Aquarelle

Internship at Aquarelle India Pvt. Ltd.
, Bannerghatta (2018)
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY, JODHPUR
APPAREL INTERNSHIP
AQUARELLE INDIA PVT. LTD. UNIT 2
(AIPL II)
Submitted To Submitted By
Dr. Manoj Tiwari Mayuri Garg
(Prof.) Shriya Selot
(DFT-6)
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Internship at Aquarelle India Pvt. Ltd., Bannerghatta (2018)
Contents
SECTION – I.................................................................................................................................................... 6
COMPANY OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................... 6
AQUARELLE INDIA PVT. LTD. ......................................................................................................................... 6
(AIPL-2) .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 INTRODUCTION TO AQUARELLE INDIA ............................................................................................... 7
1.2 ABOUT THE COMPANY........................................................................................................................ 8
1.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE: .......................................................................................................... 9
1.4 VISION: ................................................................................................................................................ 9
1.5 THEIR CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE: ...................................................................................................... 9
1.6 PRODUCT RANGE: ............................................................................................................................... 9
1.7 MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS: ........................................................................................................ 10
SECTION – II................................................................................................................................................. 11
DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 11
2.1 MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT ...................................................................................................... 12
2.1.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 12
2.1.2 PROCESS FLOW CHART .............................................................................................................. 12
2.1.3 DETAILED WORK FLOW .............................................................................................................. 14
2.2 SAMPLING DEPARTMENT ................................................................................................................. 15
2.2.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 15
2.2.2 PRE PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES /SAMPLING PROCESS ................................................................. 16
2.3 PATTERN MAKING DEPARTMENT ..................................................................................................... 17
2.3.1 PATTERN MAKING PROCESS ...................................................................................................... 17
2.3.2 MARKER PLANNING ................................................................................................................... 17
2.4. WAREHOUSE .................................................................................................................................... 17
2.4.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 17
2.4.2 INSPECTION PROCESS ................................................................................................................ 18
2.4.3 DETAILED PROCESS FLOW .......................................................................................................... 19
2.5. COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) DEPARTMENT............................................................................. 20
2.5.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 20
2.5.2 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE ........................................................................................ 20
2.5.3 CAD SOFTWARE: ........................................................................................................................ 22
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2.6. CUTTING ROOM ............................................................................................................................... 23

2.6.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 23
2.6.2 LAYOUT OF CUTTING ROOM ...................................................................................................... 24
2.6.3 WORK FLOW OF CUTTING ROOM .............................................................................................. 24
2.6.4 DETAILED PROCESS FLOW .......................................................................................................... 25
2.7. SEWING DEPARTMENT .................................................................................................................... 34
2.7.1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 34
2.7.2 PROGRESSIVE BUNDLE SYSTEM ................................................................................................. 34
2.7.3 PROCESS FLOW .......................................................................................................................... 35
2.8. ASSEMBLY ........................................................................................................................................ 45
2.8.1 UPS SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 46
2.8.2 THE PROCESS FLOW IN THE ASSEMBLY LINE ............................................................................. 46
2.8.3 THE MACHINES AND FOLDERS USED FOR EACH OF THE OPERATIONS: .................................... 47
2.9. FINISHING DEPARTMENT ................................................................................................................. 48
2.9.1 THE PROCESS FLOW IN THE FINISHING DEPARTMENT .............................................................. 49
2.9.2 CSO AUDIT .................................................................................................................................. 53
2.10 MISCELLANEOUS OTHER DEPARTMENTS ....................................................................................... 56
2.10.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT ....................................................................................... 56
2.10.2 TRIMS STORE ............................................................................................................................ 59
2.10.3 THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT ....................................................................... 60
2.10.4 THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT .......................................................................................... 61
2.11 OTHER TOOLS, TECHNIQUES AND SOFTWARES IN PRACTICE ........................................................ 64
2.11.1 VAS SOFTWARE ........................................................................................................................ 64
2.11.2 KANBAN ................................................................................................................................... 65
2.11.3 KAIZEN ...................................................................................................................................... 68
2.11.4 5S.............................................................................................................................................. 69
2.11.5 TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE ....................................................................................... 71
SECTION – III................................................................................................................................................ 72
PROJECTS ON QUALITY ENHANCEMENT..................................................................................................... 72
Project Journey ....................................................................................................................................... 73
Road Map of Project ............................................................................................................................... 73
PROJECT I .................................................................................................................................................... 74
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REDUCTION OF SEWING DEFECTS .............................................................................................................. 74

1.1 OBJECTIVE ................................................................................................................................... 75
1.1.1 Collecting and Recording Defects Report from different departments. ............................ 75
1.1.2 Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective action plan (CAP) of Top 4 Defects occurring
before and after wash......................................................................................................................... 80
1.1.3 Making checklist report for daily audit: .............................................................................. 90
1.1.4 Implementation and fulfillment of those requirements:.................................................... 91
PROJECT II ................................................................................................................................................... 93
QUALITY TREE DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................... 93
1.1 OBJECTIVE ................................................................................................................................... 94
1.1.1 Identification of defects that occur due to operator carelessness: .................................... 94
1.1.2 Development of Quality Tree/Wall, Cards and SOPs: ......................................................... 94
1.1.3 Preparation of a training schedule:..................................................................................... 96
1.1.4 Training the operators and providing them Grade: ............................................................ 96
PROJECT III ..................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
PROCESS AUDIT .............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1 OBJECTIVE ...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.1 Understanding all the SOPs present for all the departments:Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.2 Collection of data about various reports made by department managers and supervisors
Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.3 Classifying those reports and S.O.P department wise so as to check the everyday
performance for the same: .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.4 Allotting score and remarks for the progress/performance of every task: Error! Bookmark
not defined.
1.1.5 Provides overall industry score in terms of performance of every department: ......... Error!
Bookmark not defined.
PROJECT IV ..................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
ILLUSTRATION TAGS IMPLEMENTATION & CHANGE IN LAYOUT OF ALTERATION SECTION ................ Error!
Bookmark not defined.
1.1 OBJECTIVE ...................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.1 Brief study over the segregation of un-passed pieces. .......... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.2 Development of illustration tags. ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.3 Development of bags for keeping tags. .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
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1.1.4 Development of reports for trim-exam and presentation. .... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.1.5 Change in layout of alteration section.................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
PROJECT V ...................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
KANBAN IN FINISHING ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
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SECTION – I
COMPANY OVERVIEW
AQUARELLE INDIA PVT. LTD.
(AIPL-2)
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1.1 INTRODUCTION TO AQUARELLE INDIA
Aquarelle India private limited was incorporated in 2007 and is based in Bangalore, Karnataka.
The Company operates as a subsidiary of Aquarelle International limited and Bang Overseas
limited.
Aquarelle clothing shirts division is a homogenous shirts manufacturer operating in the

upper/middle market segment. It‟s a one stop shop for formal, causal men‟s and ladies shirts.
AQUARELLE
INDIA
AQUARELLE INDIA AQUARELLE INDIA (UNIT2, AQUARELLE

(UNIT1, JIGANI) BANNERGHATTA) INDIA(UNIT3,MANTAPA)
Fig 1: Manufacturing Units in Bangalore
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1.2 ABOUT THE COMPANY
 Aquarelle Pvt. Ltd. is a famous garment/apparel Industry located in Bangalore and is a

pioneer in manufacturing men‟s casual shirts as well as women‟s wear. It was started in
the year 2005.
CEO Mr. Eric Dorchies (Woven Cluster)
MANAGING DIRECTOR Mr. Nagesh Badida
www.cielgroup.com
WEBSITE www.aquarelleshirts.com
PARENT COMPANY Aquarelle International Limited.
Fig 2: About the Company
 The group has manufacturing facilities in India, Bangladesh, Mauritius and Madagascar.
The company has positioned itself as the best alternative to China, in the global apparel
manufacturing market.
 It‟s a centralized global group with a multi-location marketing platform, in India all the
verticals are integrated within the group
o Own mill in Mauritius, CFL
o Formal Shirt cluster: Laguna Clothing is a joint venture with Tessitura
Monte, Italy.
 Aquarelle aims to deliver "unbeatable value" to its customers to help them increase their
market share and profitability.
 "Unbeatable value" key ingredients being quality, service, flexibility, product
development and competitiveness.
 Aquarelle's shirts are exported to many renowned customers in Europe and the USA.
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 Being totally "customer driven", the group strategy is to closely monitor market trends
and position itself accordingly.
 The unit is integrated with its own weaving mill (Consolidated Fabrics Ltd) and also
sources yarn from different regions of the world ensuring that the most competitive prices
are offered.
1.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE:
1.4 VISION:
To be recognized by our customers, employees, suppliers and peers as being the best in the
industry.
1.5 THEIR CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE:
Fig 3: Customers
1.6 PRODUCT RANGE:

 AQUARELLE Casual shirts
 LAGUNA CLOTHING Formal Shirts
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 CFL Woven Fabrics

 PASTEL BLUE Ladies Shirts
1.7 MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS:

 Monti India – Fabric Mill
 India – 6.5 million P – 43%
 Madagascar – 4 million P – 27%
 Mauritius – 3.5 million P – 23%
 Mauritius/ CFL – Fabric mill
 Bangladesh –1million P – 7% (Shifting to Vietnam this year)
Fig 4: Manufacturing Locations
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SECTION – II
DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW
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2.1 MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT
2.1.1 INTRODUCTION
In garments sector, merchandising is an important department which negotiates marketing and
production department at the same time. To make smooth the merchandising activities every
merchandiser has to follow a process flow chart by which anyone can do his/her work very
smartly. The process flow chart for apparel / garments merchandising are presented in the below
2.1.2 PROCESS FLOW CHART
Order received from the Buyer with details
Sample Development
Price negotiation with the Buyer
Confirmation of order and receive the order sheet
Make buyer requirement sample (Fit, Proto etc) for approval
Make requisition for bulk fabric
Make requisition for accessories
Swatch board making and approval
Raw material collection and also receive it in factory
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Check and also listing
Make P.P (pre-production Sample) with all actual
Pre-production meeting
Start bulk production
Collect daily production and quality report
Make online inspection by strong quality team
Sample sent to third party testing center
Make final inspection for bulk production
Shipment
Send all documents to the Buyer
Receive payment from Bank.
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2.1.3 DETAILED WORK FLOW

