This
includes the time taken in documentation, inter-departmental communication, the
release of orders, flow of work, processes followed. The system is unique to every
company and it is way the various functions are executed. And developing a system to
work is very difficult. (kannan, 2011)

3.3. LEAD TIME AND TIMELY DELIVERIES

Meeting the delivery on time is the most important factor in today market to have good
reputation and existence with good market share in this competitive world. To keep a
breast with the dynamic market conditions these days one need to be able to get more
of the fastest selling merchandise on sale during season whilst its appeal lasts and
correspondingly eliminate lines which are not popular and become drain on resources.
The main areas of concern are:

• Merchandise development
• Communication
• System compatibility
• Long delivery time

3.4. Reasons for Delay

There can be several reasons for delay some of them can be:-

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  Resource unavailability(Man, Machine, Material),
 Non Clarities from Buyer Internal Communication,
 Lapse External Communication Lapse Frequent change from the buyer Priorities
and
 Internal Rejections.

Reducing lead times is only possible by:

 Elimination (remove a process)

 Compression (remove time within a process)
 Integration (re-engineering interfaces between successive processes)
 Concurrence (operate processes in parallel) (Hussain, 2012)

3.5 ORDER MANAGEMENT

The classic definition of the Perfect Order is one that is on-time, complete, accurate,
and in perfect condition. Achieving this performance consistently is no small
achievement. It requires an enormous amount of operational discipline. However, your
customers may not take note of operational execution.

After all, they expect to get what they ordered when they want it. To achieve a Perfect
Order from your customer's point of view requires much more: Meeting customer
demand on a timely basis drives customer satisfaction, while ordering excess inventory
hurts bottom line.

Keep supply and demand in profitable balance with Distributed Order Management.
That means having a global view of inventory—at the supplier, in transit or at
warehouse—along with real-time aggregated order reporting.

In today’s scenario company should always know what they need and what they have.
Distributed Order Management simplifies fulfillment process by orchestrating the
following points to be considered:

• Aggregating and prioritizing orders: This includes selection of the orders and
planned execution of the orders based on the importance and priority

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• Sourcing: Optimize procurement across an extensive supply network, including
stores, distribution centers and suppliers, to meet current demand. Proactive
generation of purchase orders for additional supplies when needed. Plan for the
future with Demand Forecasting, so that, right product at right time is ensured. Close
eye on the events that may delay order delivery based upon past records.
• Scheduling and shipping: Efficiently route orders to customers, distribution centers,
retailers and partners to minimize delivery time and storage costs.
• Managing exceptions and substitutions: Inventory shortages, potential customer
service issues and delivery problems should be monitored, so that the time and
information necessary to place new orders, reroute, substitute and communicate
with customers is there.
• Reporting: Capture key performance metrics and establish benchmarks for on-time
deliveries, cash-to-cash cycle time, inventory turns and forecasting accuracy. Get
the information needed to continuously improve fulfillment process. For most
enterprises and their vendors, Order Management Cycle(OMC) functionality resides
in the ERP, CRM and SCM functional domains. However, the requirements of the
OMC focus on order processes. Business process frameworks and related business
process repositories transcend functional silos and will enable enterprises to
address order management challenges across all stakeholders in a hub-like manner.
Today, key business drivers are shaping the future of the OMC. These include the
following:
• •Increasing importance of service orders: Lower profit-product sales continue to
take a back seat to higher-margin service orders. Expect enterprises to continue to
grow warranty, installation and support revenues. As a result, service order
requirements like project accounting, dispatch availability and asset scheduling will
increase in importance.
• •Requirements for multiple party accesses: The number of access points to order
systems increases as processes encompass all departments, access order status,
and review account balances. More importantly, these stakeholders expect to have
the ability to change order attributes at various points throughout the order process.

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• .Focus on business processes, requirements for multiple stakeholder access, and
maturation of middleware platforms in the order management cycle drives
enterprises towards the concept of an order hub. As process proliferation increases
around the order management cycle, standards for core and reusable processes will
emerge. Together with advances in BPM tools and Web services repositories,
organizations are seeking centralized management of these order processes.
Growing acceptance of data hubs—such as customer, product, and supplier—is
leading to this new notion of process hubs. The pairing of master data with reusable
order processes will complete the OMC equation resulting in the prominence of the
order hub. (kannan, 2011)

3.6 Critical Chain Approach

Like project management, pre-production activities in garment manufacture are driven

by human parameters. Furthermore, some of the critical chain characteristics have a lot
in common with garment pre-production activities, all of which are addressed
specifically and decisively in the critical chain approach. These include:

 Reverse scheduling- scheduling of activities start backwards from delivery date;

