Quality means customer needs is to be satisfied.

Failure to maintain an adequate

quality standard can therefore be unsuccessful. But maintaining an adequate
standard of quality also costs effort. From the first investigation to find out what
the potential customer for a new product really wants, through the processes of
design, specification, controlled manufacture and sale.

There are a number of factors on which quality fitness of garment industry is

based such as - performance, reliability, durability, visual and perceived quality of
the garment. Quality needs to be defined in terms of a particular framework of
cost.
Quality Control:
Quality is of prime importance in any aspect of business. Customers demand and
expect value for money. As producers of apparel there must be a constant
endeavor to produce work of good quality.

"The systems required for programming and coordinating the efforts of the
various groups in an organization to maintain the requisite quality". As
such Quality Control is seen as the agent of Quality Assurance or Total Quality
Control.

In the garment industry quality control is practiced right from the initial stage of
sourcing raw materials to the stage of final finished garment. For textile and
apparel industry product quality is calculated in terms of quality and standard of
fibres, yarns, fabric construction, colour fastness, surface designs and the final
finished garment products. However quality expectations for export are related to
the type of customer segments and the retail outlets.

Quality control and standards are one of the most important aspects of the
content of any job and therefore a major factor in training.

Total Quality Control:

"To ensure that the requisite quality of product is achieved". This ensures
customer satisfaction, but it leaves quality control as a necessary but expensive
evil.

To ensure, at minimum practicable cost, that the requisite quality of product is

being achieved at every stage of manufacture from raw materials to boxed stock
Objectives:

 To maximize the production of goods within the specified tolerances

correctly the first time.
 To achieve a satisfactory design of the fabric or garment in relation to the
level of choice in design, styles, colours, suitability of components and fitness
of product for the market.
Textile Quality Control Experts:
Quality Control: AQM performs quality control and inspection services for
different customers from all over the world. Using international standards such as
ISO 2859, our Quality Controllers (QC) method consists to check different control
points:

Conformity: The QC checks the conformity of the product (design, colors, raw

material…) with the Pre-Production Sample (PPS) and other technical files.

Quality: Our QC checks for defects (fabric defects, colors defects, accessories and
label defects, manufacturing defects) and classifies them accordingly.

Measurement: Following the measurement chart, our QC checks the measures

for each size of the product.

Packaging: Our QC checks the quantity of cartons, size of cartons, their weight,

shipping marks, etc.

Concept of Quality:
Simply, quality refers to one or more desirable characteristics that a product
should possess. Quality is inversely proportional to (unwanted) variability.
 Quality curve
Quality Characteristics:
Every product possesses a number of properties that jointly describe what the
user or consumer thinks of as quality. These properties are known as quality
characteristics. For example, fiber length is known to be one of the important
quality characteristics of a fiber.

Quality Cost :
Preventing, detecting and dealing with defects cause costs that are called quality
costs or costs of quality. Quality costs can be broken down into four broad groups.

(1). Prevention Costs:

 Product/process design.
 Process control.
 Burn-in.
 Training.
 Quality data acquisition and analysis
(2). Appraisal Costs:

 Inspection and test of incoming material.

 Product inspection and test.
 Material and services consumed.
 Maintaining accuracy of test equipment.
(3). Internal failure Costs:

 Scrap
 Rework
  Retest
 Failure analysis
 Downtime
 Yield losses
 Downgrading/ off-spacing
(4). External failure costs:

 Complaint adjustment
 Returned product/material
 Liability costs
 External costs
Quality control in Garment Manufacturing Process:
Quality is a relative term. It means customer needs is to be satisfied. Quality is of
prime importance in any aspect of business. Customers demand and expect value
for money. As producers of apparel there must be a constant endeavor to
produce work of good quality. In previous article, I discuss about quality control
system in garment industry. Now I will give a short description of Quality Control
in Garment Manufacturing Process.