1. Order received from the Buyer with details: The very first work of a merchandiser is to collect
order from the buyer with the details information (Art work, technical sheet).
2. Sample Development: Sample should be developed by following buyers instruction.
3. Price negotiation with the Buyer: In the meantime, Price should be negotiated with the Buyer
4. Confirmation of order and receive the order sheet: Here price have to fix and collect order
sheet from the Buyer.
5. Make Buyer requirement sample (Fit, Proto etc) for approval: Should be prepared proto or fit
sample for Buyer‟s approval.
6. Make requisition for bulk fabric: In the meantime, make fabric requisition for bulk production.
7. Make requisition for accessories: Make a requisition for the required accessories of that order.
8. Swatch board making and approval: Should prepare swatch board of required accessories for
the Buyer‟s approval.
9. Raw material collection and also receive it in factory: All the requisite raw materials have to
collect and receive in factory at right time.
10. Check and also listing: Check all the in-hosed material with requisite sheet.
11. Make P.P (pre-production Sample) with all actual: By following Buyers instruction make a
P.P sample with all actual.
12. Pre-production meeting: Before going into the production, have to arrange preproduction
meeting for smooth production.
13. Start bulk production
14. Collect daily production and quality report: Regular production and quality report should be
collected here in regular basis.
15. Make online inspection by strong quality team: During bulk production, have to make online
inspection by strong quality team.
16. Sample sent to third party testing center: For making a strong approval about the quality of
the product, have to send sample in third party testing center.
17. Make final inspection for bulk production: After completing bulk production, make a final
inspection for the order.
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18. Shipment: After making final inspection of the product, all the garments should send to the
Buyer.
19. Send all documents to the Buyer: All the documents about the order should send to the buyer
after sending the full order quantity for receiving payment.
20. Receive payment from Bank: Finally receive the payment from the Bank.
2.2 SAMPLING DEPARTMENT
2.2.1 INTRODUCTION
Sampling department is the most vital department of the organization. It is the department that
develops the samples thus enabling the Product Development. This department prepares samples
on the basis of the requirements of the buyer. The sampling department here caters to the need of
all the other units of Aquarelle as it was centralized for all the units in Bangalore. Sampling
department is situated in Bannerghatta near Unit 2 of Aquarelle casual shirts.
Sampling is one of the main processes in garment manufacturing and it plays vital role in
attracting buyers and confirming the order, as the buyers generally places the order once satisfied
with the quality and responsiveness of the sampling. It is the most crucial and most important
stage of fashion merchandising. Sampling department makes samples on the basis of the
specification and requirement by the buyer.
Before placing any order to the factory, the buyer wants to know whether the factory is capable
of producing the styles with the desired quality levels or not. The samples decide the ability of
exporters to deal with any given style of garment. The buyer accesses the capability of exporter
only with the help of samples. If the samples are of good quality naturally the buyers will be
willing to place the order to factory. Sampling also work as a bridge between the productions and
marketing department, hence it has the influence of both marketing as well as production
department.
The Sample room objectives:
 To make a proper sample

 To understand buyers requirement
 To fulfill the buyers requirement
 To utilize the skill operation with skilled operator
 To combine the overall performance of an order
 To give the confirmation to the buyer that the bulk production is going to be right
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 To get understanding completely to the operators and management as well about the
production and manufacturing
 To confirm the measurement and fabric requirements
 To make perfection in the consumption
 To make the perfection in the pattern and marker
2.2.2 PRE PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES /SAMPLING PROCESS

 The Merchandiser receives the Tech-pack/indent.
 After this process the feasibility study is done which includes seeing if the production can
be actually done, is the quantity production friendly or not, the factors like capacity and
plant area come into the picture.
 After this careful analysis, the sampling process starts, the first sample is the mock
sample and required approvals are received.
 The first sample made is the Proto sample which doesn‟t have to have the exact fit. It is
just for communication purpose. It can have alternative fabric as well as trims (5-10
samples)
 Meanwhile the SMV calculation is done using the VAS software which is a database of
all operations and an operation bulletin is prepared.
 The development sampling is made with measurements.
 Pattern making is done using CAD that is Rich peace software and markers are made and
ready to put on the lays for cutting.
 After this, one of the important samples i.e. fit samples are made which have the exact
and precise measurements.
 It has to be made 1 or 2 times as after its made and sent to the buyer for approval, it may
come back with comments after which the revised fit sample is made and finally
approved.
 After this Salesman sample (SMS), about 200 of them and depending on the sales .After
this process the size set sample is made in about 5-7 jump sizes.
 After this process the PP or pre-production sample is made in the actual production line.
The sample is made with actual trims and fabric .This sample is important as the
operators have to know what they will be stitching and how much time it will take.
 The PP sample is then sent to the buyer ,in case there are any comments, it is discussed in
the pre-production meeting ,where all the line managers, QAs, the production managers
as well as merchants sit together and discuss about the following :-
i. Construction details of the garment.

ii. To identify problems before production and ways to solve the problems.
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iii. The bible for discussion is the production file, as it contains all the details
of the garments.
iv. After this stage the bulk production starts once all the materials are in-
house.
2.3 PATTERN MAKING DEPARTMENT
2.3.1 PATTERN MAKING PROCESS

The pattern maker in the sample room is given the tech pack for his pattern making process. The
pattern maker uses the Richpeace CAD system in his pattern making process. All the details need
to create the patterns is included in the tech pack and there is a sketch or a photo of a garment
where specifications are mentioned. He has to create these patterns according to the buyer
requested specifications.
2.3.2 MARKER PLANNING

The created pattern by the pattern maker is sent to the marker planner for marker drawing
process. The marker planner in the sample room has to prepare markers for costing and the
ordering only.
 The pattern making or centralized CAD department is present in the warehouse.

Everything from pattern making to grading happens here and the software used is
Richpeace.
 The CAD department is responsible for regular updation of patterns if required and it is
the department which creates the most important bulk pattern for bulk production and
gives it to the factory.
2.4. WAREHOUSE
2.4.1 INTRODUCTION
A warehouse is a planned space for the storage and handling of goods and material. In general,
warehouses are focal points for product and information flow between sources of supply and
beneficiaries.
Aquarelle is having a centralized warehouse. Fabric rolls and trims are received for and
transported to all other units from here. It has two sections, one is for the fabric rolls storage and
another section is for trims and accessories storage. When the fabric rolls are received they are
first inspected and then distributed to the respective units. There are 4 inspection machines for
this purpose, in which 4 point system is being followed.
Meanwhile the bulk fabric and trims come in and the inspection takes place, trims and fabric are
stored in different racks. There are different racks for keeping the rolls which have been
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inspected and for which the inspection is pending. There are mapping boards for locating the
fabric rolls as well as trims. The boards consist the following information.
 Color code- Red for inspection rejected

Green for inspection passed
Orange for inspection pending
 Rack number
 Style
 Color
 Quantity
 Remarks
Fig 5: Layout for Warehouse
2.4.2 INSPECTION PROCESS

 Fabric is in-house after which swatches are cut and the according to specifications the
fabric goes for wash or non-wash programmes.
 In the wash process, the fabric is cut into two equal parts after which one set is sent for
washing and shrinkage test and other set for CSV (center to selvedge variation) is
checked after wash and report is prepared and sent to merchandiser for approval.
 After the process the shade band is observed and analyzed using the light box.
 The center to selvedge color variation is analyzed for the fabric in which fabric is divided
into five parts and arranged in an order and stitched together and color variations are
observed using a grey scale and recorded.
 The width measurement is then done.
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 After this process, inspection is done, the machine is run at 10-12 m.p.m speed and all the
rolls are inspected following the four point system.
 The defects warp wise and weft wise are given penalty points as follows :-
DEFECT LENGTH POINTS
Up to 3” 1
3-6‟‟ 2
6-9” 3
Above 9” 4
No. of Points x 3600
No. of Penalty Point = -----------------------------------------------------------
Quantity Inspected (in yards) x Width (in yards)
 Stickers are placed at the defect points

 The summary report is generated and decision to accept or reject, it is taken by the head
of RMQA
 FOR TRIMS: The trims like buttons, polybags, handtags, labels and threads are analysed
according to the specification sheets.
2.4.3 DETAILED PROCESS FLOW

 Receipt of trims consignment in materials department.
 PO and packing list is collected from materials department.
 Lab tests are done and trims card is sent to the merchandisers purchase officer for
approval.
 Inspection/counting is done
 Samples are picked for inspection as per AQL rules and it is done as per rules.
 The lab test report is checked and if doesn‟t meet standards then the mill has to wait for
further instructions.
 If it is passed then inspection is done and the report is prepared if it passes inspection, if
inspection fails then 100% inspection is done.
 If that fails then the trim lot is rejected.
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2.5. COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) DEPARTMENT
2.5.1 INTRODUCTION
Computer Aided Design (CAD) becomes an essential tool for pattern making and related jobs in
garment industry. In apparel industry CAD Software is used for pattern making, Grading of
pattern, marker making and digitizing manual patterns.
In Aquarelle India, the CAD software used for Patterns making and manipulation is CAD
provided by company RICHPEACE.
Patterns are manually made at the sampling unit and are used to make sample garment and when
sample garments are approved then only the patterns are approved for the Bulk production part.
Also, they store the database of previous style patterns and many of the times the only modify
the patterns according to need to make patterns for new style.
2.5.2 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE

 When approved for Bulk production the patterns, the soft copy and the Hard copy i.e. the
printed ones both are transferred from the sampling unit to the main production unit for
Bulk production.
 Once patterns are in-house, the marker making department uses the Rich peace software
to make the markers. The markers can be from 2 ways to 8 ways depending on the style.
This software also generates the cut plan for different types of fabrics. Also, small
settings can be adjusted according to the requirements and to suite the available
machinery in the company.
 Example-In case of solid fabric the gap between patterns must be 5 mm and between
checks it should be 5-6 mm which all can be adjusted in the software.
 In case of checks the fabric is cut by the CAD person and from the available rolls and the
repeat size is measured manually and then only according to the repeat size the patterns
are arranged in a spread.
 The patterns are placed and aligned and marker is prepared sometimes automatically and
sometimes manually. The automatic prepared one has less efficiency and thus the spread
must be arranged manually to get a better efficiency which is done at the production unit
of Aquarelle by the concerned person (Mr. Mohan).
 After completion of marker the approval is taken from the concerned authority and the
marker is printed by the plotter present of the same company i.e. of Richpeace and the
plotter is Richpeace Magic InkJet Plotter. For accuracy purpose the plotter is calibrated
every Monday and is checked and approved by a process auditor for any deflection from
the standards. The plottes use ink jet technology and is a four-header machine but here
only two ink jet headers were attached. One ink heads last for around one month as said
and must be refilled every month. One head can be refilled only thrice and after that the
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head should be replaced by new one. The machine prints 2 inches in one full horizontal
go.
 The features are –
 Stable and high speed printing, 140 m2/h maximum.
 The unique font & back paper-feeding structure suitable for varieties of paper.
 Original Hewlett Packard HP45 ink cartridges, low cost and easy to remove.
 Servo motor system which could improve the printing precision.
 Automatically alarm when paper jams or runs out.
Fig 6: Plotter
SPECS\MODEL OF RICHPEACE
RPGP-MJ/4 320
1. Max. Plotting Width (mm) - 3250