 Multitasking- garment pre-production is organized chaos. Resources migrate
from one project to the next to. Resources tend to migrate between orders in
response to the latest, loudest customer demand in an attempt to keep as many
customers satisfied as possible and also to show as much simultaneous
progress as possible to different customers; And common resource
dependencies - typical apparel pre-production consists of 60 or more different
tasks to be taken care by 3-5 executives in a time sharing approach. Traditional
work environments put the emphasis on "not being late," but at the same time
they don't promote the concept of "being early" - which leads to safety-nets, the
'student syndrome,' and Parkinson's Law taking over the process
 Task estimating- When estimating the duration of a specific task, people often
worryabout the effect of unplanned work interruptions and add a hidden safety-
net. A 10-daytask may have an extra 5 days built into it. It's perfectly reasonable

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 to include this safetyfactor (especially with third party activities), but because it's
hidden its purpose is lost.
 Student syndrome -General human nature is to put off the start of any task until
the last possible minute, thus eating into the safety buffer. Unfortunately, if the
task then faces unplanned interruptions it will overrun the estimate because there
was simply not enough time to recover.
 Parkinson's Law- Work expands to fit the allotted time. If a task is estimated at
10days, it is usual for it to take less. This is because people will simply adjust the
level of effort to keep busy for the entire schedule.
 Multi-tasking- Most people work in a multi-project environment and have to stop
working on one task so that progress can be made on another task in another
project. Jumping around like this results in reduced focus and loss of efficiency.
Resources tend to migrate between projects in response to the latest, loudest
customer demand in an attempt to keep as many customers satisfied as
possible. This focus on showing progress on as many active projects as possible
is the major cause of multi-tasking.
 No early finishes! -It is important to note that tasks seem to either finish on time,
or late, but rarely early. This is because early finishes are seldom rewarded. In
fact, early finishers often being accused of sandbagging their estimates instead
of being rewarded for completing ahead of schedule. In this environment, people
worry about their future estimates being cut based on their past performance, so
they quietly enjoy the lull and officially finish on schedule. Critical chain is the
longest chain of dependent activities in a project. Activities can be depend on
each other because of project structure or limited resources.
 Manage the flow, not projects-Critical chain is a breakthrough for streamlining
flow of work through multi project pipelines in a high uncertainty environment.
Thus it greatly facilitates the management of projects. Indeed, experienced
project managers rely instinctively on aspects of critical chain principles in
planning and controlling their projects successfully Adopt counterintuitive rules
 Reduce the amount of work in execution. Instead of ―as soon as; possible,
release work based on the availability of most loaded resources (these are what

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 limit the amount of work that can be done) Place blocks of protective time, called
buffers where they can do most good. Remove safety from individual’s tasks, and
concentrate it into explicit buffers that protect the whole project-at the end of
critical chain and where other chains feed it.Allow individuals tasks within
projects to be late. Use a buffer index (work completed along any chain divided
by the buffer consumed at the end of that chain) to drive and measure
performance. Based on above schedules can be made aggressive and projects
still be delivered on time, on budget and on scope. (kushboo, 2012)

3.7. ROLE OF MERCHANDISER IN PRE-PRODUCTION

Today's garment merchandisers have to move with frequent changes in demand and
the developing technologies utilized in manufacturing and production. To find out
customer requirements, they regularly visit retail outlets, and come up with latest
updates from frontline staff. In order to keep an eye on developments in sourcing, site
visits are madeevery week to mainland factories to meet suppliers and study
production. In garment merchandising, there is no specific rule, so it’s important to be
able to think on one's feet. The main procedures of merchandisers are as followed:

 Understanding Sample Order:

Merchandiser has to understand the buyer’s requirements after receiving
specification in the sample order. In many cases, there are modifications
pertaining to the specification sin the order to dispatch on time and the right
quality. He has to talk with the in-house veterans on the execution problems of
sample orders, as the right information is required in decision making.

 Managing order route card and production timetable:

Merchandiser has to manage every single production schedule and order route
card that helps to follow-up the execution in the planned way. It is expected to be
acknowledged of the various descriptions like: design, no. of modules, no. of
operators, how many processes, and date of dispatch, quantity, output capacity,
and deadlines in the schedules. The sub-ordinates are normally assigned to
follow-up with execution of the plan. Merchandiser plans the activities depending

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 on the essentials or non-essentials, and top priority are given to the most
essential tasks. This is customary that the essential activities are handled
personally or with the support of junior merchandisers/sub-ordinates. In a―daily
schedule, merchandiser has to carry-out and categorize which is the most
significant and urgent task. The activity that has to be focused with full attention
to sweep-off non-essential activities and have to be to be corrected by prioritizing
to meet the deadlines.
 Using route card to reschedule activities:
To get updated on the current status on the order, the route cards should be
utilized. The latest status can be fed into the computers. In case, the buyer ask
for the goods prior to the deadline, then merchandiser has to reorganize the
schedules to accomplish tasks, output capacity, no. of pieces to be produced
daily, substitute arrangements, time availability, supply time, scheduling critical
ratio, etc
 Submitting pre-production samples:
The pre-production samples should be provided on time to the concerned
buyers. Quality of the sample must be verified. If required, revised samples
should be made available to the buyers. Merchandiser should adjust to the
required changes demanded by the buyer. The execution of bulk orders should
be made only after samples are approved by the buyer. In-process inspection
denote between any tasks in order-execution. In case of non-conformation, it is
better to focus on the concerns of quality. Merchandisers that work on complete
orders have to check deviation to the production teams so that any amendments
can be done to avoid the non-conformities.
 Solving shortage problem
The merchandiser should know about the dearth of any commodity such as
fabric, yarn, etc. from the beginning. Actions should be taken immediately to
arrange required materials, after discovering the shortage. It is expected that the
merchandisers should verify quality of the goods prior to execution of the order. If
the material is found unavailable, the superior should be informed about the
concern.

