INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, WORK

STUDY AND ERGONOMICS

TOPIC- PRODUCTIVITY

ASSIGNMENT- 2

SUBMITTED TO-
MR PRABHAT KUMAR

SUBMITTED BY-
KOMAL PRIYA
POOJA
SHIVANGI
SUPRIYA

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 Acknowledgement

We would like to thank National Institute of Fashion Technology for giving us the
opportunity to take up the project.

Foremost we are sincerely thankful to our subject faculty Mr. PRABHAT

KUMAR for giving me feedbacks and continuous guidance throughout the
semester. This could not have been achieved without his support.

We also acknowledge a deep sense of gratitude, the encouragement and inspiration

received from him.

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 CONTENTS

S.NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

1. Introduction 07

2. Productivity 07

2.1 Uses of productivity 08

2.2 Calculation of productivity 08-10

Partial productivity
2.3. Efficiency 11

2.4 WIP 11

3. Advantages/disadvantages 12-14
of productivity
3.1. Overall Benefits of 14
Productivity Improvement
4. Factors to Improve 14
Productivity
4.1. Factors to be considered 114-19
for Higher Productivity
5. Productivity Improvement 19-27
Techniques
6. Improvements in sewing 27
section
6.1 Case study 27-35

7. Innovation 36-43

8. References 44

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 Preface
In this article, we have mentioned many techniques where you can focus and start
working on improving productivity. Most of the techniques mentioned in this
article are mainly on Productivity Improvement Techniques in Apparel
Manufacturing Industry.

Productivity Improvement Techniques

To get excellent result you may need external recommendation and support but
without the external help you can surely get measurable improvement once you
start implementing the above mentioned techniques.

The suggestive techniques developed in this article cover a comprehensive series

of aspects in minimizing reworks in the sewing section of apparel industries by
ensuring quality Production also helps to improve the productivity. Productivity
help to reduce the cost of product and Quality is ultimately gives customer
satisfaction. Good Quality increases the value of a product or service, establishes
brand name, and builds up good reputation for the garment exporter, which in turn
results into consumer satisfaction, high sales. The study clearly indicates that by
eliminating non-productive activities will improve the productivity of apparel
manufacturing industry.

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 Abstract
Inefficiency to utilize the optimum potential of available resources is a fact in
majority of organizations in South Asian countries. The reasons behind this low
productivity are specific to the industry type and dependent on various factors
leading to the socio economic conditions of that particular country. This study
focused on the identifying the various reason for low productivity and effect of
prime factor on other factors which leads to low efficiency level in the
organizations with reference to the Indian Apparel Manufacturing Organization.
The efficiency of an apparel manufacturing organization may be affected by the
low technology level, high labor turnover rate, and criticality of design, supply
chain management, communication gap and other factors. High employee
separation from an organization may restrict the efforts to attain organizational
objectives. The low technology level would reduce the efficiency level of worker
and criticality of design would demand for high skill operators. Also, when an
organization separates a high skilled employee, the effects on team work,
innovation, service to customers and delivery of services to clients may be
adversely affected. The quantitative research design approach is used, which
allowed the researcher to use structured questionnaires in collecting data. The
study found that HR practices & labor turnover is the prime for productivity loss in
the Indian apparel industry followed Resource & infrastructure problem. Turnover,
however, had dual effects on the organization; positive and negative effects.
Whiles employee turnover introduced new ideas and skill into the company; it’s
also led to difficulties in attracting new staff. To reduce the rate of turnover,
management should review condition of service for employees; and also ensure that

the working environment is conducive.

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1.Introduction
In earlier days clothing was only a basic necessity, used to cover the body and to
protect from the climatic changes. Over the time people became concerned about
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the comfort of wearing and also the durability of the product. Now-a-day’s
garments are situational wears. Need for a garment has become endless. In a day,
one needs different wears at different times. As a result, man started thinking of the
modernization, engineering tools and techniques used for garment manufacturing
for increasing the productivity.

2.Productivity

The ratio between actual output and total import is known as the productivity. In an
industrial view, it is the financial evaluation of the output and input of production.
By the help of productivity, a garments factory or textile industry can easily
measure different types of efficiency such as worker, system, factory, machine, etc.

Productivity is express as follows-

Productivity = Output / Input

Productivity refers to the efficiency of the production system. It is an indicator of

how well the factors of production (land, capital, labor and energy) are utilized.

It may also be defined as human effort to produce more and more with less and
less inputs of resources as a result of which the benefits of production may be
distributed more equally among maximum number of people. It is certainty of
being able to do better than yesterday and continuously. It is constant adoption of
economic and social life to changing conditions. It is continual effort to apply new
techniques and methods. It is faith in human progress.

