Unit 3
Unit 3
3.0 OBJECTIVES
Apparel manufacturing industry is a major source of livelihood for millions of families
across the globe. Hence, textiles and apparel have retained an important place in human
life from historical era to today’s modern world. Apparel or garments, which are
produced either for domestic or export purposes, are manufactured in a unit under an
organizational set up. To execute any order, one has to make sure that all the activities
are well planned. After reading this Unit you would be able to:
Describe the organizational structure of a garment manufacturing unit;
Explain the functioning of various departments;
Discuss the importance of various departments in a garment manufacturing
unit; and
Examine the role of human resource engaged in the garment industry at various
levels.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
All over the world, clothes were traditionally manufactured for the local market but
over the past thirty years or so, the garment industry has evolved from custom fitting
and assembling of individual hand sewn garments to the mechanized, automated and
sometimes robotized and customized production and distribution of ready-to-wear in
the global market. As already discussed in Unit 1 and 2 of this Block, Indian apparel
industry not only strengthens the country’s economy but also supports the lives of
millions of people of the country. One out of every six households in India depends on
this sector either directly or indirectly for its livelihood.
The structure of the Indian apparel manufacturing industry is quite complex. Traditionally,
the industry has been divided into two sectors, namely exports and domestic. India is
one of the largest garment manufacturers in the world and has made its name by producing 41
CAPMER high quality garments for all segments of the society. Most of the garment manufacturers
are small and medium sized firms. The Indian apparel industry has grown steadily in
the past few years, as Indians are becoming more and more fashion conscious. Hence
the demand and consumption has also increased gradually. Another key advantage of
this industry is abundant availability of raw material. Silk, cotton and jute, all nature-base
fiber resources are available in abundance in India. India is the largest producer of jute
and the second largest producer of cotton in the world. Additionally, India is also the
second largest producer of synthetic fibres after China globally. As a result, a number of
fibers are used in the Indian apparel industry like cotton, jute, wool, silk, manmade and
synthetic fibers. Further, the Indian garment industry manufactures and exports garments
at affordable prices due to cheap wage rates. Retailers are increasingly coming to India
for the low production costs here like Walmart, Tesco, M&S to name a few.
4. Ineffective communication
2. What do you understand by organizational structure?
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3. A proper organizational structure is helpful in building a successful business.
Explain.
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46 Another most important task of a merchandiser is to do costing of the product for the
buyer so that the buyer can place order for bulk production. It includes cost of raw Organizational set
up of a Garment
material, production, accessories, finishing, packaging, overheads, markups etc. Manufacturing Unit
Sampling
A sample is a prototype of a product to be manufactured in future course of production.
It is made to check the design effectiveness and fit of the garment. In a garment
manufacturing and export unit the sampling department plays a vital role in the uplifting
of a unit. This department directly coordinates with the merchandising and production
department (Fig. 3.3). As soon as the sampling department receives sample information
from the merchant, proto sample is developed for the design and style. When approved
by the buyer, it is followed by making of a fit sample. Fit samples are made to conform
the measurements, fit and style and also approval of the construction details. Then pre
production samples are made. These are garments produced on the actual production
floor and not in the sample room. Made in actual fabric and trims, it should exactly
match the buyer specifications and the bulk production starts only after the approval of
pre production samples. Size set samples are made to check the factory’s capability to
make the sample in all sizes.
Sampling also helps to check discrepancies in the pattern. Patterns are made according
to buyer specifications. Generally, most of the exporters maintain a showroom, which
displays various designs in the form of samples ready with them. A buyer has full liberty
to select/redesign any sample from the buyer’s showroom but at the same time it is the
duty of the owner/merchandiser that they don’t offer samples of one buyer to any
other buyer.
Many garment manufacturing and export houses hire designers who can do fresh
sampling for them. Apart from it, sampling is also done as per the buyer’s specifications
and the initial samples are sent to the buyer for approval.
The sampled garments represent the accuracy of the patterns and quality of production,
skills and techniques. Sampling also helps to calculate the requirement of fabric,
accessories, time for the development of the garment and skills required for bulk
production.