2. Max. Paper Width (mm) - 3300
3. Cartridges No. 2.4
4. Paper Feed System - Automatic Feeding
5. Max. Paper Weight (kg) - 35
6. Max. Plotting Speed - 72 square meters per hour(two cartridges),
140 square meters per hour (four cartridges)
7. Ink Box Type - HP45 ink cartridge
8. Plot Precision (mm) - 0.025
9. Paper (gm) - 30-120
10. Interface USB, network cable - (RJ-45)
11. Motor Type - Servo motor
12. Data Format - HPGL
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2.5.3 CAD SOFTWARE:

In Aquarelle India, the CAD software used for Patterns making and manipulation is CAD
provided by company RICHPEACE.
This is very user-friendly software and has many tools present for pattern making. Few of
the most used tools are: -
 Move and rotate command.
 Transfer dart command
 Grading tool.
 Symmetry adjust tool
 Notch placement and fixation
 Status bar which tells whether the marker is ready or not.
 Equal height grade
 Efficiency of the spread.
 Length of spread
 Printing options
 Repeat size setting and Duplication commands.
Fig 7: Marker In Making Using RICHPEACE
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Fig 8: Patterns being graded using RICHPEACE
2.6. CUTTING ROOM
2.6.1 INTRODUCTION
Cutting room is an extremely important section in the garment manufacturing process which has
a major impact on the profitability of the business. The importance of the efficient management
of the cutting room in garment manufacturing process is unmatched because:
 Cutting room being the feeding point to the factory has massive impact on all the further
processes of garment manufacturing i.e. sewing, finishing etc.
 Efficient and well planned operations in cutting room ensure smooth flow of work to all
further processes and can definitely lift up the utilization of the available resources.
 Cutting room controls the utilization of fabric which is the biggest contributor to the cost
of any garment. Even small wastage or saving of the fabric will have a huge effect on the
margins of the orders.
 Cutting being the first operation of garment manufacturing lays the foundation of quality
of the garment to be made. Any imperfection in cutting process can result in non-
conformance of the quality standards of all further processes.
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2.6.2 LAYOUT OF CUTTING ROOM

The Cutting floor at Aquarelle India includes the following departments:
 The Fabric Storage Area

 End bit Storage
 The Spreading & Cutting Area
 Relaying Area
 The Bundling and Ticketing Area
 End components storage
2.6.3 WORK FLOW OF CUTTING ROOM
Fabric Store Department
Fabric Script
Laying
Cutting
Numbering
Panel Inspection
Fusing
Bundling
Issue to Sewing Department
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2.6.4 DETAILED PROCESS FLOW

After the complete sampling and inspection processes, the fabric rolls come in from the
warehouse to the factory where it gets unloaded and stored in segregated form as per the shade
variation and the shrinkage variation. Whenever the fabric roll is received it is checked for
stretchability, and if there any scope of it specified in FCR report then it is left for relaxation a
day prior to spreading. The marker planning and rearranging starts in the marker specified by the
warehouse, if any scope for increased efficiency of marker is found then necessary changes are
implemented.
1. ROLL RECEIVED
Factory planning sends the Cutting Requisition Slip to the warehouse via E-mail in order to
dispatch the fabric roll along with the FCR (Fabric Control Report) three days prior to PCD (Plan
Cut Date). At the same time, the cutting requisition slip is shared with central CAD so that they
can send CAD marker to CAD department of factory. Warehouse cross checks the slip with the
loading plan and sends the rolls to factory via factory daily vehicle along with DC (Dispatch
Challan) and list of loaded rolls with roll numbers, customer name and style number. The vehicle
is checked by the security with DC and roll list. Unloading is done by the cutting spreaders (2-3)
and one security who matches the roll number. The rolls are kept on storage racks mentioning
customer name and style number.
2. SPREADING
As per the lay report given, specific fabric rolls are taken up for spreading. Spreading involves
laying the fabric as per the given length in meters. Table planning is done at the starting and
process is executed as per the plan. Pattern sheet was laid and taped before spreading for all
fabrics in both types of spreading. This was to protect the fabric from rough spots on the table
surface. It also enabled the spread to be moved as required (due to low friction) and also it
prevented the lower plies from distortion by straight knife while cutting. Two operators could
carry out the work involved in manual spreading.
In manual spreading, one operator pulled the fabric from roll and then the two of them took this
fabric to the required length (of spread). On reaching the required length, they aligned the edges
and placed a weight on it. Both these operators return back and while balancing the fabric and on
reaching balance the fabric near the roll and in the end cut the fabric with scissors or end cutter.
The spreading process is followed by placement of the marker on the top ply. To secure the
marker on the lay, it was torn at different places and a tape was put there.
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 INFORMATION FLOW FOR SPREADING
Fabric is to be received from fabric store department along with following details:
 Usable fabric width

 Color /shade code
 Length of rolls
Spreading operator is to receive lay report consisting of following details:
 Purchase Order
 Style Number
 Lay Number
 Lay method –Face up / Face to face
 Fabric type –Shell/ Lining /Interlining / Fusing
 color / Shade
 Lot quantity
 Marker name
 Marker length
 Lay length
 Usable fabric width
 No of plies to be spread
 Consumption
FCR report is referred to decide which roll to be picked as per their shrinkage. The spreaders first
stick the paper and then spread the first lay 3 cm more than the decided lay. The marker is kept
and checked again, once approved, the layering is done. After, layering the Lay Sheet/ minusing
report is updated by spreaders taking reference from FCR and Supervisor notebook.
The lay sheet is sent to the CAD room for bundle sheet.
 Roll reference number

 Fabric roll width
 Fabric usable width
 Fabric roll length
 Color /shade code
 Usage in meters
 Balance quantity
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 QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR SPREADING

 There were check points for inspection of spreading quality for the QCs where they check
spreading defects such as leaning, uneven tension, and misalignment of plies, bowing,
skewness & fabric defects.
 For napped fabrics like corduroy, twill weave, denim, velvet, some prints & plaid, the
spreaders were instructed to take extra care while spreading and were spread manually.
 In case of fabric defects, the fabrics were sent marked with stickers in colors contrasting
to the fabric color. If the defect was minor it was ignored. However in case of major
defect they remove the flaw.
 In case shade variation within the roll, part with the varied shade was removed.
 In case of narrow width fabrics, if the defect was within the roll, they aligned the
selvedges of one side while the other end across the width was left as it was. For too
many inconsistencies, the QC in charge was informed & according to the severity of the
problem, CAD marker of the shorter width was ordered.
3. CUTTING
After fabric is laid on the table, and marker spread on it as per required garment, marker is
spread on it and all garment parts were marked, to secure the marker on the lay, it was torn at
different places and a tape was put there. Panel cutting takes place on the same place then it is
shifted to numbering; relay parts are cut, finally parts checking takes place. Manual cutting was
done with a straight knife for all fabrics. For smaller parts like collars, pockets, collar bands etc.
blocks were cut which were then recut using a band knife. Two cutters were involved in cutting a
lay. Drill machine is used if marking like pocket marking on front or center marking on sleeve is
required.
Operators themselves collected the waste bits of fabric in a bin in order to prevent the floor from
getting dirty and to create enough free movable space for the cutting knife. The cut parts were
tied & shifted to respective places, bigger parts sent to ticketing, smaller parts to band knife and
then they were sent for ticketing, if necessary, relaying and recutting was carried out. These were
later dispatched to the kanban supermarket.
 INFORMATION FLOW FOR CUTTING
Any order processing begins with the issue of a standard production file which contains the
following:
 Order sheet
 Bill of material
 Size breakup ratio sheet
 Product pack
 Approved sample
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 Measurement spec sheet

 Approved patterns – soft copy
Cutting Department receives fabric from fabric store department along with following details:
 Fabric defect report on the basis of 4-point fabric inspection system

 Width of fabric for each roll
 Face side of fabric
 Shade band card
 Shrinkage report
 Color fastness report and
 Fabric roll report
4. MARKER PLANNING:
Cut order planning:
Cut order planning is the most critical and important process in the cutting section. Here, actual
order size is planned into no. of lays with the objective being to achieve the given BOM
consumption. While keeping cutting costs to a minimum the process works in a contradicting
way. As one tries to increase the ply height by planning more no. of plies, the consumption tends
to increase. While planning with lower no. of plies, the consumption targets can be met, but less
no. of plies means more no. of lays to cut, which means that cutting costs are increased. The
planning must be balanced keeping in mind the no. of plies and cutting cost.
1. Cut order planning is performed in combination with roll management techniques. It is

mandatory that a person executing cut order planning is trained in marker management
techniques.
2. There are 4 constrains on which the cut plan needs to be done to achieve the dual objective of
optimum consumption and optimum cost
 Fabric width
 Shrinkage
 Shade
 Roll length
3. Only one type of lays is practiced: Face- up
4. Combination of sizes is worked out to achieve the best fit to achieve marker utilization so that
the consumption is primarily met. At the same time, efforts are made to maximize the ply height
to achieve optimum cutting cost.
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5. Once the plan is ready, the numbering sequence generator is utilized to predetermine the ply
numbering sequence.
6. For each lay, specific fabric rolls are allotted and the basis for allotting depends on one or a
combination of the following factors:
 Width
 Shrinkage
 Share
 Roll length
 Fabric utilization
7. The generated cut plan is thoroughly checked by the authorized personal and forwarded for
marker procedure
8. Cutting department makes a marker plan after receiving following details:
 Pattern detail from cad department

 Fabric width detail from fabric store department
 Fabric consumption from merchandising department
 QUALITY REPORTS GENERATED :

 Lay inspection report
 Interlining report
 Fusing audit report
 Panel inspection report
 Bundling inspection report
 QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS FOR CUTTING

 The QC compared the hard pattern to marker paper to ensure the accuracy of the marker.
The tolerance for this was nil.
 The cut parts from top ply & the bottom ply were matched in order to see whether they
had been cut properly. The bottom ply sometimes got distorted due to constrained
movement of the knife. In such cases the plies were later cut with hand shears. There was
also a check for ragged or uneven cutting. The QC instructed the cutter to correct it there
& then.
 The notch location was supposed to be checked by placing patterns over top ply. The
tolerance for this was +/- 1/8 of inch.
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MACHINERY SPECIFICATIONS
1) Straight Knife
SPECS/MODEL BLUESTREAK II
MAKE EASTMAN MACHINE CO.