Another productivity concept known as Japanese Holistic View of Productivity

explains productivity as a comprehensive holistic phenomenon encompassing all
elements required to improve products/ services (output). To improve productivity
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products must be designed to satisfy customer need with optimum consumption of
resources without generation of waste in the manufacturing process.

2.1 Uses of productivity

The level of productivity is the most fundamental and important factor determining

the standard of living. Raising it allows people to get what they want faster or get
more in the same amount of time. Supply rises with productivity, which decreases
real prices and increases real wages. It lifts people out of poverty and allows them
to focus on efforts beyond mere survival

2.2 Calculation of productivity

A Company may have higher productivity and lower production or vice-versa. The
same is shown in this example

Factory 1:

A factory produced 500 dresses per day with 50 operators. Therefore one operator
makes 10 dresses per day. 500 / 50.The productivity ratio is 10 dresses to 1 person
or 10:1.

Factory 2:

Another factory produces 675 dresses per day with 75 operators. Therefore one
operator makes 9 dresses per day. 675 / 75.The productivity ratio is 9 dresses to 1
person or 9:1.

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 It is therefore obvious that Factory 1 is more productive than Factory 2,
although Factory 2's production is higher.

There are three productivity measurement methods

 Physical productivity measurement method

 Value productivity measurement method

 Value added productivity measurement method

Partial productivity:

Partial productivity can be defined as the relationship between the output and the
single input which is used in the production. For instance – there has been a 10%
rise in the labor. The effect of the increase in the labor is shown by partial
productivity.

The formula for the calculation of the partial productivity is given below:

The different forms of partial productivity are as follows:

1. Labor productivity or human productivity: It is calculated by dividing the

output by human inputs. The labor productivity reveals a lot about the performance
of the workers.
2. Material productivity: It is calculated by dividing output by the material input.
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This ratio is used in material management.
3. Capital productivity: It is calculated by dividing output by capital input. It is
used in the assessment of the financial position of the company.
4. Energy productivity: To calculate this type of productivity, the output is
divided by the energy input. This formula is used in considering the energy needed
by the system.
The advantages of partial productivity are as follows:

1. The calculation partial productivity is easy as it does not take into account other
inputs.
2. It helps to find the different areas where improvement is required.
3. It assists in setting the benchmark to make comparisons between various
companies.

The limitations of partial productivity:

1. It can give misleading results if it is not used in the right context.

2. It fails to display the overall impact of the inputs on the output.
3. It is difficult to identify the exact areas that need improvement.

2.3 Efficiency

It is the ratio of Actual output attained to Standard Expected output.

Expressed in ‘%’. Standard Minutes earned / actual Minutes attended

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Utilization = Minutes on standard/ Minutes attended Operative performance = SM
earned on standard/ minutes spent on standard.

2.4 Work In Progress (WIP)

In the garment manufacturing industry, WIP would include fabric that has been
spread, part sewn garments, through to finished garments, which may have been
packed but not booked for finished goods warehouse. WIP needs to be controlled
as apparel factories face the complexity of multiple styles, larger volumes, lower
profit margins and shorter lead times. Work in Progress (WIP) of garments can be
expressed in the number of pieces by recording daily production figures between
each process and accumulating the difference between sequential processes.

For e g. If we have to cut 12,000 pieces but sew only 7,000 pieces, then WIP in
sewing will have to be increased by 5,000 pieces on that day. WIP can be
converted to no. of hours or days. Acceptable level of WIP in a system depends on
various factors.

 Product type

 Production system Management or

 supervisors capability

3. Advantages of productivity

Higher productivity results in a higher volume of production with the same

overhead cost and hence lower cost and the results in higher profit.

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Productivity improvement gives benefits to each and every one.  So benefits are
categorized with respect to organization, operator, customer and Nation.

a) Benefits to the organization

1. Higher productivity increases production reduces cost and these results
in more profit.
2. Same profit can be re-invested in meeting future financial needs of the
concern.
3. Higher productivity results in an increase in the reputation of the
organization.
4. As the organization has a lower cost of manufacturing so it has more
stability over the long period.
(b) Benefits to Operators
1. The operator can get higher wages and bonus, which is resulting in a
better standard of living of workers
2. Better working environment and job satisfaction
(c) Benefits to the Customers
1. Value for money.
2. More satisfaction to consumers.
(d) Benefits to Nation
1. The better cost helps to capture the international market and helps to
increase GDP
2. It increases income per capita which results in improvement of the
standard of living.