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  Communicating with associated people and buyer
It is essential to communicate with the buyers regarding the order. It is expected
to give some time to the buyer to read the sent messages. Merchandiser should
go through the messages received from the buyer and reply on time. In many
cases, merchandisers have to provide order status to the buyers. Also,
merchandiser has to communicate with the people that are in-house, venders,
contractors and job-workers. Only through the right communication can one meet
deadline for the concerned orders. Apart from the above mention procedures,
merchandiser has to assign subordinates to help him in the order execution, and
direct the procedures. He has to revise his knowledge from time-to-time to know
current market trends. To record preferences for all the planned activities, use
daily or time log systems. The Merchandiser should find out exact reasons for
time consumption. It is necessary to keep record of time value and keeping it
safe, as it is going to be shared with concerned parties/buyers. It is certain that
merchandising jobs need huge time planning. (saqib ali, 2010)

3.8. CONTROL AND PLANNING

The Critical Path Method, abbreviated CPM, or Critical Path Analysis, is a

mathematically based algorithm for scheduling a set of project activities. It is an
important tool for effective project management. The essential technique for using CPM
is to construct a model of the project that includes the following:

 A list of all activities required to complete the project (also known as Work
breakdown structure),
 The time (duration) that each activity will take to completion, and
 The dependencies between the activities

3.8.1 TIME AND ACTION PLAN

Time and action (T&A) plan is an inevitable part of CPC. Time and action calendar is a
planned calendar which includes:

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  Major key activities
 Planned dates for executing each activities
 Actual date of each activity being executed
 Remarks
There is a usual format maintained for T&A using spreadsheet. Once when an order is
placed then the merchandiser will forward the tech pack to the CPC and on that basis
the T&A is prepared by the CPC and the same will be sent back to the merchandiser,
which includes on which date the particular activity should be started and ended so as
to make the goods ready for shipment on ex-factory date.
Most of the time there happens many reworking and negotiations done on T&A between
the CPC and merchandisers due to many delays and uncertain things happening on the
way of execution of orders.

The fashion industry's processes, indeed any multi-step process, can be broken down
like this and re-built into a time-and-action calendar, that tells you how long your
process is expected to take, and when you should be completing each step so that you
complete the entire process in time. In simple terms a "time and action calendar" is
something that captures several work-steps, the deadlines for completing those work-
steps and also capture, as much as feasible, the time when the work-steps have
actually been completed. Typically, for easy reference, the steps would have been
mentioned in the sequence that they are supposed to start, or in the sequence in which
they are expected to be completed. In brief, there are three main problems with this
simplistic notion of T&A calendars

Problem # 1 – Delays
Unexpected delays in the existing activities, or addition of new work steps due to some
problem occurring in the chain. Discovering it too late that stocks of the lace that was
supposed to go into the peasant blouse are not enough and we need to wait a
week before the balance quantity becomes available. Or the rib fabric needed urgently
for the Navy Blue T-shirt is available, but only in light shades which will need to be re-
dyed and we lose two weeks. Delay happens but the customers now have become
more impatient and less tolerant. By putting in place a clear time and action calendar,

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we should be able to know when each activity is supposed to be begun and ended, and
delays should be handled easily

.FACT: most factories miss the first agreed target shipment date on 50-80% of
their orders, and many end up with 30-40% late shipments despite extension of delivery
dates.

Problem #2-- Delays and Solutions are not Straightforward

The second problem that adds a layer of complexity is that very often the ―cause-and-
effect" relationship between a delay in one activity and the total delay. As explained in
the previous section about critical path, this is the sequence which determines the total
lead time of the process. The same delay in different activities does not have the same
impact on the end-result. There is an impact on the end-result only when the delays
happen in an activity that is on the critical path. This fact is not accounted for in T&A
calendars, this is why, when having lost a week in one of the early activities in an order
and the order is running late after trying and speeding up a later activity doesn't seem to
work! That is because, while the delayed activity is on the critical path, the work-step
that one is trying to speed up is not on the critical path. Hence your corrective action
produces no result.

Problem # 3 - Many Hands

Dependency between the activities already exists - some activities cannot be started
unless an earlier activity is completed. Take for example the instance of a print strike-off
approval. A factory will not place the confirmed order for the bulk fabric, unless the
strike-off has been approved. Or, looking earlier, the buyer cannot approve the strike-
off, unless it has been sent to him by the factory or the mill. Delegation or working in a
team / organization also creates dependency on other people. This inter dependence
and mutual responsibility is something that is almost entirely missed out when one is
dealing with a table of task names and dates in an Excel spreadsheet. Ignoring the
interdependence, in turn, creates more problems.