1. Planning 2. Purchasing
3. Merchandising 4. Planning
1. Designing 2. Purchasing
3. Sampling 4. Finishing
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Cutting Room
Cutting means to separate the various garment parts from the layer of the fabric
with the help of cutting template and devices. The fabric cutting takes place in the
cutting room of any garment manufacturing unit. This is most decisive because
once the fabric has been cut very little can be done to rectify serious mistakes. The
fabric is cut as per the defined pattern for different parts of the garment. Markings
are made on the fabric that has been spread on the tables. It is then cut by the
cutting machines (Fig. 3.4). Wastage reduction is a key consideration during this
step. The process flow in the cutting of a fabric for garment making is shown in
Fig. 3.5.
Marker Making
Each style and size of the garment has a different need for the fabric. The measuring
department associated with the cutting room calculates the fabric yardage as per the
number of pieces on order, style and size of the design. These days computer software
guides the technicians with a proper layout as per the style on order so the fabric can
be used efficiently. The mathematical calculations help to know about the exact fabric
consumption for an order instead of large paper sheets for calculating the yardage. The
marker, which contains all necessary pattern pieces, is attached to the fabric with the
help of adhesive stripping or staples. The marker making is done for optimum utilization
of fabric, reduction of wastage of fabric, to speed the production process and to get
maximum number of pattern pieces from one layer of fabric.
Fabric Spreading
The spreading machines help the fabric to stack in layers that may exceed above
hundred feet (30.5m) long and hundreds of fabric pieces together.
Cutting
The cutting machines cut the fabric as per the suitability of the cloth.
Sorting/Bundling
Once the fabric is cut with the help of cutting machines, the patterns (bodice, sleeves,
collars etc.) are sorted according to size and design and are tied into bundles. A high
amount of accuracy is needed at this step because a mismatched pattern in a bundle
can create several problems later. There are specifications of the style and size on each
of them.
Sewing/Assembling
The sorted bundles are further sent for stitching/assembling. Generally, large garment
manufacturers prefer to assemble the pieces in-house and others outsource the sewing
at contractual basis. However, to maintain quality of work, in-house stitching should
be preferred. The different parts of the garment are stitched at different sewing stations
but there are many operators who perform a single operation. One operator may
make only straight seams, while another may make sleeve insets and another two 49
CAPMER operators can sew waist seams and make button holes. There are different industrial
sewing machines for various stitches applied on garments. The machines also have
different configurations of the frame. While assembling some machines work in sequence
and feed their finished step directly into the next machine, while the gang machines
perform the same operation at one time supervised by a single operator. These factors
decide the sewing of the whole garment. Finally, the sewn parts of the garment are
assembled together to give final look to the apparel.
Production Department
The bulk production is done in the production department of any garment manufacturing
and export house and the main role of production is to create the deadline for each
process and coordinate with various departments. The production department receives
the required information such as style no./item description along with the sample, which
gives a clear idea about the product to be manufactured. The production manager
receives the details as:
The style of the garment
The number of operators required
The batch for which the style has to be installed
Any extra kinds of machines that are to be used particularly for that style
Target for each day
Breakup of the production quantity
Shipment schedule
The planning is done by the production people keeping in mind the intricacy and time
required to manufacture the bulk and also the shipment date in mind. Once the production
sheet is received by the production manager, s/he sources the material from different
departments. Before going for proper production, the production floor does a process
of batch setting for the operators which is a training for the operators for the new style
that has to be produced in bulk. This training session goes on for approximately 3-4
days. After this batch process, the bulk production starts.
The flow of material on the production floor is through the bundle system. Each operator
gets a bundle that has similar pieces. For example, one operator may be attaching a
collar to the bodice while another may be attaching a sleeve. They join the pieces and
move them on to the next operator for further sewing/assembly. An efficient production
manager sets the target for the operators working on the floor and ensures quality in
production.
Intext Activity1.
Visit any two garment manufacturing units and export houses and study
their organizational setup and compare them.