3.1 Overall Benefits of Productivity Improvement

1. Increases profitability
2. Lowers operational costs
3. Optimizes resources
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 4. Improves customer service
5. Helps the organization for growth
6. Reduces waste and improves the working environment
7. Improves competitiveness
8. Reduces employee burnout
9. Enhances wedges
10. Improves morale
11. Increases engagement

3.1.Disadvantages of productivity:

Strong self-discipline

Unfortunately, productivity doesn’t come naturally to some people because others

are innately lacking in self-discipline. Without this trait, it will be challenging to
create quality output in the space of time that makes it desirable. For example, a
procrastinator may produce good results, but if the output can’t be produced within
the required timeframe, it can seriously hamper productivity.

Distractions

Being in a productive environment comes with its own challenges, such as

the exposure to numerous distractions. Some of these include the constant influx of
messages and emails, which will then tempt you to answer them even if it isn’t
necessary. Doing so can inhibit your productivity. In these cases, it’s necessary to
make your environment conducive to productivity but this can’t always be the
solution if you’re working environment is not in your own control.
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Resisting the fear of missing out (FOMO)
As mentioned earlier, a productive person is one who is clear and focused. These
characteristics make a person productive because they are able to resist temptations
and distractions that will derail them from achieving their objectives. On the other
hand, falling prey to FOMO signifies the lack of clarity and focus, which then
leads to an absence in productivity.

4. Factors to Improve Productivity:

Higher productivity can be improved by-

1. Increasing the production (output) without increasing the inputs.

2. Keeping the production same but decreasing the inputs.
3. Reducing the wastage and rejection rate.
4. Increasing the rate of output compared to the rate of input.
5. Establishing reasonable goals for improvements.
6. Applying automation and using modern technology.

4.1. Factors to be considered for Higher Productivity:

A. Controllable or internal factors:

1. Type of product
2. Plant and equipment
3. Material and energy
4. Human
5. Technology and automation
6. Work method

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 7. Management policy
8. Financial factors
B. Non-controllable or external factors:
1. Structural adjustment
2. Availability of resources
3. Socio-economic factors
4. Political factors (Govt. policy)
5. Infrastructure

Productivity improvement techniques in garment industry:

Productivity is a frequently talked topic in any garment factory. I think following
techniques will improve productivity in the readymade garment industry:

A. Technology based techniques:

1. Computer aided design (CAD)
2. Computer aided manufacturing (CAM)
3. Integrated CAM
4. Robotics
5. Laser beam technology
6. Energy technology and conservation
7. Computer graphics
8. Simulation software
9. Modern maintenance management
10.Hybrid or group technology
B. Product based techniques:
1. Value engineering

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 2. Product diversification
3. Product simplification
4. Research and development
5. Product standardization
6. Product reliability improvement
7. Advertising and promotion
C. Material based techniques:
1. Inventory management and control
2. Material requirement planning (MRP)
3. Material control
4. Quality control
5. Improved material handling
6. Reuse and recycling
D. Employee based techniques:
1. Financial incentives
2. Fringe benefits
3. Promotions
4. Job enrichment
5. Job enlargement
6. Job rotation
7. Worker participation
8. Skill enhancement
9. Communication improvement
10.Learning curve
11.Training
12.Education

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 13.Role perception
14.Supervision quality
15.Recognition
16.Punishment
17.Management by objectives (MBO)
E. Task-based techniques:
1. Work study (Time and method study)
2. Method engineering
3. Job design
4. Job evaluation
5. Job safety design
6. Ergonomics
7. Production scheduling
8. Computer aided data processing

Factors and its loss percentage in productivity:

 Annual labor turnover: 24%

 Absenteeism: 10%

 Methods effectiveness: 90%

 Average factory performance: 90%

 Repairs returned to operatives: 10%

 Rejects: 2%

 Machine delay ideal: 1%

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  Machine delay other work: 4%

 Unmeasured work: 20%

 Others repair: 2%

 Waiting time: 1%

 Balancing losses: 5%

 Work study: 1%

Do’s:

1. It is a must for every apparel producer, to start measuring productivity on

a continuous basis.

2. Productivity must be measured at various levels starting from operator /

machine level, going up to plant level.

3. Measure productivity in physical as well as value terms against all the

quantifiable inputs.

4. Monitor productivity performance to track improvement over a period of

time.

5. Do not accept claims of people without clearly spelt out evidence on

productivity improvement.

Don’ts:

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 1. Ignore productivity measurement as unnecessary paper work.

2. Assume your team understands what productivity is its true importance

and the amount of value productivity improvement can add to your
organisation.