BLADE LENGTH 8‟‟
WIDTH 1.25‟‟
CURRENT 4.2A
VOLTS 220V
CYCLE 50/s
RPM 2850(strokes/min)
MOTOR PHASE I
2) Band Knife
SPECS/MODEL EC-700N
MAKE EASTMAN MACHINE CO

BLADE SIZE 3500*10*0.45mm
ARMLENGTH 700mm
CUTTING 800mm
CAPACITY
TABLE SIZE 1500*800mm
MOTOR AC 220V 750W
3) Spreading Table
LENGTH 21.96m
WIDTH 72‟‟
HEIGHT 36‟‟
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4) Driller
SPECS/MODEL F974
MAKE EASTMAN MACHINE CO.
BLADE LENGTH 8”
WIDTH 1.25”
CURRENT 4.2A
VOLTS 220V
CYCLE 50/s
RPM 2850(strokes/min)
MOTOR Phase-I
From cutting department bundles are taken to kanban super market with the help of feeding
helpers and are put in bins along with process card to each bin. Then bundles are taken to
different lines with the help of feeding helpers as per requirement.
The cutting department is responsible for cutting the lay as per the cutting plan (marker)
generated by the “Planning Department”. After cutting the panels are fused according to the
requirement.
5. PANEL CHECKING
Panel checking is done: Front, Back and Sleeve. The checking of panel is done on the basis of
weaving defect. In case of defective part, it is replaced with similar shade and shrinkage from
end bit storage. The decision is taken by supervisor; in critical cases QAs‟ (Quality Auditor)
advice is also taken. This section provides the framework for the processes involved in cutting
section and the production management practices that are incorporated in the cutting area.
Cutting processes are regarded as the most critical process in the garment manufacturing process.
The theory behind this is that here the raw material (fabric is given a form in the form of cut
panels. This means that utmost care must be taken in each and every process because after
cutting most of the times the wrong doing cannot be rectified.
6. BUNDLING AND TICKETING
Immediately after cutting, bundle sheets are generated for each lay specifying no. of components
in each bundle. First numbering is done on all pieces of one lay and after that, according to the
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shade groups bundle is prepared. In bundle sheets it is specified in which lay specific plies of
which size are of which particular shade, for example, in one lay, when bundle sheet is
generated, in that style 1M, 2L and 1XL is present then it is specifies no. of plies 913-935 of size
M are in D shade group and respectively and in which bundle it will go.
Fig 9: Bundle Sheet
Styles numbered are those on whose shell fabric ink is easily visible. For collar and cuff ticketing
is necessarily done. The numbering is done in two ways, ink or stickers.
The type of method to be used depends upon various factors. Some of them are listed below:
1. If the fabric is light colored, butterfly is cut with the pattern and ink method is used.
2. In light colored fabric, parts like collar and cuff, butterfly cannot be attached as parts involve
turn and then stitch, so, stickers has to be used.
3. Some fabrics with more absorption results cannot be inked and there is a possibility of
smudging of ink.
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If the fabric is multicolored, inks cannot be used as it would not be clearly visible at the time of
matching Next step after numbering and bundling, barcodes are generated, for all the operations
to be done on that bundle and enclosed in a pocket and sent to the kanban supermarket to be sent
to the lines after panel inspection.
FOR STRIPED OR CHECKS FABRICS
 Firstly block cutting is done with the help of pins also known as relaying.
 Then the scissor open process is done following the feature line which is the common
line in the center of the collar and cuff.
 After this step the ready cutting is done which is done using the band knife.
 Inspection is done after which number sealing is done.
 The process ends with bundling after which the parts reach the Supermarket.
Cutting is also a direct interface for the pattern department by way of making markers. A lot of
effort is involved in making sure that the markers are provided in the required manner to
eliminate the chances of mistakes. Effort goes into making sure that every single details of the
style is considered while marker making. That is why cutting plays a vital role in having a
correct pattern. Cutting costs form a bulk of manufacturing costs.
Fig 10: Layout of Spreading & Cutting Room
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2.7. SEWING DEPARTMENT
2.7.1 INTRODUCTION
After receiving the garment components from cutting section, all the garment parts are joined
and sewn as sequentially. All the components are sewn as per buyer‟s requirement. Sewing
section is the most important department of a garment manufacturing industry. Sewing machines
of different types are arranged in vertical lines to assemble the garments. Sequence of machines
depends on the sequence of assembling operations.
The production department is divided into three floors: A, B and C
Floor A: This floor is for manufacturing the front placket, pocket and sleeve parts.
Floor B: This floor manufactures collar, cuff and back panels.
Floor C: This is the assembly line.
2.7.2 PROGRESSIVE BUNDLE SYSTEM

The progressive bundle system (PBS): One garments operator is expected to perform the same
operation on all the pieces in the bundle, retie the bundle, process coupon, and set it aside until it
is picked up and moved to the next operation of garments production A progressive bundle
system of garments production may require a high volume of work in process cause of the
number of units in the bundles and the large buffer of backup that is needed to ensure a
continuous work flow for all operators in garments.
Fig 11: Progressive Bundle System
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Advantages progressive bundle system of garments production:
This production system may allow better utilization of specialized garments production
machines, as output from one special purpose automated garments machine may be able to
supply several garments machine operators for the next operation. Small bundles of garments
allow faster throughput unless there are bottlenecks and extensive waiting between operations
Disadvantages of progressive bundle system:
Slow processing, absenteeism, and equipment failure may cause major bottlenecks within the
system. Large quantities of work in process are often characteristic of this type of garments
production system. This may lead to longer throughput time, poor quality concealed by bundles
of garments, large inventory, extra handling, and difficulty in controlling inventory of garments
industry.
2.7.3 PROCESS FLOW

Bundles from the cutting department are received and stored in the racks. These racks contain
bundles for processing of front panels. Both left and right plackets are done here.
 Left hem of the front placket
KANSAI multi needle chain stitch machines

No. of KANSAI machines: 7
No. of machines for trimming: 1
Machines are grouped together and different styles run on these machines at a time.
Work Aids used:
 Automatic trimmer at the end of every piece and automatic piece collection system with
the help of stackers.
 Folder for putting fusing, placket cut piece, front panel in one go.
 Right hem of the front placket
SNLS (Single needle lock stitch) machines are used with UBT.
No. of SNLS used: 8
Work Aids used:
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 Folders used for hemming the right placket. It helps in equal feeding of fabric into the
machine saving time in handling the piece by operator.
 Automatic stackers for collecting the pieces processed.
 Button Hole Operation in left placket.
Button Hole Machine

No. of button hole machines for placket button hole: 9
All button hole machines are grouped together. Different styles run on these machines at
a time.
 These bundles are received and stored in KANBAN supermarket along with the
other cut parts for processing. The cut parts are transferred to the floor.
No. of Kanban sections on the floor: 3 lines
No. of Sub-Assemblies using progressive bundle system: 5
FRONT PREPARATION
1) Label Attaching
 The processed front placket bundle first goes for label attachment (wash care labels on
left placket) operation. Labels are attached on the side seam of the left placket. The no. of
labels to be attached depends upon the buyer‟s requirement.
 These bundles also contain front yoke pieces which then go for ironing operation.
 Ironing of yoke hem is done using aluminum templates.
 After this, the bundle goes for pairing/matching operation where the left and right pieces
are matched or paired together according to the serial no. mentioned on the piece.
 After matching, yoke is attached to the front panels. Attachment is done for the both left
and right pieces in pairs.
 Bundle is passed for yoke top stitch.
2) Pocket Flap Formation:

 Bundle then passes for flap run stitch. Fusing is also attached with the main piece during
this run stitch. Automatized run stitch machine is used.
 Work aids: acrylic template/profile is used for setting the piece in place.
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 Bundle goes to flap trimming machine where extra edges are trimmed and then goes for
flap turning operation.
 Then, bundle goes for flap top stitch operation
3) Flap Overlock Operation (Open Edge Overlock)

 Then the bundle goes for attachment of backing on the edges where the pocket is going to
be attached (marked on the back side of the fabric)
 Bundle goes for flap and pocket placement marking operation. Marking is done on the
main side of the fabric.
 Work aids: cardboard template fixed on the center of the table for marking left and right
front plackets.
 Bundle goes for flap attachment operation. Pocket pieces are received separately from the
cutting department.
4) Pocket Formation Process

 Pocket is first ironed or set using JOBU machine. This is a semi-automatic machine. Uses
an acrylic template which is in the shape of the pocket. Operator sets the piece in the
template then it automatically takes the pocket and heat set it.
 These pieces go to the ironing table for hem ironing
 Then these pockets are put in the respective bundles and go for pocket hemming.
 Then, for pocket attachment operation.
5) Pocket Top Stitch
6) Stay Stitch On Flap
7) Bartack Operation on both flap and pocket ends
8) End line inspection.
SLEEVE PRODUCTION
Cut sleeve parts are received from the KANBAN SUPER MARKET. Bundles consist of both
left and right sleeves with the placket cut parts. Sleeve plackets are attached to the respective
sleeves.
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1) Bind and tack sleeve
Work aids:
 Stacker for holding the bundle

 Folder for binding operation. Operator feeds the sleeve and cut fabric piece into the
folder and the seam is formed.
 Then the operator moves the bin forward for the placket attachment operation
2) Sleeve placket
Plackets are ironed/set with the help of machines.
Type of machine (NGAI SHING): sets the placket itself once the operator feeds the cut pieces.
Both left and right cut parts are fed together. It uses vacuum suction system and a laser light kept
at 90 degrees for reference for placing the cut parts. The processed pieces can be collected at the
end of every bundle.
3) Set sleeve placket
Work aids: separate shelves for keeping the left and right sleeves
4) Pleat formation
5) Sleeve placket button hole formation
6) Sleeve placket bartack
7) End line inspection
8) Dispatched to kanban bin storage
BACK, COLLAR AND CUFF PRODUCTION
This department involves production of back, collar and cuff garment pieces in a progressive
bundle system. Cut parts from the cutting room are brought to this floor from the kanban storage
area by the feeding helpers with the help of helpers. The trolleys are fed serial-wise to each of
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the lines. There are four lines on this floor, involving separate lines for back, collar and cuff
operations. Out of the four lines, three lines are working with kanban bin system and one line
follows progressive bundle system.
THE COMPLETE PROCESS
 All the bundles of back, collar and cuff parts are brought to the kanban storage area from
the cutting section, where these bundles are arranged serially in separate bins for back,
collar and cuff respectively.
 All the arranged bundles are then fed to the floor in kanban trolleys by the feeding
helpers, at the beginning of each line.
 After this, the bundles are moved progressively from operation to operation in the lines.
 Few operators are provided with the bundle sheets in order to keep a timely record of the
bundles completed.
PROCESS FLOW FOR BACK PIECES
SET LABEL
PREPARE PLEAT AND DART
SET YOKE
TOP STITCH YOKE
END LINE INSPECTION
NON-STANDARD COMPONENTS OF BACK OPERATIONS:
 Pleat
 Loop
 Dart
 Full length pleat
 Sided pleat
 Shoulder dart and back dart
 Zig zag stitch
 Top stitch
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PROCESS FLOW FOR COLLAR PIECES
RUN COLLAR
TRIM COLLAR
COLLAR PRESSING AND TURNING
TOP STITCH COLLAR
LUNA TRIM OPERATION
COLLAR STAY STITCH
NECKBAND HEMMING
TRIM NECKBAND
INSERT COLLAR
PICK TURN
TRIM BASE
END LINE INSPECTION
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NON-STANDARD COMPONENTS OF COLLAR OPERATIONS:
 Collar label attach