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The more you actually work as a team, rather than in an individual capacity, the more
the number of interactions that need to be managed and followed-through, and the
higher the dependency on others to complete their activities on or before time.

3.9.2 METHODS FOLLOWED FOR MANAGING T&A

 Some people manually calculate the likely timelines and note down the key dates
in their notebooks or diaries. Sometimes, unwittingly resources tend to migrate
between several projects and hence to a ―multi-tasking‖ in response to the
customer demand in an attempt to keep as many customers satisfied as
possible.
 Keeping track on the phone, through faxes and emails, and tick off things as they
happen or make notes of the new likely dates if there are delays. All the time,
they are mentally figuring out what the impact of the delay is going to be.
 Others use a hand-made chart that they might stick up on the wall. This
may have arrow diagrams similar to what we used above, or other forms of
notation to pinpoint planned starting and ending dates of activities. Naturally,
these charts get scribbled over, or redone, when things do not go to plan.
 Most of the "computer-savvy" people use Excel spreadsheets in which they note
down the planned dates and actual completion dates of a limited number of work-
steps in the order. (Yadav, 2011)

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 4. DEPARTMENT
SURVEY

4. Department survey

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This survey is being conducted to find out the current scenario of the merchandising
department. For this survey, the sample will be the employees in the merchandising
department.

o To find out the major faced problems in the system.

o To find if there are any loopholes, that needs to be worked upon.
o To know their personal view on improvisation.

This survey will be oral survey, more like an interview of the employee.

4.1 Problems occur the most in the following operations that lead to delay in
time:

Employees were given 5 options of operations, they were suppose to choose the one in
which they think problems occur the most. According to literature review, mostly delay in
the lead time was because of the problems in the pre-production or production activities,
that is the reason options consider more of the pre-production activities than production.

operations

6%
13% 6%

Fabric-inhouse
Fabric testing
20%
Sampling
Production
Final inspection
53.30%

Figure 4.1

4.2 Operations ranked according to their effectiveness to the lead time:

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 All the questions asked to the employees were basically to know their point of
view on their work and how does it affect the lead time. This question will be
answered by the employees by recalling their experiences and then ranking the
stages.

Production

Sampling

Fabric in-house

Final inspection

Fabric testing

Figure 4.2

4.3 Following methods are used to keep in track with the order:

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 These were the methods; the employees follow in order to track the order. Each
method has its own importance.
 Tracking TNA.
 Coordinate with the vendors.
 Vendor and time management.
 Follow up.
 In touch with the relevant departments.
 Check the status time to time.
 Through proper supply chain.
 By being responsible with their in execution.
 Notes.

4.4 Meeting up with estimations on TNA plan:

70%
61%
60%

50%

40% Most of the time

Everytime
30% 26% Sometimes
Not at all
20%
13%
10%

0%

Figure 4.4

4.5 Frequency of meetings held during in an order:

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Once an order is confirmed, all the communication between the vendor and the
merchandiser is done either by mail, phone or by meeting. There are times when some
major problems occur but still the merchandisers avoid meeting and try to solve it
through phone or mails. These are the times when the delay occurs and makes the
order to pause. This graph shows how often do the employees plan a meeting in an
order.

28%

53%
Rarely
Meetings A few times in a month
Once in an order
13%
Many times in an order

6%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Figure 4.5

4.6 Satisfied in:

27
 This question was asked to know how satisfied the employee is on each stages of
the process.

90%
80% 80% 80%
80%

70% 66.60% 66.60%

60%
60%

50% 47%
Strongly agree

40% Agree
33%
Neutral
30%
Disagree
20% Strongly disagree
No comments
10%

0%

Figure 4.6

28
4.7 Suggestions by the employees:
 Inspect whenever required.
 There should be a specialized team to advice on fabric specification, their end
uses and functionality.
 If the customer is clear in mind what they actually need,it will decrease the lead
time.

4.8 Observations:

 53.3% of the employees i.e around 7-8 employees out of 15 people have
experienced the most problems in the production stage, that lead to delay in
time. The least problem occurring stage are fabric in house and fabric testing
which could be possible because they have their own in-house vendors plus their
own testing lab.
 Production and sampling are the two stages which effect the lead time the most
followed by fabric in-house,inspection and fabric testing.
 100% of the employees agreed on being TNA one of the most important method
to track the order and useful for the back end operations, though the estimations
are accurate only sometimes.
 Meetings are held very less, a few times a month that depicts only when some
major problem occurs.
 Corporate wear department does not have any tech expert to check the
construction and specs.
 Employees are satisfied with the testing, sampling, production planning and the
embroidery stage but when it comes to the processes after production most of
the answers were neutral or no comments, which means employees should visit
the factory more often to check the end bulk production in a better way before the
shipment.