3. Leave productivity improvement initiatives to your people thinking that it

is common sense.

4. It better need to show commitment to productivity improvement and lead

the team, after all “common sense is not common” and you cannot run
away from your responsibility of leading by example. To increase the
higher ratio of Approval productivity in apparel industries the following
total productivity maintenance all to be introduced. (TPM).

5. Productivity Improvement Techniques:

Conducting Work Study:

There is a saying “Even best can be improved”. Prepare a check list for good
methods and movements. At time of motion study observe operator’s movement
and compare with you checklist. If you found wrong movements or unnecessarily
extra movement is present in the operation cycle correct it.

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By doing this you can reduce operation cycle time and can improve labor
productivity up to 100% in individual operations. Also it will help to reduce
operator fatigue.

Hourly Operator Performance Check:

There must be a system which will responsible to check the operators performance
hourly basis so that, effective corrective measure can be taken to ensure the
efficient operation and production. If it can be ensured that there must have an
improvement in the technology.

Research& Development for Improving Productivity

A non-value added (NVA) process but having a strong Research and Development
(R&D) team in the factory brings lot of benefits.

Following Systems such as 5S and Kaizen

 5S:

5S is also a known method of reducing waste, increasing productivity and clear

visibility of Nonconformance at workplace.

The term 5S comes from five Japanese words:

 Seiri - Sort
 Seiton - Set in Order
 Seiso- Shine
 Seiketsu- Standardize
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  Shitsuke- Sustain

 Kaizen:

Kaizen Chinese and Japanese for “continuous improvement” when used in the
business sense and applied to the workplace, kaizen refers to activities that
continually improve all functions and involve all employees from the CEO to the
assembly line workers.

 Select suitable line layout:

Line layout means placing of machines and center table (trolley with wheel) as per
style requirement. The main purpose of choosing a better layout is to reduce
transportation time in the line as much as possible.

 Reduce Line Setting Time:

Reason – lot of time is lost during setting of the line for a new style. This reduces
overall machine productivity and line efficiency. There may have several
production lines in a production process. And it is engineer’s responsibility to use
that type of line structure which not only ensure the less duration in the setting
process but also increase the productivity through reducing the time used to assign
task to each and every parts of production line.

 Improve Line Balancing:

Purpose of balancing a line is to reduce operator’s idle time or maximize operator
utilization. In a balanced line work will flow smoothly and no time will be lost in
waiting for work. Always select operators for the operation matching operator skill
history and skill required. Following this method you will select highly skilled
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operators for higher work content operations. Once line is set conduct capacity
study at a regular interval then find bottlenecks inside the line. You have to think
how you will reduce the WIP (Work in Progress) at bottleneck operation.

 Use Work Aids

Work aids are Additional devices that can be added to basic sewing machines such
as folders, guides and pressure foots. If work aids are used effectively operation
cycle time can be reduced many fold than existing cycle time.

 Continuous Feeding to the Sewing Line:

It is not a fault of production department if they did not get cuttings to sew. All
plans and efforts towards productivity will fail. Once operators get the rhythm,
they should be given non-stop feeding until style changeover to keep up the
productivity.

 Feed Fault Free Garment Components to Line

Inspect each and every garment components and accessories before starting
production. It will help to prevent the defective garments.

 Leadership Training for Line Supervisors

Line supervisor play a vital role in production. Their main job is providing
instruction, transferring information.

 Skill Training to Sewing Operators

Operators are main resources in the apparel manufacturing. They are most valuable
resource to the company. So, factory must work on developing operator skill where

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required. “Training is not cost but an investment” said by many experts.
Production from an operator depends on his skill level to the task. A low skilled
operator will consume higher resources (time) and give less output. You will find
quality related issues with low skilled and untrained operators. As the skill level of
the operators is increased through training lines output will improve. Training does
mean lot of time and money.

 Fixing Individual Operator Target

Instead of giving equal target to all operators working in a line, give individual
target as per operator’s skill level and capacity. Set an achievable target for each
operator so that they would try to reach the target. This will help improving
operator’s individual efficiency.

 Eliminate Idle Time

Utilize operator’s time as much as you can. If there is idle time in a production
process then this idle time will delay the overall operation of the process. And
delay in operation reduces the production of the production. So to ensure the
effective use of the time you must work for the elimination the idle time.

 Using UBT Sewing Machine (Under Bed Trimmer)

Just think how many pieces an operator is producing in a day? Each time an
operator trims thread using a trimmer or scissors consume time minimum 10% of
cycle time (approx). Even machine without auto trimmer consumes more sewing
thread.