Quality Control
The quality control department in any organization plays an important role and maintaining
of quality is practiced right from the beginning of sourcing of raw material to the final
stage of the finished garment. Quality must be built into the components; it cannot be
added on into the product during inspection, this is the most important lesson and
should be clearly understood. The businesses, which are engaged in export business,
have to sustain a high level of quality to ensure a good global image. The export
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businesses hold the prestige of the country and also earn foreign exchange for the Organizational set
up of a Garment
country by exporting garments and other products. So, it becomes mandatory to have Manufacturing Unit
good quality control of their products. In textile and apparel industry the quality is
calculated in terms of fibers, yarns, fabric construction, colour fastness, surface designs
and the final product. However, quality expectations for exports are related to the type
of customer segments (refer to Unit -1of Block 1, Course 1) and the retail outlets.
Although there is 100% quality check on the sewing floor, an excessive number of
faults find their way into the finishing. Companies should be aware about the cost of
quality. Any product which is not seen in the quality control department by the quality
controllers and if found faulty can lead to a loss of customer/buyer which means no
further orders. There are a number of factors on which the quality fitness of the garment
industry is based like performance, reliability, durability, visual and perceived quality of
the garment etc. ISO 9000 has laid down the broad quality parameters on which
companies maintain quality in the garment and apparel industry.
Finishing Department
Finishing is the last step of garment production. After the garment is stitched and
inspected for quality, it is brought to the finishing department. Here the garment is
thoroughly checked inside out for details like measurements, care labels, trims etc.
Uncut threads are trimmed and loose threads are removed. Any kind of fabric or
stitching defects are repaired and if the garment has stains then they are removed using
a stain removing machine or hand spot gun. Garments are then ironed to remove
creases, properly folded and packed as per buyers’ requirements (Fig. 3.6). Research
studies show that the costs involved in this department are excessive in almost every
factory surveyed, hence it is vital that this department is thoroughly investigated as
there lies great potential to achieve a large financial saving.
3.5 CONCLUSION
We have now come to the end of this Unit. This Unit has elaborated upon the working
of the various departments of a garment manufacturing [Link] deliver a successful
export order there should be coordination among all the departments of the organization.
We have also discussed in detail the workflow for executing an order. We will now
learn about the roles and requirements of a merchandiser in the next Block.
3.7 KEYWORDS
Garment manufacturing : A unit which makes and sells fashionable clothes as
unit per the market needs and the orders placed by the
buyers for their specific markets
Organization structure : Organization structure is the identification and grouping
of work to be performed for the purpose of enabling
the people to work together to get the objective and
to share the work among them in an effective and
efficient way so that everyone knows whom to contact
for a specific problem
Custom fit : Custom fit means personalized with regards to shape
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Apparel : Clothing Organizational set
up of a Garment
Manufacturing Unit
Merchant : A person involved in trade, supplying merchandise to
the customers
Merchandising : Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the
sale of products to a retail consumer
Accessories : Accessories is a product category which includes items
such as scarves, hats, gloves, belts, purses etc.
Marker : A diagram made on a thin paper that shows the best
possible arrangement of pattern pieces of all sizes for
a specific style to be cut from a single spread
Lab dip : A swatch of dyed fabric prepared for colour approval
from the buyer after dyeing few small swatches of actual
fabric in varying dye percentages
1. a) 1. Centralized structure
b) 4. Ineffective communication
1. a) 1. Planning
b) 3. Merchandising
c) 1. Designing
2. The Merchandising department is the one, which acts as a bridge between the
buyer and all the departments working in the garment manufacturing unit. A
merchandiser is the interface between the buyer & exporter too. He is the one
responsible from order analysis to shipment. All the other departments follow the
instructions given by the merchandising department, so the merchandising team
should be very alert and careful in passing clear specifications and instructions of
buyer’s orders.
1. b. Quality Control
2. Logistics
3. Quality must be built into the components right from sourcing of the raw materials
up to the final shipment. It cannot be added on into the product during inspection.
Hence it becomes extremely important that any defects which remain in the garment
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must be caught before sending it to the buyer. Therefore, it is important that the Organizational set
up of a Garment
quality control department should keep their eyes open. Manufacturing Unit
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