 Button hole
 Button hole loop
 Button hole patch
 Collar tape
 Hemband tape
 Chain stitch
 Saddle stitch
 Neckband patch
 Zig-zag stitch
PROCESS FLOW FOR CUFF PIECES
HEM CUFF
RUN CUFF
TRIM CUFF
TURN CUFF
PRESS CUFF
CUFF TOP STITCH
END LINE INSPECTION
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NON-STANDARD COMPONENTS OF CUFF OPERATIONS:
 Chain stitch
 Saddle stitch
 Cuff tape
 Hem patch
WORKAIDS, TEMPLATES AND MACHINES USED
1. Paper Template Used For Ironing Back Pleat- An in-house developed paper template is
used by the ironers to heat set the back pleat during ironing. The template is inserted in the
pleat and the back piece is hence ironed after which the template is removed and the gets
set.
2. Luna Trim Machine- A machine known as Luna Trim is used to trim the collar base after
the top stitch operation. This is done to prevent fraying of the collar base as the machine
has a zig-zag knife.
Fig 12: Luna trim machine
3. Acrylic Template- For collar and cuff run stitch operations an in-house developed acrylic
template is used. Also instead of the pressure foot, rollers are attached for easy movement
of the flapped acrylic sheet.
4. Folder For Back Pleat- Back pieces are fed in a folder which prepares the back pleat.
5. Foam Template And Folder For Insert Collar Operation- For insert collar operation
(attaching collar with neckband) a foam template is placed at both the neckband curves
for proper alignment of the stitch after which the piece is fed in the folder for guided
stitching.
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6. Folder For Back Loop Preparation- Strips for back loop are fed through a in-house
developed folder which prepares the seam for the loop after which the operator cuts the
loops according to the side.
7. Collar/Cuff Turning And Pressing Machine- With the help of this machine the operator is
able to trim, turn and press two collar/cuff pieces at a time. Machine has vastly reduced
manpower and increased productivity.
Fig 13: Collar/cuff turning and pressing machine
8. Neck Band/Cuff Turning- For neckband/cuff turning clamp like work aid is used which
eases the turning of neckband/cuff and also improves productivity.
Fig 14: neck band turning machine
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Fig 15: Work aid used for turning operation
• Work aids like side bins, detachable rod, racks, side stools, trolleys, etc. are used throughout
the floor which provide better work environment for the operators and also help in increasing
productivity of the floor with less waste of time.
Fig 16: Layout of Sub Assembly
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2.8. ASSEMBLY
This is the department in which all the cut parts from sub assembly are finally assembled into a
garment .The Assembly floor in Aquarelle has about 5 assembly lines and the production system
followed here is the UPS or unit production system.
THE COMPLETE PROCESS
 Firstly the bundles with components are transported from the front and back sections to
the assembly areas, the medium being the matching centre or Kanban storage area.
 The bundles are placed on the feeding table ,where the feeder helper will arrange the
parts of the bundle and place them onto the hanger with five divisions i.e. five parts
which are front, back, collar, cuff and sleeve.
 The feeder helper herself notes the bundle completed or started by putting a sticker onto
the production slip or bundle sheet ,so that it becomes easy to track production.
 The hanger moves on according to the operation in the U shaped layout.
 In this production system it becomes easier to track the bottleneck and hourly production
can be derived easily.
ADVANTAGES OF UPS SYSTEM:
 Bundle handling completely eliminated.

 The time involved in the pick-up and disposal is reduced to minimum.
 Output is recorded quite easily, eliminates the operator to register the work.
 The systems balance the work between stations.
 Up to 40 styles can be produced simultaneously on one system.
 Easier pickup and drop after each operation and resulted quick response time.
 Throughput time and WIP is reduced to an certain extent between the operations
DISADVANTAGES OF THE UPS SYSTEM:
 Considerations for installing a UPS include costs of buying equipment, cost of installing,
specialized training for the production system, and prevention of downtime.
 Proper planning has to done on how to use it and the operators should have enough
training given to use it.
 Line balancing becomes a tough job and an efficient supervisor is needed to handle it.
 A bottleneck operation can pose a problem as it increases WIP and also halts production.
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2.8.1 UPS SYSTEM OF PRODUCTION

In a Unit production system, garment components are clamped in a hanger and the hanger moves
on an overhead rail. In the hanger components of a single piece is clapped. So this is also one
kind of single-piece-flow system.
The essential features of this type of system are:
1. The unit of production is a single garment and not bundles.

2. The garment components are manually or automatically transported from workstation to
work station according to a pre-determined sequence.
3. The work stations are so constructed that the components are presented as close as
possible to the operator's left hand in order to reduce the amount of movement required to
grasp and position and component to be sewn.
MATCHING SECTION:
Before the actual process flow starts in the assembly line, the bundles have to be brought from
the matching center, this is the area where all the parts from front and back section are kept .In
the matching center the pigeon hole rack system concept is followed in which bundles are kept
with a numbering system, with which it becomes easier to detect which bundles are being taken
out and which bundle is coming in .Regular reports are made of these data.
2.8.2 THE PROCESS FLOW IN THE ASSEMBLY LINE

 The first process after feeding is shoulder attachment of front and back.
 After this process shoulder topstitch operation is done, whether it is done or not depends
on the buyer‟s specification.
 The operation which commences is the collar attachment operation.
 The operation after this process is the Collar finishing operation and comes in the CTQ or
critical to quality category.
 The sleeve is attached.
 Topstitch of the armhole is done.
 After this operation the side seam is attached using the FOA or feed of arm machine.
 The trimming placket tail is done and marking for cuff is done
 The bottom hem operation is performed
 The cuffs are attached.
 Cuff edge stitch is done.
 The inspection is done finally and the defects are reported and are reworked on.
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2.8.3 THE MACHINES AND FOLDERS USED FOR EACH OF THE OPERATIONS:
Shoulder attaches and topstitch folder and guides used:
 It is either done manually without using a folder, but using a guide, which is known as
the T guide which makes sure that the stitch line is being followed or deviated from.
 The folder can also be used which is fabricated to form the bound seam.
 This folder used is a multipurpose folder which helps in attachment as well as topstitch of
the shoulder
Machine used–SNLS
Sleeve attach, folders used
 The folder used is fabricated in such a way that it reduces puckering of fabric controls
the feeding in a better manner.
Machine used - DNCS or SNCS
Side seam, folders and guides used
 There is a folder fabricated in such a way that lap fell seam can be formed easily and it
also has a pneumatic air supply system to push away extra threads inside in case a lot of
fraying is there.
Machine used- Feed of arm machine.
Bottom hem, folders and guides used
 There is a folder used known as the swing hemmer, it is useful so that operation is not
stopped at the joint area .The pneumatic air supply is operation as used in this well.
 Also there is a normal folder used to avoid raw edge formation.
Machine used -SNLS
Cuff attach, folders and guides used
 There is a guide used in the cuff setting known as the cuff setter, it helps the cuff to stay
in place, in order to prevent down stitch.
Machine used- SNLS MACHINE.
After this processes there is end line inspection done, the defects per hour are noted and written
down in an report with help of the tally system and garments with defects are sent back and
reworked upon. The other work aids used are DST or double side tapes used to make sure stitch
line is followed.
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Fig 17: Layout of Assembly
2.9. FINISHING DEPARTMENT

In production department garments are stitched by sewing machines. Stitched garments are
finished in the finishing department. Finishing activities are performed prior packing garments
into poly bags. The major activities of a finishing department include thread trimming, checking
garments and ironing. The folding, tagging and packing of garments are done in the packing
section in the finishing department. This post covers major functions of finishing department.
Fig 18: Layout of finishing section
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2.9.1 THE PROCESS FLOW IN THE FINISHING DEPARTMENT
Washing
Button Marking
Button Attach
↓ If defect
found Alteration &
Trim & Exam Spotwash Section
↓
Full Body Ironing
Shirt Button Up
Presentation
Measurement Check
Tagging
Folding & Bagging
Barrier Audit
Cartoning
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Washing
After Dispatch from assembly, the garment pieces are kept for washing which is outsourced.
There are three washing units. The garments are loaded as per the loading plan given by factory
planner to dispatch center. The transporter enters the security gate and the security guard notes
the vehicle number and scans the identity. The loading is done by security guard; he counts and
loads the truck.
Button Marking
The button marking is done via manual workers where pattern is pasted on the table and the
operator places the garment on the pattern and marks the points using white pencil. The
operation is time consuming and is considered as non-value added activity.
Button Attaching
The button attaching is done on the front placket, cuff and collar, also for some styles on the
pockets as well. The button attaching is done by 8-10 operators.
Trim and Examine
In this operation the operator trims the unwanted protruding thread and checks for washing,
sewing, darning defects.
Check points in Trim and Examine:
1. Full collar check including button hole and button.
2. Yoke check, shoulder stitch checking.
3. Centre front placket, Button hole, Pocket checked.
4. Bottom hemming checked.
5. Left side seam and cuff bottom hem.
6. Sleeve placket Binding and sleeve check
7. Armhole stitch checking
8. Back check
9. Redo with the shirt inside out.
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Based on the type of defect, the pieces are kept on different colored racks as:
S. No. Color of the Significance

Rack
1 Blue For checking
2 Yellow Washing defects
3 White Button hole and

button defects
4 Red Sewing Defect
5 Black Darning Defect
6 Green Pass Pieces
All the pieces from different racks are sent to respective places and all the pass pieces are sent to
the next operation which is thread suction.
Fig 19: Trim and Examine Rack
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Thread Suction
The pass pieces are then sent to thread suction machine. The machine sucks all the loose threads
which are there on the garment to make them ready for ironing.
Ironing
The basic iron box is used for ironing the garment, the pieces are moved in single lot, and no
bundle is made from this operation onwards. The operator irons the shirt and hangs it on the UPS
conveyor.
Button Up
The operator stands at the place where the shirts are being hanged after ironing in between the
two lines and button up the shirt. The operator keeps on moving from one iron table to another
for buttoning up. Each line has one operator for button up operation.
Final Inspection
The garment is inspected finally w.r.t. sewing defect on the critical areas of the garment. Any
defect found at this stage of the garment is indicated using a small arrow sticker and kept in the
rejected pile.
Spot washing/Stain Removal
Stained pieces are taken from Trim & Exam and Presentation section to spot wash section.
Washing is done using chemicals such as Sodium hydrosulphite/Sodium hypochlorite, acetone
etc.
Measurement Check
After the final inspection, the measurement check is done w.r.t. sleeve, front placket, back panel
and chest. If the measurement is correct, it is passed for tagging, else, kept in the pile.
Tagging
The operator stands next to the measurement table and attaches the tag on the garment without
taking it put from the hanger.
Folding
Folding is done in the traditional way using a template of the shirt. The operator attaches the
clips and collar stand (but for very few styles) depending upon the buyer requirements. The
folding is done as per the specified instructions of the buyer and if not given, the standard
process of the company is used.
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Bagging
Once the pieces are folded, they are kept in the polybags. The polybags generally have name of
the buyer and type of the polybag depends upon the requirements raised by the buyer.
Type of packing (Solid/Ratio) –
Packing accessories used –
Packing style – Pieces are packed in the carton according to sizes.
2.9.2 CSO AUDIT

Once the bagging is done and pieces are readily loaded to be cartooned, the CSO (Customer
Satisfaction Officer) picks 3-4 samples from each trolley and checks the garment. This is the
done as buyer raised requirement. If in case, a piece has some defects, it is rejected and the entire
lot is checked again.
FUNCTIONS OF CSO:
 He does the inspection process from cut to pack.