 Inline Quality Inspection at Regular Interval

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Effective inspection will help to reduce defect generation at source. Less number
of defective seam is made less the time will be lost in repairing it. Inline checking
system will alert operators in concentrating their job. It helps to find quality issues
earlier and prevent that.

 Give Pleasant Working Environment

It may sound unlikely, but some research shows outfitting an office with
aesthetically pleasing elements–like plants–can increase productivity by up to 15
percent. Jazz up your office space with pictures, candles, flowers, or anything else
that puts a smile on your face.

 Operator Motivation
Employee motivation generally depends on various factors like work culture, HR
policies, incentives, bonus on extra effort or achieving target. In case of garments
employee motivations there may have monetary and non monetary benefit, but
monetary benefit is more preferable because it’s visible benefit.

 Plan for Operator’s Incentive Scheme

Based on the efficiency of the operator incentives should be allotted to the
operator.
Example:
Operator efficiency 70% – 10 INR
Operator efficiency 80% – 20 INR
Operator efficiency 85% – 30 INR
Operator efficiency 90% – 40 INR
Operator efficiency 95% – 50 INR

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  Take Regular Breaks
It sounds counter intuitive, but taking scheduled breaks can actually help improve
concentration. Some research has shown that taking short breaks during long tasks
helps you to maintain a constant level of performance. While working at a task
without breaks lead to a steady decline in performance.

Use ERP Software’s

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It will help to reduce the communication time, easy monitoring of production
details and can able to easily find out bottle necks and balance that.

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6. IMPROVEMETS IN SEWING SECTION:

Lean Manufacturing for Improving Productivity at Sewing Section in Apparel

Industry:-
Lean is defined as the systematic approach to identify and eliminate the process
wastages through continuous improvement. In broader sense, Lean means
elimination of non-value added activities.
The concept of lean production can also be described at different levels of
abstraction: it can be defined as a philosophy, as a set of principles and as bundles
of practices. According to the definition, leans production as a business and
production philosophy that shortens the time between order placement and product
delivery by eliminating waste from the product’s value-stream.
Furthermore, Lean Thinking is a systematic way and summarizes five critical
elements of Lean implementation, i.e. value for the end customer, value stream
mapping (VSM) and continuous flow; pull driven systems, and the pursuit of
perfection.

6.1. CASE STUDY:

(Implementation of JIT in garment industry)

In Bangladesh industries have been running in a traditional way for years and rigid
to change. JIT implementation has contributed to the success of many
organizations and is used by companies worldwide. JIT is an all-encompassing
philosophy that is founded on the concept of eliminating waste. The word waste
might make one think of garbage, or paper, or inventory. The broad view of JIT is
now often termed lean production or lean systems. If this concept is properly
maintained, they will serve the purpose of flexibility and save a lot of money by
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reducing production lead time, reducing inventory, increasing productivity,
training operators multiple works and by rework

Methodology

Management ideas that attempts to eliminate wastes it is a management idea that

attempts to eliminate sources of manufacturing waste by producing the right part in
the right place at the right. In the manufacturing process size of batches are related
to potential errors in part/production, i.e., smaller batches such as used in JIT
systems will potentially reduce the average error per part/production population.

Way to reduce waste of Defects

This prevention of defects is achieved by a number of different techniques from

automation /Judoka (Machines with “human” intelligence that are able to detect
when a non-standard event has occurred) through to Pocomoke devices that detect
if a product is defective, either preventing the process from running or highlighting
the defect for action. In this project work, standard operations procedures (SOP)
implemented and training provided to ensure that the correct methods are
undertaken and standards achieved. The most important factor however is the
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empowerment of teams to solve and prevent their own problems. By harnessing the
talents of employees it would be able to quickly and efficiently prevent the
occurrence of defects.

Ways of reducing WIP

To reduce WIP it is important properly work distribution. Without proper work

balance & line balance there will be a bottleneck and it will create the WIP. Keep
10 pieces bundling system If 25 or more pieces are kept in one bundle, it will
create WIP in lines. Lean concept is a single piece flow in assembly line and if it
cannot be done then it is needed to keep it as much as low quantity. In most of the
knit factory in Bangladesh, production quantity is generally higher than others. For
this reason, small quantity bundle is difficult. So in that case, target should be to
keep the bundle size minimum 10 pieces, which will be helpful for maintaining
WIP minimum quantity level. Maintaining two bundle flows In traditional system
there is no control of bundle flow. In this project work, there was maintained two
bundle flow from the starting to ending. So that, controlling of line WIP,
identifying the bottleneck process, balancing the line would be easy.
Implementation of traffic light system It is a quality system designed to identify
problems and get help from management to solve those problems. The purpose of
this system is to identify quality problems within the needlepoint and to
immediately give remedies to stop it from recurring. The chart always starts with
YELLOW and moves to either RED or GREEN but will never directly between
RED and GREEN. In other words RED and GREEN are always separated by
YELLOW.