Quality inspection
Quality inspection and control in RMG industry:
The various Steps of Garments manufacturing where in-process inspection and
quality control are done are mentioned below-

1. In Sample making section

2. In- Marker making section
3. Inspection in fabric spreading section
4. Inspection in fabric cutting section
 5. Inspection in fabric sewn section
6. Inspection in pressing & Finishing section
Quality Control in Sample Section:

 Maintaining buyer Specification standard

 Checking the sample and its different issues
 Measurements checking
 Fabric color, gsm, Fastness etc properties required checking
 Spi and other parameter checking
Quality Control in Marker Making:

 To check notch or drill mark

 Fabric width must be higher than marker width
 Fabric length must be higher than marker length
 Matching of green line
 Check pattern size and dimension
 Matching of check and stripe taking into consideration
 Considering garments production plan
 Cutting table length consideration
 Pattern direction consideration
Quality Control in Fabric Spreading:

 Fabric spreading according to correct alignment with marker length and

width
 Maintain requirements of spreading
 Matching of check and stripe
 Lay contains correct number of fabric ply
 Correct Ply direction
 To control the fabric splicing
 Tension control
Quality Control in Fabric Cutting:

 The dimension of the pattern and the cut piece should be same and
accurate
 Cut edge should be smooth and clean
 Notch should be cut finely
 Drill hole should made at proper place
 No yarn fraying should occur at cut edge
  Avoid blade deflection
 Maintain cutting angle
 More skilled operator using
Quality Control in Sewing Section:

 Input material checking

 Cut panel and accessories checking
 Machine is in well condition
 Thread count check
 Special work like embroidery, printing panel check
 Needle size checking
 Stitching fault should be checked
 Garments measurement check
 Seam fault check
 Size mistake check
 Mismatching matching of trimming
 Shade variation within the cloth
 Wrong placement of interlining
 Creased or wrinkle appearance control
Quality Control in Finishing Section:

 Proper inspection of the garments including measurement, spot, dirt,

impurities
 Water spot
 Shading variation check
 Smooth and unfold in pocket
 In secured or broken chain or button
 Wrong fold
 Proper shape in garments
 Properly dried in after pressing
 Wanted wrinkle or fold in lining
 Get up checking
 Collar closing
 Side seam
 Sleeve placket attach
 Cuff attach
 Bottom hem
 Back yoke
  Every parts of a body
Quality Control of Sewing Thread:
A slender, strong strand or cord, especially one designed for sewing or other
needlework. Most threads are made by plying and twisting yarns. A wide variety
of thread types are in use today, e.g., spun cotton and spun polyester, core-spun
cotton with a polyester filament core, polyester or nylon filaments (often
bonded), and mono filament threads.

Sewing thread
Following Features of Sewing Thread are Considered:

1. Thread Construction/Ticket number

 Thread count
 Thread Ply
 Number of twist
 Thread balance
 Thread Tenacity
 Thread Elongation
2. Sew ability
3. Imperfection
4. Thread finish
5. Thread color
6. Package Density
7. Winding
8. Yardage

Quality Control in Zipper:

A zipper, zip, or zip fastener, is a commonly used device for temporarily joining
two edges of fabric. It is used in clothing (e.g., jackets and jeans), luggage and
other bags, sporting goods, camping gear (e.g. tents and sleeping bags), and other
items.

Zipper
Following Factors are Considered in Zipper:

1. Proper dimension of zipper

2. The top and bottom end should correctly sewn
3. The tape and color of zipper should be uniform
4. Slider has to be locked properly
5. The slider should move properly
Quality Control System:

1. On- line quality control system

2. Off line quality control system
On Line Quality Control System:
This type of quality control is carried out without stopping the production
process. During the running of production process a set up is automatically
performs and detect the fault and also takes corrective action. Online quality
control comprises with the raw material quality control and the process control.