 He goes through the Fabric process report and garment process report and passes it after
which bulk cutting takes place.
 The CSO is the person to review the techpack and production file and see if there is a
deviation from it.
 He reviews the trim card and finally trims are issued.
 He is an active participant in the pre-production meetings and inspects the first bundle of
garments during actual production process.
 He also inspects washing of pieces, firstly 50 pieces are sent for washing and it is
checked if there is change in measurement or not ,if shade variation is present ,if these are
not present then bulk washing can be done.
 Before the packing process he makes sure whether all tags and labels are according to the
country wise approval
 After this the packing list is prepared and internal auditing of cartons starts
 Initially 500 pieces are inspected out of which if 25 pieces are okay then the carton is
passed.
In this inspection the following checkpoints are:-
 Polybags
 Labels
 Number of tags attached.
 Quality parameters.
 Tissue paper used for packing.
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Defects are checked .If one defect is present then the lot is passed, if more than one defect is
present it is reworked upon. There is a needle detector present to check if any needle piece is
stuck to the garment.
Cartoning is done in two ways:
1. For Levi‟s brand
Fig 20: Information Flow of Levi’s Brand
2. For all brands
Fig 21: Information Flow of other brands
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Flow Chart of Packing Section:
Make shipping mark according to P/O, Spread sheet
Approve from buyer
Carton measurement confirm from Q.C dept.
Sample make (carton)
Re-approved from buyer
Ensure net and gross weight
Go to bulk production
Complete the carton with garment
Cartons are made according to buyer instruction and length wise it contains the buyer name,
widthwise it contain the measurement, net & gross weight. Cartons contain the information
printed by screen print style.
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2.10 MISCELLANEOUS OTHER DEPARTMENTS
2.10.1 QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT

The quality assurance section is assigned to maintain consistency for uniform quality of the
material in process & various stages of garment manufacturing. In the garment industry quality
control is practiced right from the initial stage of sourcing raw materials to the stage of final
finished garment.
Process Flow Chart of Quality Assurance Department:
Accessories check
Fabric inspection
Shade segregation
Shrinkage test
Size set check
Marker check
Spreading quality assurance
Cutting quality assurance
Hard pattern check
Pre-production meeting
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General instruction
Inspector layout
In process audit
Two time process check
Two time machine check
Weekly in process summary
100% in line process check
Sewing final check
Hourly final audit with measurement
Finishing 100% check
Button pulls check
Hourly final audit
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Broken needle check
Accessories compliance
Every final audit
Pre-final inspection
Ready for final inspection
Shipment
Department Wise Quality Check Points
Fabric Store- In the fabric store fabric is being checked before issuing it to cutting department.
In general not all the fabric is checked. Usually 10% of fabrics are checked for good fabric
suppliers. For power loom fabric and printed fabric 100% checking is done. Fabrics are checked
in flat table, flat table with light box or on fabric checking machine. 4 point system for fabric
inspection is used to measure the quality level of the incoming fabric.
Trim & accessories- Trims quality is also very important for having a quality garment. Trims
inspection is done randomly against the given standards, like color matching. But for trims and
accessories quantity checking is essential.
Cutting Room- It is said that cutting is the heart of production. If cutting is done well then
chances of occurring defects in the following processes comes down. In cutting room, check
points are – i) marker checking ii) cut part audit iii) bundle checking.
Sewing Department- Checkpoints in the sewing departments are as following:-
 Inline inspection: In assembly line generally check pints are kept for the critical
operations. In these checkpoints, 100% checking is done for partially stitched garments
and defect free pieces are forwarded to the next process. This type of checking is used for
high value garment.
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 Roaming inspection: In this case checkers roam around the line and randomly check
pieces at each operation.
 End of line inspection or table checking: A checker checks completely stitched garment
at the end of the line. 100% checking is done here,
 Audit of the checked pieces: Very few manufacturers follow this audit procedure but it is
very essential checkpoint to assure that only 100% inspected garment are sent to finishing
from sewing department. And all defective pieces are repaired before sending to
finishing.
Finishing Department- Check points in finishing department consists:-
 Initial finishing inspection: checking done prior to pressing of the garment at finishing
room is known as initial finishing.
 Final finishing Inspection: After pressing garments are again checked and passed for
tagging and packing.
 Internal final audit: After garments are packed up to certain quantity, quality control
team, do audit of packed garments. This process is carried out to ensure that before
handing over shipment to buyer QC.
If the completed work is being checked at each process and defective pieces are corrected
before handing to the next process than at the end of production there is very little chance to
have a defective at final inspection stage.
Norms followed – Programs such as Kanban, 5S, KAIZEN and TPM are being followed.
2.10.2 TRIMS STORE

PROCESS FLOW
Receipt of the BOM from the Merchandising department
Checks as per the purchase order or the bill of material
Quality checks (If the produced is rejected during the quality check than it is sent back to the
suppliers)
Quality verification is made as per the Invoice
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Assigned received material to the concerned purchase order or the orders
Moved to the concerned location in the store
When the cutting slips as per the cutting or planning department instruction, the kits are prepared
for issue as per BOM/ cut quantity.
Make the necessary entries the materials are issued in books/ system
In any rework/ rejection or approval
Issue extra material
2.10.3 THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

The industrial engineering department is the driving force of any apparel industry and they are
responsible for all the activities of the factory. There is one head IE who has the responsibility of
handling all the units, one factory head IE, under him 4 assistant IEs are there.
The operation of this department starts from the receipt of the order from the buyer. Once the
customers place the order the merchandise department forwards the order to the industrial
engineering department for the processing.
The main functions of the IE department are:-
 Calculate SAM of the garment.

 Calculate the work measurement of each order.
 To advice production department on garment SAM and line layout.
 To calculate line efficiency and operators efficiency
 To ensure regular grade change of the operators.
 Doing the time and method study.
 Proper line balancing.
 Check for work aids and compliances
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 Preparation of the incentive scheme.

 The respective line IEs should update the respective quality sheet of the operators which
contains a graphical representation of percentage efficiency and right first time .
2.10.4 THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT

The breakup of the maintenance crew is
 Total of 11 members
 5 mechanics
 4 electricians
 1 data entry person
 1 maintenance in-charge person
The qualifications
 10th pass /SSLC

 Diploma
 6 months computers course for data entry
 Training is given daily for freshers (one hour)
Type of maintenance followed:
Preventive maintenance:
It is a daily maintenance (cleaning, inspection, oiling and re-tightening), design to retain the
healthy condition of equipment and prevent failure through the prevention of deterioration,
periodic inspection or equipment condition diagnosis, to measure deterioration. It is thus further
divided into periodic maintenance and predictive maintenance. Just like human life is extended
by preventive medicine, the equipment service life can be prolonged by doing preventive
maintenance.
At Aquarelle, preventive maintenance is followed by maintaining a preventive maintenance

board.
 Firstly there is a preventive maintenance board present which has coins of different
colors which constitute the machines and their condition at the time (The machines have
an ID number to differentiate).
 The blue coins constitute the machines that need servicing on that particular day
 The orange coins constitute the maintenance planned for 2-3 days
 The red coins constitute the breakdown machines and green coins constitute the machines
which are functional in a proper condition.
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Advantages:
 This kind of system or visual check makes it easy to find the status of the machines at any
time.
 It helps the maintenance engineer to see the status and take the right measures at the right
time
 There are separate checklists for each department and maintenance mostly is done on a
daily basis and a maintenance book of rules also which makes it easy to implement then
maintenance process and saves time too.
Fig 22: Maintenance Board
Tools board/shadow board:
 The various tools required like spanners, hammers and other maintenance equipment are
placed on the board in particular, separate positions with their names.
 In case anyone takes the tool and does not return it on time there is a tracking system to
get it back, in which there is a photo of the person who has issued it along with his phone
number alongside plus there is a token system too with numbers which the concerned
operator/person has to return after placing the tools back in place.
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Fig 23: Tools and Shadow Board
VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF MACHINES:
 There is a board which shows all the machines and their importance
 There are 1rst priority machines –Particular machines of the lines
 These machines are of most importance and their replacements are costlier and
maintenance has to be given top priority
 Then there are 2nd priority machines-Overall machines in factory
 These are standby machines used in emergencies
 Then there are the 3rd priority machines which are basic machines in which replacement
is easier and cheaper because of their easy availability. This board gives the maintenance
department a clear picture of which machines need to be given most importance and
maintenance and at what frequency/intervals.
FABRIC WISE MACHINE SETTING BOARD
This consists of a heavy duty folder, a medium duty folder and a light duty folder.
SPARE PARTS MANAGEMENT
FOLDER BOARD-
Folders are kept in a sequence with their sizes and names. There are coins, if there is a blue coin
it means that the folder is being used in another unit. If it is a Yellow coin it means that it is used
in the line only .Through this color coding system tracking becomes all the more simple.
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 It takes precisely 10-12 seconds to reach out a spare as they are placed in a proper
sequence.
 There are different bins to maintain spare part inventory and they are labeled properly.
 There is an issue log book to be filled after issuing and the data about this is entered into
an excel sheet.
 There is a master cupboard index also present with a code for each rack or cupboard
 The 5s system is in place for spare parts inventory
TRAINING FOR MAINTENANCE:
 The operator/mechanic has a test to complete in which his basic knowledge will be tested
like setting of basic machinery; thread tension etc, feed setting and setting of machine
according to the fabric.
 There is generation of a summary score sheet of the test depending on which the level of
training is given.
2.11 OTHER TOOLS, TECHNIQUES AND SOFTWARES IN PRACTICE
2.11.1 VAS SOFTWARE

This is a database used by Aquarelle which gives details about the following:-
 This software has various phases.