29
5. TNA AND DELAY
ANALYSIS

30
5. Time and action calendar and delay analysis

In this analysis the study is based on:

 Order details and assortment

 Time and action calendar
 Major delays happening in time and action plan

The T&A calendar acts or guides the merchandiser to plan his schedules and work as
per the date given for each and every activity in the T&A. T&A should be prepared for
each and every order. When an order is received by merchandiser from the buyer then
he will forward a copy of tech pack to the planning cell. In turn the planning cell will
prepare the T&A by practically thinking on all the internal and external problems and
delays which may occur during the execution of that particular order. Here analysis is
done with the help of 4 orders and the focus is given on that activity where more
deviation has happened.

31
5.1 order details and assortment:

 ADANI GONDIA-SHIRT:

CUSTMER NAME ADANI GONDIA

FABRIC DETAIL PC 65/35

FABRIC COLOR BLUE

FABRIC VENDOR M K ENTERPRISE

VENDOR NAME ARAVALI GARMENTS
PRICE TO CUSTOMER 390 EXCLUDING VAT
NO OF PCS 2400
Table 5.1.1

• ASSORMENT:

SHIRT SIZE NO OF SHIRTS

36 33
38 890
39 63
40 900
42 395
44 101
46 9
48 9
TOTAL 2400
Table 5.1.2

32
• TROUSER:

CUSTMER NAME ADANI GONDIA

FABRIC DETAIL 1322/67 PV 65/35
FABRIC COLOR NAVY BLUE

FABRIC VENDOR RAYMOND

VENDOR NAME ARAVALI GARMENTS

CMT

PRICE TO CUSTOMER 450 (EXCLUDING VAT)

NO OF PCS 1600
Table 5.1.3

• ASSORTMENT:

TROUSER SIZE NO OF TROUSERS

28 48
30 230
32 440
34 484
36 260
38 92
40 30
44 12
46 4
TOTAL 1600
Table 5.1.4

33
  Monnet -Shirting & Suiting:

CUSTOMER MONNET RAIPUR CUSTOMER NAME MONNET RAIPUR

NAME
FABRIC DETAIL RAYMOND FILAFIL FABRIC DETAIL SUPER
SKY BLUE TROVINE,NAVY
BLUE, SHADE-67
FABRIC JKI FABRIC VENDOR RAYMOND STOCK
VENDOR
VENDOR NAME VENDOR NAME ARAWALI
GARMENTS
PRICE TO 500 PRICE TO 750
CUSTOMER CUSTOMER
NO OF PCS 800 NO OF PCS 800
Table 5.1.5

• Assortment:

SHIRT SIZE NO OF SHIRTS TROUSER NO OF

SIZE TROUSERS
34 8 28 16
36 39 30 78
38 220 32 232
40 314 34 310
42 172 36 77
44 39 38 54
46 6 40 23
54 2 42 4
44 2
46 4
TOTAL 800 TOTAL 800
Table 5.1.6

34
  JK TYRE:

CUSTMER NAME JK TYRE

FABRIC DETAIL PC 65/35

FABRIC VENDOR ZAMBAITI (PO RAISED)

FINAL PRODUCT VENDOR NAME UNICORN

GARMENT STYLE FULL SLEEVES SHIRT

(GARMENT VENDOR PRICE) CMT

PRICE TO CUSTOMER Rs. 720 (INCLUSIVE VAT)

TOTAL NO OF PCS 1876

Table 5.1.7

 ASSORTMENT :

Sr no size no of pcs

1 36 10

2 38 470

3 39 165

4 40 590

5 42 485

6 44 150

7 46 6

TOTAL 1876

Table 5.1.8

35
5.2. TNA Chart:

Adani gondia Adani gondia Monnet JK tyre

Key planned actual planned actual planned actual planned actual
activities
Order 3/02 3/02 3/02 3/02 16/01 16/01 26/01 26/01
confirmation
Fabric 4/02 4/02 4/02 4/02 17/01 17/01 27/01 28/01
sample
received
Sample sent 5/02 5/02 5/02 5/02 19/01 19/01 28/01 30/01
for testing
Sample 10/02 10/02 10/02 10/02 24/01 24/01 3/02 5/02
approved
Labdips to 13/02 13/02 13/02 13/02 27/01 27/01 7/02 7/02
costomer
Labdips 20/02 20/02 20/02 20/02 3/02 3/02 13/02 13/02
approved
Logo/emb 13/02 19/02 13/02 19/02 26/01 30/01 4/02 9/02
sample
Logo/emb 20/02 26/02 20/02 26/02 2/02 6/02 10/02 12/02
approved
Assortment 19/02 19/02 19/02 19/02 2/02 2/02 12/02 12/02
received
Yardage 20/02 20/02 20/02 20/02 3/02 3/02 13/02 13/02
booked
Yardage 23/02 25/02 23/02 25/02 13/02 18/02 18/02 18/02
inhouse
Bulk fabric 24/02 24/02 24/02 24/02 - - 19/02 19/02
ordered
Bulk fabric 19/03 19/03 19/03 19/03 - - 19/03 19/03