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 6.1 Production capacity calculation

Before JIT implementation,

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Production capacity per hour (in pcs) =

Total man power × working hour × 60 × Line efficiency%/smv = 25 ×1 ×60 6.29

× 61% = 145.4689 Pcs ≈ 146 Pcs

∴ Production Capacity per shift (in pcs) = (146 × 8) Pcs = 1168 Pcs

After JIT implementation, Production capacity per hour (in pcs) =

Total man power × working hour × 60 × Line efficiency%/ SMV = 25 ×1 ×60

5.75 × 61% = 159.1304 Pcs ≈ 160 Pcs

∴ Production Capacity per shift (in pcs) = (160 × 8) Pcs = 1280 Pcs

∴ Increased production per shift (in pcs) = (1280 – 1168) Pcs = 112 Pcs

After calculation, Production capacity per shift 1168 pcs and after JIT
implementation production capacity per shift is 1280 Pcs.

Production per shift increased by 112 Pcs.

6.2 Line target calculation

Before JIT implementation:

Line Target per hour = total man power × working hour× 60 /SMV

= 25 × 1 × 60 6.29 = 238.4738 Pcs ≈ 239 Pcs

Line Target per shift = (239 × 8) Pcs = 1912 Pcs

After JIT implementation:

Line Target per hour = man power × working hour× 60 /SMV

= 25 × 1 × 60 5.75 = 260.8696 ≈ 261 Pcs

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Line Target per shift = (261 × 8) Pcs = 2088 Pcs

∴ Increased line target per shift = (2088 – 1912) Pcs = 176 Pcs

Before JIT implementation the line target was 1912 Pcs and after JIT
implementation the line target become 2088 pcs.

Line target per shift increases by 176 Pcs.

6.3 Line efficiency calculation

Before JIT implementation

Line Efficiency per hour (%) =

Total production × 𝑆MV ÷ total man power× working hour× 60 × 100 = 146 ×
6.29 25 × 1 × 60 × 100 = 61.22%

After JIT implementation

Line Efficiency per hour (%) =

Total production × 𝑆MV ÷ total man power× working hour× 60 × 100 = 160 ×
5.75 25 × 1 × 60 × 100 = 61.33%

∴ Increased Line Efficiency per hour (%) = (61.33-61.22) % = 0.11%

Before JIT implementation the Line efficiency per hour was 61.22% and after JIT
implementation the line efficiency become 61.33 %.

Line efficiency per hour increased by 0.11%.

6.4 Line performance calculation

Before JIT implementation

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Line Performance per hour (%) =

Line Output × 100 / Line Target = 146 × 100 239 = 61.0878 ≈ 61.09%

After JIT implementation

Line Performance per hour (%) =

Line Output × 100/ Line Target = 160 × 100 261 = 61.3027 ≈ 61.30%

∴ Increased Line Performance per hour (%) = (61.30 – 61.09) % = 0.21%

Before JIT implementation Line Performance was 61.09% JIT and after JIT
implementation Line Performance become 61.30%.

The increased Line Performance per hour was 0.21%.

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SOURCE: Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations
Management Bangkok, Thailand, March 5-7, 2019

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7.Innovation:

Researchers develop AI based fabric detection system for textile industry:

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has lately developed an intelligent fabric
detection system called, ‘Wise Eye’, that uses smart technologies like Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning in the process of quality control (QC) in
textile industry.

The system effectively minimizes the chance of producing inferior quality fabric
by 90 per cent, thus, substantially reducing the losses and wastages in the
production. Moreover, it also helps to save the manpower as well as enhances the
automation management in the textile manufacturing.

‘Wise Eye’ is developed by the Textile and Apparel Artificial Intelligence (TAAI)
Research Team, which is headed by Prof. Calvin Wong from Institute of Textiles
and Clothing, Polyp.

Prof. Calvin Wong explained, “Wise Eye is a unique AI-based inspection system
that satisfies the requirements of textile manufacturers. It is an integrated system
with a number of components that perform different functions in the inspection
process.”

The system is supported by AI based machine vision technology and can be

installed in a weaving machine in order to help the fabric manufacturers to detect
the defects instantly in the production process. With the help of automatic
inspection system, the production line manager can easily detect the defects,
identify the cause of problems, and fix them instantly.