 PHASE 1-Video data analysis and SMV calculation.
 PHASE 2-OB generation and Thread Consumption calculation.
 PHASE 3- Skill matrix
 Focused training on the use of VAS.
 SMV of each operation is derived.
 The thread consumption calculation for each garment is derived using appropriate
formulae.
 Also the needle and bobbin ratios for each operation are given in the software
 The operation breakdown format is there in the software according to Aquarelle
standards.
 Video data analysis is done to find out elapsed time for each operation.
 The operation bulletin with SME is derived and given to merchandiser for costing.
 The target for the operations is also calculated based on SMV of standard operations.
 The software also contains the skill matrix of each operator.
 There are a few interesting features like the Double screen and four screen options in
order to compare two operations and their SMVs .
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Fig 24: Interface for VAS
Fig 25: Lean House of Aquarelle Group
2.11.2 KANBAN
Kanban is Japanese for “visual signal” or “card.” Toyota line-workers used a kanban (i.e., an
actual card) to signal steps in their manufacturing process. The system‟s highly visual nature
allowed teams to communicate more easily on what work needed to be done and when. It also
standardized cues and refined processes, which helped to reduce waste and maximize value.
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Kanban is gaining traction as a way to smoothly implement Agile and Lean management
methods in tech and non-tech companies around the world. Throughout this fresh take on
Toyota‟s manufacturing process, Kanban‟s core elements have remained rooted in the principles
below. (Note: There are many ways to define Kanban. Our intent in listing the core elements in
this manner is not to introduce a new definition but to distill the common principles.)
1. Visualize Work
By creating a visual model of your work and workflow, you can observe the flow of work
moving through your Kanban system. Making the work visible along with blockers, bottlenecks
and queues instantly leads to increased communication and collaboration.
2. Limit Work in Process
By limiting how much unfinished work is in process, you can reduce the time it takes an item to
travel through the Kanban system. You can also avoid problems caused by task switching and
reduce the need to constantly reprioritize items.
3. Focus on Flow
By using work-in-process (WIP) limits and developing team-driven policies, you can optimize
your Kanban system to improve the smooth flow of work, collect metrics to analyze flow, and
even get leading indicators of future problems by analyzing the flow of work.
4. Continuous Improvement
Once your Kanban system is in place, it becomes the cornerstone for a culture of continuous
improvement. Teams measure their effectiveness by tracking flow, quality, throughput, lead
times and more. Experiments and analysis can change the system to improve the team‟s
effectiveness
KANBAN CARD SYSTEM
As Kanban emerged as a system in knowledge work, the kanban card came to represent an
individual work item. These “pieces of work” are typically displayed in the form of sticky notes
on a whiteboard that uses lanes to show the steps in a team‟s process. Each sticky note contains
critical information for that piece of work, and its placement on the whiteboard visually
communicates the work item‟s status within the team‟s process. From this, the modern
application of kanban card was born.
Kanban cards can help teams:
 Gain a quick understanding of work item details
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 Facilitate handoffs between team members as the work progresses through different
stages in the team‟s process
 Document critical information
 Record important work attributes and metrics that you can use later to help improve your
workflow:
(a) Here in Aquarelle two Kanban systems are used, that is the Card system and
Bin system, the electronic Kanban is yet to be put into use.
(b) Kanban cards are a key component of Kanban and they signal the need to
move materials within a production facility or to move materials from an
outside supplier into the production facility.
(c) The Kanban card is, in effect, a message that signals depletion of product,
parts, or inventory. When received, the Kanban triggers replenishment of that
product, part, or inventory.
A Kanban Card typically has the following information displayed on it (IN AQUARELLE):
 Material, part number, etc.

 External and internal supplying processes.
 Consuming process (could be sewing if parts are stitched in sewing or finishing if parts
are consumed in finishing).
 Container Quantity („container‟ here refers to a trolley or a bin, and the „quantity‟ refers
to the amount of stock that should be stored in the trolley or bin).
 Supermarket Address (Supermarkets have a designated address like A1, H2, etc.)
 Card Serial Number.
 The card colour is mostly red.
 KANBAN BOARD-This is a visual display of the Kanban cards.
 The production Kanban Cards are accumulated in the board after removing them from
empty containers (trolleys or bins) no sooner they are withdrawn by the consuming
process from the Supermarket.
 The accumulation of cards continues till a predetermined number of cards are achieved as
defined by the common authorization line.
Advantages of Using the Kanban System
There are many advantages to using the kanban system as a way to manage work, including:
 Flexibility
 Focus on continuous delivery
 Reduction of wasted work / wasted time
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 Increased productivity
 Increased efficiency
 Team members‟ ability to focus
2.11.3 KAIZEN
Kaizen is based on the philosophical belief that everything can be improved: Some organizations
look at a process and see that it's running fine; Organizations that follow the principle of Kaizen
see a process that can be improved. This means that nothing is ever seen as a status – there are
continuous efforts to improve which result in small, often imperceptible, changes over time.
These incremental changes add up to substantial changes over the longer term, without having to
go through any radical innovation. It can be a much gentler and employee-friendly way to
institute the changes that must occur as a business grows and adapts to its changing environment.
Understanding the Approach
Because Kaizen is more a philosophy than a specific tool, its approach is found in many different
process improvement methods ranging from Total Quality Management (TQM), to the use of
employee suggestion boxes. Under kaizen, all employees are responsible for identifying the gaps
and inefficiencies and everyone, at every level in the organization, suggests where improvement
can take place.
Kaizen aims for improvements in productivity, effectiveness, safety, and waste reduction, and
those who follow the approach often find a whole lot more in return:
 Less waste – inventory is used more efficiently as are employee skills.

 People are more satisfied – they have a direct impact on the way things are done.
 Improved commitment – team members have more of a stake in their job and are more
inclined to commit to doing a good job.
 Improved retention –
competitiveness – increases in efficiency tend to contribute to lower costs and higher
quality products.
 Improved consumer satisfaction – coming from higher quality products with fewer faults.
 Improved problem solving – looking at processes from a solutions perspective allows
employees to solve problems continuously.
 Improved teams – working together to solve problems helps build and strengthen existing
teams. Another Japanese term associated with kaizen is muda, which means waste.
Kaizen is aimed at decreasing waste through eliminating overproduction, improving
quality, being more efficient, having less idle time, and reducing unnecessary activities.
All these translate to money savings and turn potential losses into profits.
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The step by step approach under Kaizen is:-
 Problem identification
 Team formation
 Root cause analysis
 Target setting
 Finding solutions
 Implementation
 Measurement
 Horizontal deployment
2.11.4 5S
One of the most powerful Lean Manufacturing Tools and a cornerstone of any successful
implementation is that of 5S.
The five steps are:-
 SEITSUKE –This means to sustain the organization by proper training and discipline.
 SEIKETSU-Standardizing all the processes and workplace.
 SEISO-Shining i.e. cleaning the workplace.
 SEITON-Sorting and organizing.
 SEIRI-Sorting and clearing.
5S is a simple tool for organizing your workplace in a clean, efficient and safe manner to
enhance your productivity, visual management and to ensure the introduction of standardized
working. Most of the other definitions of 5S and descriptions that I see here on the internet
concentrate heavily on the aesthetics and the efficiency gains that you achieve through
implementing 5S and neglect the real aim of 5S; the need to introduce standard operational
practices to ensure efficient, repeatable, safe ways of working.
In addition to standardized working which provides you with a stable foundation to build all of
your other improvements through implementing Lean Tools, you also provide a highly visual
workplace. One of the most important factors of 5S is that it makes problem immediately
obvious. 5S is a team run process and should be conducted by the people who work within the
area in which the principles of 5S are being applied; it is not a tool that can be applied by an
outsider onto an area without the knowledge and cooperation of the people within it.
5S management at AQUARELLE:
 SORT-Unwanted and wanted items

 SET IN ORDER-Things in its right place
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 SHINE-Cleaning done two times i.e. 12:25 and at 5:25 pm

 STANDARDISE-The use of hand gloves and eye guards and other aids
 SUSTAIN-Regular Auditing
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
In order for 5S to be successful, the important factor is commitment, participation and

involvement of everyone and most importantly support from the top management. 5S activities
should be carried on in the following steps:-
 Visit 5S model companies for continual improvement.

 Train everyone adequately on 5S practices.
 Promote the 5S campaign
 Plan systematic approach following the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle
 Practice performance measurement and reward system
Fig 26: 5s implementations at various places in industry
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2.11.5 TOTAL PRODUCTIVE MAINTENANCE

Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is a lean manufacturing tool that seeks to improve the
reliability and efficiencies of our equipment and machines by utilizing everyone in the
organization to tackle what are known as the six big losses measured through the performance
indicator known as OEE or Overall Equipment Effectiveness;
1. Breakdowns
2. Setup and Adjustment losses
3. Idling and minor stoppages
4. Reduced Speed
5. Defects and rework
6. Start-up losses
TPM is not just about implementing preventive maintenance or predictive maintenance to

prevent machines from breaking down. It is a team approach to also improve our startups, our
running efficiencies, and our product quality. It seeks to continually improve our processes and
equipment by constantly improving OEE (Overall equipment effectiveness) which is a
performance metric for TPM gained through measuring the six big losses.
Just like any other lean tool, TPM needs to be adapted and changed to the particular needs of
organization, the use of an expert to help with your implementation program is highly
recommended to help avoid some of the more obvious stumbling points within program.
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SECTION – III
PROJECTS ON QUALITY ENHANCEMENT
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Project Journey
The Project on quality was given to us by our mentor (Mr. Syed Khasim) on 3rd week of our
internship at Aquarelle Pvt. Ltd. UNIT II. Main aim of the project was to solve the ongoing
quality problems by analyzing the Top 4 Defects occurring after and before wash
simultaneously.
Through the entire project journey, starting from collecting data about top defects occurring to
analyzing the cause of their occurrence was the road of learning together as a group,
brainstorming the possibilities, implementing the changes and witnessing the improvising
operations.
To guide us in the journey, we had experts‟ help i.e. Ms. Poojita (I.E. Head), Mr. Sudarshana
(Quality Incharge) and Mr. Reddy (Maintenance Incharge). They gave us more clear vision on
the approach for the doing the project, how to capture data and how to make the project
successful.
The project aims to cover entire departments under AIPL-2 for Quality Enhancement.
Road Map of Project
The project on Quality enhancement was achieved through various mini projects:-
1 Reduction of sewing defects.

1.1 Collecting and recording Defects Report from different departments.
1.2 Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective action plan (CAP) of Top 4 Defects
occurring before and after wash.
1.3 Making checklist report for daily audit.
1.4 Implementation and fulfillment of those requirements.
2 Quality tree development for training of operators in sewing section.
3 Process Audit.
4 Illustration tag implementation in finishing and change in layout of Alteration section
5 Kanban in finishing.
6 Implying Defect Codes through tabs for End line inspection process.
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PROJECT I
REDUCTION OF SEWING DEFECTS
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1.1 OBJECTIVE
Reduction of Sewing Defects occurring before and after wash in AIPL 2.
Team leader: Factory Manager
Team members: Quality In-charge, Line QCs, In-line/End line checkers
Starting date: 11th June 2018
Finishing date: 21st July 2018
Duration: 6 weeks
PROBLEM DEFINITION: Excessive occurrence of sewing defects before and after wash.
1.1.1 Collecting and Recording Defects Report from different departments.