36
inhouse
FIT received 2/03 9/03 2/03 9/03 19/02 25/02 24/02 28/02
FIT sample 7/03 14/03 7/03 14/03 25/02 2/03 02/03 4/02
approved
S.S received 13/03 13/03 13/03 16/03 3/03 7/03 9/03 13/03
S.S 17/03 19/03 17/03 24/03 9/03 13/03 14/03 18/03
approved
P.P meeting 19/03 19/03 19/03 19/03 9/03 13/03 19/03 19/03
P.P sample 23/03 28/03 23/03 28/03 13/03 17/03 23/03 25/03
received
P.P sample 27/03 1/04 27/03 1/04 19/03 22/03 27/03 31/03
approved
PCD 28/03 1/04 28/03 2/04 21/03 23/04 30/03 1/04
Stitching 1/04 3/04 1/04 5/04 24/03 25/03 3/04 3/04
start date
Final 21/04 21/04 21/04 24/04 13/04 16/04 24/04 24/04
inspection
Ex factory 25/04 28/04 25/04 28/04 18/04 20/04 28/04 28/04
Shipment 1/05 4/05 1/05 4/05 25/04 25/04 4/05 4/05

Table 5.2

37
5.2.1 Graphical representation of TNA:

Delay analysis
8
7
6
Days delay

5
4
3 adani 1.
2
adani 2.
1
monnet
0
Jk tyre

Key activities

Figure 5.2.1

5.3. Observations:

 As per the above graph we can understand that there is a lot of deviation
happened in planned and actual dates in time and action plan. If we divide the
key activities in the graph into two sections i.e. pre-production activities and
production activities then we can categorize them into two sections, they are:

Pre-production Delay Production activities Delay

activities
Logo/emb. 18 P.C.D 10
Yardage in house 9 Stitching 7
FIT sample 22 Inspection 6
S.S sample 23 Delivery date 6
P.P sample 16
Table: 5.3.1

38
 If we notice, more delay has happened in pre-production activities but the
number of days it has taken is just normal. So the production activities are
delayed due to the delay in pre- production activities i.e., sampling delay. So the
delays can be controlled only when the company focuses more on the reasons of
samples getting delayed with suitable preventive measures.
 A lot of time has been wasted in the logo/emb. stage ,since the order was given
to some new vendor ,miscommunication was there.
 It has happened a lot of times that, yardage was in-house but not sent to the
production house on time. For e.g.: if the yardage was in house on Friday and is
not sent then it will be sent on Monday.
 There are always some mistakes or the other found in the measurements which
make the progress halt.
 In the corporate department, a few samples the same because of the color and
the design. Twice it has happened that wrong samples were sent later which
resulted in delay.

39
6. ANALYSIS OF
THE SAMPLING
DEPARTMENT

40
6. Analysis of the sampling department

 Basic details of sampling department:

o Number of lines: 8 lines
o Number of machines: 56 machines (7machines per line)
o Number of pattern masters : 5

 Various sections in sampling department:

 Store
 Pattern making
 CAD
 Cutting and sewing
 Ironing

 Sampling department structure:

o Sampling manager
o Pattern masters
o sample coordinators
o Line supervisors’
o Workers
o Represent all in line diagram with flow of authority.
 Various documents maintained:
o Monthly sample production report
o Daily sample production register
o Sample fabric stock register
o Daily measurement report
o Daily pattern checking report
o Daily manpower report

41
7. ANALYSIS ON
SAMPLING LINE
BALANCING

42
7. Analysis on sampling line balancing

There are 8 lines having 7 machines each. The productions of samples are done in
such a way that each line is allocated with few buyers and that particular line will
produce samples only for its concerned buyers. The line supervisors make sure that the
samples are loaded as per the plan and the workers are performing it well. The
following are the details of line allocation and its production for the month of April 2015:

Sampling production line for the month April

2015
line 1 line 2 line 3 line 4

1120

816

427

239

sampling lines

Table:7

7.1. The Main Reasons for the Variation in the Graph:

The sampling department includes 8 lines and 56 machines i.e., 7 machines per line.
The Graph shows how much pieces a line produced for a month. When we observe
there is a huge variation happening from one line to another. It shows that some lines
are loaded with more work and some are not.

43
This deep variation in graph shows ineffective planning of allocating work to various
lines. Here 2 line are combined and made into one group and it is distributed to few
buyers so each line gives more priority to do the work of their buyers first. Even though
they load some other line’s work when they have less work but this is not happening in
an effective way.