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  It is embedded with high power LED light bar and high-resolution charge-
coupled device camera which is further driven by an electronic motor,
mounted on rail to capture the images of the whole width of woven fabric
during the weaving process.

 Further, these captured images are pre-processed and fed into the AI-based
machine vision algorithm so as to detect the fabric defects. All the real time
information gathered throughout the detection process is forwarded to the
computer system, and analytical statistics and alert can be generated and
displayed as and when needed.

 The research team has applied ‘Big Data’ along with ‘Deep Leaning’
techniques in Wise Eye. They have input the data of thousands of yards of
fabrics into the system and have trained it to detect about 40 common
defects with exceptionally high accuracy resolution of up to 0.1mm per
pixel.

 According to Polyp, the system is still under trial for six months in a real
time manufacturing environment. Also, the results show that the system is
able to reduce 90 per cent of the loss and wastage in fabric manufacturing
process when compared with traditional human visual inspection. That
means it helps cut down production cost while enhancing production
efficiency at the same time.

7.1 Productivity Improvement with Sewing Machine Attachment:

Folders are used frequently in garment industry to maintain quality standards set
by buyers and to reduce time and increase productivity.
Some common folders used for certain operations are:

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1. Automatic Hemmer:-
Designed for hemming closed, section of garment such as sleeves leg openings etc,
Allows starting
point to pass through hemmer thus eliminating need to stop machine for
finishing.
2. Binder:-
Binder is used to insert bias binding along the edge of the garment.
3. Zipper foot:-
Zipper foot is used for attaching zipper.
4. Yoke Folder Attachment:-
This folder is used to attach the yoke to the back panel of shirt.

7.2 Latest Development in Sewing Machine to Increase Productivity:

1. Pedal Fewer Sewing Machines
Foot pedals in sewing machine is one area where sewing machine operators spend
most of their time to get control while sewing complex stitches and the critical
parts. The industrial sewing machines are slowly coming up with the concept of
pedal fewer sewing machines, rendering electronic control of stitches.

Xi’an Typical recently won Texprocess Innovation Award 2017 for its ‘Vetron
Trace’, the first sensor-based technology that offers full control over industrial
sewing machines without pedals. The natural working movements of the users are
mapped as if by an invisible hand and the data collected used to begin the new
step.

Jack is another sewing machine provider that is providing the option of pedal less
sewing. In its C4 overlock machine, it offers three operation modes – full

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intelligent mode, semi-intelligent mode and computerized mode. In full intelligent
mode, machine can work automatically without foot.

2. Automatic bobbin changer

A single needle lockstitch operating at high efficiency comes to a sudden halt when
the bobbin thread is consumed fully and requires replacement with a new bobbin.
Usually carried out manually, the process consumes additional time rendering a
plunge in productivity.

For uninterrupted sewing, automatic bobbin changers are becoming the need of the
hour. Kinoshita has successfully commercialized the use of automatic bobbin
changers which stocks eight bobbins in the exchange plate and can be integrated
with SNLS machines.

Embroidery machines, on one hand, are finding greater utility of automatic bobbin
changers while the industrial sewing machines are still new to this. Tajima’s Smart
Bobbin Changer (SBC) can take only 6 seconds to replace the bobbins for all
heads, reducing the downtime of the machine due to bobbin replacement. Another
embroidery machine player, Aura Technologies also employs pneumatic bobbin
changer in its embroidery machines. Recently Jack has announced auto bobbin
changer in its single needle lockstitch model.

3.Vision sewing
Decorative stitching requires an accurate fabric feeding to the machine, resulting in
precise stitching. It is the operator and his high skill set which manipulate the
fabric direction to sew curve and other shapes of patches to be sewed. In the wake
of scarcity of high skill set, vision sewing system emerges as an easier way out to
obtain flawless decorative stitches. The system can be integrated with conventional
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single needle lockstitch, chain stitch machines or electronically programmable
pattern sewing machines.

The vision sewing system integrated with an industrial camera look (capture
image), processes the captured image at the split of a second and directs
mechanical actions by transferring it to the electronic programmable sewing
machine. The whole process requires no high skill sets, instead much lesser time.
The key benefits of vision system include a consistent sewing speed for multiple
patch sewing, automatic sewing of patterns, improved/less handling of the garment
or fabric and no operator sewing skills.