 Data collection of sewing defects occurring before and after wash is the first and
most important step of this project.
 These records helped in identifying the top 4 Defects occurring in various sections of
the sewing department.
 It also helped in recognizing the parts of the garment in which frequency of defects
occurring was highest and hence recognizing the section or line in which defects
were occurring and also the cause of the defects.
 Data of at least 3 weeks was collected from inline and endline checkers in sewing
department and from trim, exam and presentation checkers in finishing department.
Fig 1: In and End Line Daily Report
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Fig 2: Trim and Exam Daily Report
 These data was then converted by us into reports to gain required information at a
glance.
Fig 3: Record of In and End line Data
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Fig 5: Trim, Exam and Presentation Record
 Graphical data through excel sheet helped in recognition of top 4 defects before and
after wash.
Fig 6: SUB-ASSEMBLY REPORT
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Fig 7: ASSEMBLY REPORT
Fig 8: FINISHING REPORT
CONCLUSION
Following information was gained from the report generated:
 Top 3 Defects occurring in Sewing – Down Stitch, Skip Stitch and Raw Edge
 Top 3 Defects occurring in Finishing – Broken Stitch, Raw Edge and Skip Stitch
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BROKEN STITCH DOWN STITCH
SKIP STITCH RAW EDGE
Fig 9: TOP 4 DEFECTS BEFORE AND AFTER WASH
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1.1.2 Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective action plan (CAP) of Top 4 Defects
occurring before and after wash.
 Data collection helped in obtaining the information regarding the occurrence of defect in
different sections of assembly and sub-assembly.
 For example: the defect (skip stitch) is occurring in sleeve section of sub assembly.
Fig 10: Down Stitch Section Wise Data
Fig 11: Broken Stitch Section Wise Data
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 After recognizing the section in which defect occurring percentage was more, causes of
those defects were recognized by analyzing the situation.
 Thorough study of all top 4 defects and possible causes of their occurrence was analyzed
through Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Fish Bone Diagram and WHY-WHY Analysis.
 SKIP STITCH
 IMPROPER MACHINE SETTING
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 IMPROPER OPERATOR HANDLING
 INEFFECTIVE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
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 IMPROPER MACHINE THREADING
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND TARGET SETTINGS:
 All kansai and foa m/c should have synchronizer- to keep the needle in the down position
whenever the machine stops.
 Special m/c preventive maintenance schedule for all Chain stitch m/c‟s.
 Training for all operators on correct method of feeding, handling and threading of
machine.
 Developing Needle v/s Looper/Bobbin thread combination matrix and needle v/s needle
thread matrix.
 BROKEN STITCH
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 IMPROPER TACKING
 IMPROPER MACHINE SETTING
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 JOINT STITCHES
 NEEDLE BOBBIN THREAD PATH WITH BURR EDGES
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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND TARGET SETTING
 Program correction for back-tacking.

 All machines should have clean throat plate with sharp edges.
 Take-up spring must be checked regularly.
 Bobbins being used must be maintained properly.
 End of line checker will consider joint stitches and improper back-tacking as major
defects.
 All machines reviewed for burr thread paths, necessary parts replaced.
 Stitching needs to be done in the bias grain and check for the cracking to identify the
improper stitch tension.
 RAW EDGE
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 OPERATOR HANDLING AND FEEDING
 UNEVEN SHAPES AT SIDE SAEM AND ARMHOLE
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 INCORRECT FOLDER USED
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND TARGET SETTINGS
 Hourly margin setting at the side seam line.

 2 bit mock to check if correct folder is being used.
 Daily mock-up updated for correct machine setting.
 Regular follow up of preventive maintenance card for FOA machine.
 DOWNSTITCH
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 IMPROPER ATTACHMENT OF FOLDER AND PRESSURE FOOT
 IMPROPER OPERATOR HANDLING
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 IMPROPER IRONING
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND TARGET SETTINGS
 Educate the operators regarding the issue of down stitch.

 Provide re-training to the operators for proper feeding and handling of garments.
 Do daily 2 times audit regarding folder attachment.
1.1.3 Making checklist report for daily audit:
 After finding out the causes of the defects and their possible solutions a daily
audit sheet was made for regular checking of machine and part settings.
 This audit sheet was made was all the four defects.
 Daily early morning audit was done to ensure the correct machine settings in all
the line.
 Audit sheet also consisted of section for the concerned person regarding the
settings along with their signatures.
 These audits help in maintaining the machine settings and hence preventing the
ignorance due to which defect occurrence percentage had increased.
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Fig 12: Daily Checklist Report
1.1.4 Implementation and fulfillment of those requirements:
 Finding causes of the defect was important but without implementation the solution no
effect can be seen and hence this was equally important as well.
 So following implementations were done regarding different defects:
SKIP STITCH
 Installation of synchronizers in all the kansai and FOA machines.
 Installation of preventive maintenance schedule checklist for special chain stitch
machines.
BROKEN STITCH
 Back-tack of various machines was not locked.

 Throat plate of various machines was not cleaned regularly.
 We made the damaged bobbins replaced to avoid breakage of bobbin thread and
prevent broken stitch.
 Take-up spring of more than 55 machines was broken.
DOWN STITCH & RAW EDGE

 Since down stitch and raw edge is almost due to operator handling problem so we
have provided them the training through a puzzle method using Quality tree.
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 These analyses and audits helped in reducing the data to a greater extent.
 SKIP STITCH
 BROKEN STITCH
 DOWN STITCH
 RAW EDGE
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PROJECT II
QUALITY TREE DEVELOPMENT
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1.1 OBJECTIVE
Proper training of operators regarding the top defects and their causes in AIPL 2.
Team leader: Factory Manager
Team members: Quality In-charge, Line QCs, In-line/End line checkers
Starting date: 16th July 2018
Finishing date: 2nd Aug 2018
Duration: 5 weeks
PROBLEM DEFINITION: Excessive occurrence of sewing defects before and after wash due
to operator negligence.
1.1.1 Identification of defects that occur due to operator carelessness:

 First step to this project was the identification of defects which were occurring due to
operator carelessness.
 Previously made reports helped in identification of these defects according to their area
of occurrences.
 Defects identified were – skip stitch, broken stitch, down stitch and raw edge.
 Also fish bone diagram made earlier helped in identifying the manual causes of these
defects.
 Hence training of operators was very necessary to make them aware of these defects and
their causes.
1.1.2 Development of Quality Tree/Wall, Cards and SOPs:

 Idea of developing a tree and having puzzle games through it was given by us and after
its approval an image was developed to be printed on the magnetic board.
Fig 1: Quality Tree
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 Our aim was to teach operators through puzzle games instead of giving plain lectures
which would have been monotonous for them to learn and difficult to remember.
 Images of defects were taken from the end line checkers in sewing department and
alteration section in finishing department.
 Images of causes of those defects were also taken during audit process.
 These images were then developed into magnetic cards.
Fig 2: Magnetic quality cards
 Standard operating procedures were also developed by us as a training process.
Fig 3: Standard Operating Procedure
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1.1.3 Preparation of a training schedule:

 Training all the operators at the same time was not possible as that would have been a
hindrance in the production.
 Hence, time and action calendar was developed as training schedule for training of
operators in different department.
Fig 4: Training Schedule
1.1.4 Training the operators and providing them Grade:

 Operators were trained through puzzle game.
 Two defects were kept at two upper opposite sides of the tree (i.e. leaf part).
 One operator at a time was asked to identify the cause of those defects from the given
cards of causes.
 He / She then had to put those causes below their defects on the same side of the tree.
Fig 5: Training
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 Scores were given to them according to their correct response.

 According to these scores operator grading was done:-
 GRADE A – Above 80% correct reasons found.

 GRADE B – Above 60% correct reasons found.
 GRADE C – Above 40% correct reasons found.
 GRADE D – Above 20% correct reasons found.
 GRADE E – Below 20% correct reasons found.
Fig 6: Daily Training Report
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Internship at Aquarelle India Pvt. Ltd.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY, JODHPUR

AQUARELLE INDIA PVT. LTD. UNIT 2

Dr. Manoj Tiwari Mayuri Garg

(Prof.) Shriya Selot

2.6. CUTTING ROOM ............................................................................................................................... 23

REDUCTION OF SEWING DEFECTS .............................................................................................................. 74

AQUARELLE INDIA PVT. LTD.

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO AQUARELLE INDIA

Aquarelle clothing shirts division is a homogenous shirts manufacturer operating in the

AQUARELLE INDIA AQUARELLE INDIA (UNIT2, AQUARELLE

Fig 1: Manufacturing Units in Bangalore

1.2 ABOUT THE COMPANY

 Aquarelle Pvt. Ltd. is a famous garment/apparel Industry located in Bangalore and is a

CEO Mr. Eric Dorchies (Woven Cluster)

MANAGING DIRECTOR Mr. Nagesh Badida

PARENT COMPANY Aquarelle International Limited.

Fig 2: About the Company

1.3 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE:

1.5 THEIR CUSTOMERS WORLDWIDE:

1.6 PRODUCT RANGE:

 CFL Woven Fabrics

1.7 MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS:

Fig 4: Manufacturing Locations

2.1 MERCHANDISING DEPARTMENT

2.1.2 PROCESS FLOW CHART

Order received from the Buyer with details

Price negotiation with the Buyer

Confirmation of order and receive the order sheet

Make buyer requirement sample (Fit, Proto etc) for approval

Make requisition for bulk fabric

Make requisition for accessories

Swatch board making and approval

Raw material collection and also receive it in factory

Check and also listing

Make P.P (pre-production Sample) with all actual

Start bulk production

Collect daily production and quality report

Make online inspection by strong quality team

Sample sent to third party testing center

Make final inspection for bulk production

Send all documents to the Buyer

Receive payment from Bank.

2.1.3 DETAILED WORK FLOW

2. Sample Development: Sample should be developed by following buyers instruction.

13. Start bulk production

2.2 SAMPLING DEPARTMENT

The Sample room objectives:

 To make a proper sample

2.2.2 PRE PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES /SAMPLING PROCESS

i. Construction details of the garment.

2.3 PATTERN MAKING DEPARTMENT

2.3.1 PATTERN MAKING PROCESS

2.3.2 MARKER PLANNING

 The pattern making or centralized CAD department is present in the warehouse.

 Color code- Red for inspection rejected

Fig 5: Layout for Warehouse

2.4.2 INSPECTION PROCESS

DEFECT LENGTH POINTS

No. of Points x 3600

No. of Penalty Point = -----------------------------------------------------------

Quantity Inspected (in yards) x Width (in yards)

 Stickers are placed at the defect points