If so, the graph will show a balanced line. This may be due to various reasons like:

• The pressure from the merchants as they are concerned more on their work so they
resist allocating other buyers work load to their line.
• There is a usual question comes into every line supervisors’ mind when they take
some other line’s work ― we will get loaded fully when we receive new orders from
our buyers shortly, then everything will become a mess‖

So there are two main reasons for the ineffective allocation of work to various lines, they
are:

• Improper planning:
One of the other major reason is the lack of continuous and practical planning
regarding the allocation of work to various lines as per the orders. Effectiveness
of planning is the by product of a graph showing linearity, i.e.; less variation in the
graph.
• Improper control and monitoring leading to resistance to change:
One of the major reasons for the ineffectiveness in the line allocation is the improper
control and lack of monitoring. This leads to ―resistance to change‖, the employees
are not ready to accept change and they don’t want to make changes in their day to
day work process by taking unnecessary workloads from other lines. This is because
they are not properly controlled and monitored by the top authority and this can be
rectified only if subordinates are answerable to the top authority for the work done.

44
8. ANALYSIS ON
THE STRUCTURE
OF SAMPLING
DEPARTMENT

45
8. Analysis on the structure of sampling department

8.1. Structure of sampling department includes:

• Sampling manager

• Pattern masters

• Sample coordinators

• Line supervisors’

• Workers

Sampling manager leads the sampling team and rest of the people executes the work.
The flow of information or communication is through the following ways:

• Register reports (Daily, weekly and monthly)

• Telephones and direct conversation

46
8.1.1 CURRENT SAMPLING DEPARTMENT STUCTURE:

SAMPLING MERCHANDISE
MANAGER RS

SAMPLE PATTERN
COORDINATOR MASTERS
S

LINE
SUPERVISERS

WORKERS

Figure 8.1.1.

47
8.2. Interpretation:

• Sampling manager: He is person who leads the sampling team. All the reports
regarding production and quality and other reports and issues related to sampling has to
go to him. He is the person who has to address the top management regarding his
department’s efficiency, effectiveness etc and held responsible for very many issues
regarding sampling department.

• Merchandisers: Merchandisers involves in the sampling process as their

work schedules are affected and done in sampling department. They make sure their
samples are getting done on time and whether all the required materials are there on
time in the store for the work process.

• Pattern masters: Their main work is to get the specification sheets from the
merchandising department and get the pattern work done for various styles and for the
buyer he is allocated for.

•Sample coordinators: Sample coordinators acts as the intermediaries between the

merchandiser and the sampling department. They are the assistants to merchandisers
and they get the details of a particular order and guide pattern masters and other
workers in the sampling department and get the work done for the merchandisers.

• Line supervisors: line supervisors are allocated with few lines and he guides the
workers to work. They get the work details and techniques from the sample coordinators
or merchants or even from pattern masters.

•Workers: They are the tailors who stitch the garment under the guidance of line
supervisors.

The last figure shows the current structure of sampling department. Here the sampling
manager leads the team but merchandisers can also use their authority on various
people in the sampling department to get their work done. They personally come to
sampling unit and interact with the workers, pattern masters and so on. On the other
side pattern masters also controls and guides the work by communicating with line
supervisors, sample coordinators and even with merchandise

48
8.3. Disadvantages of the current structure:

 Very complex structure

 Lack of unity of command
 Purposefully moving away from responsibility
 Wastage of time
 Improper channels of communication
 Confusion

49
9. FINDINGS AND
SUGGESTIONS

50
9. Findings and suggestions

The findings are made on the basis of analysis done on T&A, structure of sampling
department. Time and action is the main analysis which helps to find out what is the
main reason for total delay in the planned T&A. from the T&A it is found out that theS
AMPLING DELAY is the main reason for the further delay in production and late
delivery of goods. Due to the reason for sampling delay more analysis and observation
has been done on SAMPLINGDEPARTMANT and found out many problems and
reasons for the delay.

From the analysis one can come to a point that there is a lot of reconstruction required
in the sampling department and sampling work method. There may be lot of reasons
and hidden causes for the samples getting delayed. But the root cause can be found out
only by a detailed study of samplingdepartment work process. The following are the
findings to support the analysis and the main problem.Sampling is a crucial process in
which more focus must be given. Buyer may get disappointed when thesamples are
frequently coming up with lot of errors and re work.

51
9.1.FINDINGS ON SWOT ANALYSIS OF SAMPLING DEPARTMENT

9.1.1 NEGATIVE POINTS:

• Idle machines
• Idle workers
• Lack of monitoring
• Negative attitude of workers
• Lack of flexibility
• Domination of pattern masters
• More work is wasted due to errors on patterns and re-working on the same
• Misplacement of patterns made for past orders
• More depended on pattern masters and less application of CAD
• Wastage
• More confusion in the work end5

9.1.2. POSSITIVE POINTS:

• Good capacity
• Sufficient workers and employees
• Experienced pattern masters
• Good plant layout

9.1.3. MAJOR KEY PROBLEMS

 ―Sampling delay‖
 ―Less productivity compared to sufficient capacity

9.1.4. CAUSES:

 Lack of good, well defined and flexible structure of sampling department

 Lack of unity of command
 Lack of control and monitoring
 4.Improper line allocation planning
 5.Resistance to change

52
9.1.5. SOLUTION FOR LONG TERM POINT OF VIEW

 Re-structuring the sampling department and making it as a separate planning cell

 Line allocation must be done by dividing the whole quantity and by distributingto
various lines as per the plan.
 Introducing cad by replacing manual work