4.Latest Development in Automatic Cutting Machine

 The main areas of current innovation are related to elaborated sub-functions
or supplementary assistance to the existing cutting technology. The major
fields of new developments observed at ITMA 2019 could be summarized
into three aspects — productivity, versatility, and pattern matching
capability.
 To enhance productivity, some automated cutters are equipped with an
additional cutting device and crossbar, which performs synchronized and
simultaneous cutting. According to Kuris Spezialmaschinen GmbH,
Germany, dual cutting heads may reduce cutting time by up to 40 percent.
 Another example of increased efficiency is the implementation of an
automatic labeler. This technology was presented by Italy-based Morgan
Tecnica S.p.A. and Serkon Tekstil Makina at ITMA 2019.

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  Labelers are incorporated into cutters to ease human mistakes and confusion
during unloading processes following cutting.
 The stickers, of different dimensions according to requirements, are
thermally printed and placed in the middle of each cut piece.
 This makes the necessary information including bar codes immediately
visible on the cut pieces.
 Various cutting devices — including electric or pneumatic oscillating tools,
rotary or knife blades, laser modules, perforating or creasing tools, and
marking or plotting modules — may be selected and mounted on the carrier
in a few quick easy steps for specific cutting operations.

At ITMA 2019, Germany-based Eurolaser GmbH presented an automated textile

cutting system specialized for wool fabrics based on laser technology. Named
Cut’nProtect Technology, its cutter was equipped with a steamer that can stabilize
the fabric and create smooth lint-free cut edges. This cutter also incorporates a dual
cutting device with a laser and a blade for versatility.
Traditionally, pattern matching involved preparing sectioned markers and having
two separate cutting steps — rough cutting and fine cutting. Although these
processes were time- and labor-consuming, pattern matching accuracy was still
elusive, and unnecessary material waste was generated between rough and fine
cutting. Several companies, including Zund, Morgan Technica and Kuris — have
invested efforts to develop pattern matching hardware and software and
demonstrated the improved pattern matching capability in ITMA 2019.

In an automated system, pattern matching can be achieved either by generating an

on-screen image of the fabric patterns over the marker table or projecting images
of markers on the fabric. In the former method, fabric prints are scanned by an

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optical device on the cutting head and imported to the marker making software.
Garment patterns are placed, and a marker is prepared over the fabric image. This
allows the operator to optimize cutting parameters for accurate and precise cutting
outcomes. Often called visual nest, the latter technology helps the operator view
and edit markers in a real time, checking a marker image projected on the fabric
surface before cutting. The operator can relocate or reorient pieces to match
intricate fabric patterns or manipulate with engineered patterns. Since the operator
still performs a significant role during the processes, these systems are considered
semi-automated.

The key technology of Kuris highlighted at ITMA 2019 was the integrated camera
system that records and recognizes the material to be cut. Photographed images of
the fabric surface are processed to calculate cutting coordinates. This technology
enables a single-ply cutter to perform even without markers in cases of garment
patterns printed by a sublimation method. Based on the imaging technology, its
leather cutter can also detect the arbitrary contours of a leather piece, determine
different qualities of surface conditions, and auto-nest markers directly on the
leather matching the quality zone.

Use of Sewing Robots to Increase Productivity:-

Softwear Automation, a company based in Atlanta, in the US, has built an entire
assembly line manned by robots that can pick a piece of garment, arrange it
properly and then sew it. This technology is called the Sewbot.

Just picking up a piece of fabric is a massive step forward for robots. Sewing and
stitching has eluded machines because cloth is floppy and crumbly, difficult to
handle even for humans who are not trained tailors.
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Nimble finger movements can quickly adjust a piece of fabric under the needle of a
sewing machine. It’s a grueling job for a worker to continuously adjust the garment
under the striking needle, making sure the seam stays straight and smooth.

The Sewbot work-line robots rely on high speed cameras, which see the individual
threads in fabric, pinpointing the exact location where a needle strikes and
adjusting the garment accordingly.

Softwear Automation sees this as a disruptive technology, which will have a

lasting impact on how apparel, home textiles and garments are made. And it can do
that without workers. 

“Our Sewbot work-line can produce nearly twice as many finished t-shirts in an
eight-hour shift as manual sewing can run 24 hours a day,” Softwear Automation’s
CEO Palaniswamy Rajan said.

“It’s 80 percent more efficient.”

The use of industrial robots across the automotive, electronic and others industries
is at its highest, said the International Federation of Robotics.

References:-

https://apparelresources.com/technology-news/manufacturing-tech/researchers-
develop-ai-based-fabric-detection-system-textile-industry/

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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317936775_Productivity_Improvement_
with_Sewing_Machine_Attachment

https://apparelresources.com/technology-news/manufacturing-tech/10-popular-
sewing-technology-trends/

https://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/features/2020/03/automated-cutting-
sewing-developments/

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/will-robots-completely-replace-humans-from-
textile-factory-floors--14930

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