9.2. Suggestions:

9.2.1. For the department:

 Before starting the logo/embroidery sampling, make sure the vendor is well
aware of the shade details, placement, and standard quality of the thread and the
specs of the logo.
 Even a day can affect the whole process in many ways increasing the delay,
make sure as soon as the yardage is in house is sent to the production and the
customer.
 Specs should be rechecked and approved on repeat orders as well.
 TNA should be made and worked upon on a daily basis, even if the operations
are not being completed on time, it shows the exact progress.
 Tech packs should not only include the design part but the specs, fabric details,
trim details and sampling details.
 A proper library could be made where the institutional sales division could keep
all their fabric swatches and garment samples. It should also have the samples
from the fabric suppliers so that when the division or its customer has to choose
a fabric sample or to source it, it will be easier for them to do both.
 A tech expert should be hired for all the spec problems rather than the
merchandiser handling it.
 Employees should be given the work, according to their efficiency, for example
making a designer work in the merchandising department with no experience
might be risky.
 Need of a flow in the department, a procedure should be followed,leading to less
confusion.

53
 For the sampling department (where most of the sampling orders are given by the
company for corporate wear)

9.2.2. Restructuring the sampling department and make it as separate planting

cell.

Every organizational or departmental structure should be designed in such a way thatit

should posses the following qualities:

• It must be flexible
• There must unity of command i.e., there should be only one commanding
head(boss) for one or more subordinates.
• Proper channels of communication by avoiding intermediaries to the maximum.
• Clear defining of authority and responsibility

54
 9.2.3 Suggested sampling department structure:

MERCHANDISER
STORE MANAGER

PLANNING
SAMPLING PATTERN MASTER
MANAGER

COORDINATORS

SUPERVISERS

WORKERS

Figure 9.2.3

55
Once the merchandiser receives the order he has to book for the fabric, trims etc. which
is required for that particular style. Parallel he can forward the spec sheet to the
sampling manager and can brief him the details. Once the fabric and all other required
things are ready in the store, merchandiser has to get the signature from the store
manager showing that all the required materials and accessories are ready in the store
for the particular style. The signed document is forwarded to the sampling manager and
the sampling manager advices his assistants (coordinator) and pattern master about the
style. Sampling manager parallel plans how the line allocation has to be made, here the
lines are not allocated for particular buyers and all the lines are combined and made
flexible to load any style at any time as per the plan. The merchandiser only
communicate with the sampling manager and he is not suppose to influence and use
his power to change the workings of any sections in the unit for getting his work done
early. He can communicate with the pattern masters if the situation demands or for any
contingent situation. Here there is more control than the current structure

9.2.4. Advantages:

 Less complexity.
 Unity of command.
 Full control in the hands of sampling manager.
 Better planning and controlling can be done
 It reduces the idle machines and workers due to better planning.
 Effectiveness in communication.
 Less confusion.
 Merchandiser can give more focus on other crucial activities as the sampling
manager can control the whole unit

56
9.2.5. Line allocation must be done by dividing the whole quantity and by
distributing to various lines as per the plan.

Currently each line is allocated with few buyers and each line will be loaded asper the
requirement of its allocated buyers. The main problem in this line allocation planis that
some time few buyers will have lot of orders and few will be having less, so this inturn
will load some line with more work and few with less work. This is the main reasonfor
some machines and manpower sitting idle without work. So sampling departmentmust
be made as a separate planning cell and line balancing must be done flexible.

Sampling production line for the month April

2015
1200
1120
1000
800 816
600
427 no. of pieces
400
200 239
0
line 1 line 2 line 3 line 4

Table 10.2.5

This variation in graph or the problem of some lines getting more work and feware idle
can be sort out by distributing the total work quantity equally to various lines and
planning must be done centrally. If all the lines are allocated with somewhat equal
quantity of work then, the problem of idle machines and workers can be sorted out.

57
9.2.6. Advantages:

 Idle machines can be utilized by equal distribution of work.

 Idle workers will be reduced due to the above reason.
 Better planning.
 More output with less errors.
 Less delay.
 Maximum utilization of available recourses.

58
10. CONCLUSION

59
10. Conclusion:

The study helped to understand the merchandising process and some of the crucial
areas of merchandising which can affect the smooth functioning of the whole process. It
gave more focus on the internal causes for the problem. Internal issues and flaws are
controllable factors as the solutions are in the hands of the organization, but some
external issues are uncontrollable and to an extend the organization has to bear the
after affects. The study lights up the areas of technological advantage by replacing the
manual work. Sampling is an inevitable process in merchandising and the importance
of sampling and the after affects of samples getting delayed are critical. Major delays
are at pre-production stage and remaining at the production stage. And reduction of
such time can help the company in meeting the delivery dates on time. Hence the
companies, which can foresee the kind of delivery schedules the buyers, are asking
these days can get the insights even on production delays. Controlling this delay would
enable the company to reduce the deviation from the scheduled lead time and honor the
delivery date.

60
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