Raw Material Control :

As the quality product depends on the raw material quality so we must be
provided with the best quality raw material with an economical consideration.
The fabric must be without fault, with proper absorbency, whiteness as per
requirement of the subsequent process. The Grey inspection report gives the
condition of the raw fabric.

Process Control :
The method chosen for the process must be provided with the necessary accurate
parameters. Here the specific gravity, water level, residual hydrogen per oxide
etc. at each stage is checked.

Laboratory :
Lab is the head of the textile industries. Higher precision lab can aid easily to
achieve the goal of the organization. Before bulk production a sample for the
approval from industry is sent to the buyer. As per the requirement of the buyer
the shade is prepared in a lab considering the economical aspects.

Lab Line:

1. Standard sample: The buyer to the industry gives the standard sample. The
sample is measured by the CCM to get the recipe.
2. Lab trial: Getting the recipe the lab officer produce lab trial and match with
standard according to buyer requirement. Lab trial is made by the AHIBA
dyeing machine.There are some programs for dyeing.
Off Line Quality Control System:
Performed in the laboratory and other production area by stopping the
production process consisting of fabric inspection and laboratory and other test.
Correction steps are taken according to the test result.

Off-Line Tests: All the Off-Line tests for finished fabrics can be grouped as follows:

A. Physical tests
B. Chemical tests

A. Physical Tests:

1. GSM test
2. Shrinkage test
3. Spirality test
4. Tensile strength
5. Abrasion resistance
6. Pilling resistance
7. Button Strength Testing
8. Crease resistance
9. Dimentional stability
10. Brusting strength test
B. Chemical Tests:

1. Color Fastness to washing.

2. Color Fastness to lighting.
3. Color Fastness to heat.
4. Color Fastness to Chlorinated water.
5. Color Fastness to water spotting.
6. Color Fastness to perspiration.
7. Color Fastness to Seawater.
8. Fibre analysis.
9. PH test.
10. Repellency.
Quality of Fabric:
Quality is very important for all types of fabric and textiles. There are some
important topics given blow about quality of fabric..........

Quality Parameters of Woven, Knitted and Non-woven Fabrics:

Generally to test the quality parameters of woven,knitted and non-woven fabric,
the fabric must be conditioning at 24 hours in the standard testing atmosphere. It
is very important for all types of fabric.

Quality Parameters of Woven Fabrics:

There are some quality parameters of woven fabric.....................

1. Dimensional characteristics:

 Length
 Width
 Thickness.
2. Weight of fabric:

 Weight per unit area.

 Weight per unit length.
3. Fabric strength and extensibility:

 Tensile strength.
 Tearing strength.
4. Threads per inch of fabric:

 Ends per inch.

 Picks per inch.
5. Yarn count:

 Warp count
 Weft count.
6. Crimp:

 Warp crimp
 Weft crimp.
7. Handle:.

 Stiffness
 Drape.
8. Crease resistance and crease recovery.
9. Air permeability.
10. Abrasion resistance.
11. Water resistance.
12. Shrinkages.
13.Different fastness properties:

 Fastness to light.
 Fastness to wash.
 Fastness to perspiration.
 Fastness to Rubbing.
Quality Parameters of Knitted Fabrics:
There are some quality parameters of knitted fabric...............

1. Strength and extensibility.

2. Course density.
3. Wales density.
4. Lop length.
5. Elasticity.
6. Deformation.
7. Grams per square meter (G.S.M)
8. Yarn count.
9. Design.
Quality Parameters of Non-woven Fabrics:
There are some quality parameters of non-woven fabric..................

1. Strength and extensibility of fabric.

2. Weight.
3. Thickness.
4. Air permeability.
5. Crease resistance.
6. Stability of washing.
7. Stability of dry cleaning.
8. Dimensional stability.
9. Elasticity.
Apparel Quality Control System:
Some main quality aspects for export basis:
Below are some of the main quality aspects that are taken into consideration for
garment manufacturing for export basis:

1. Overall look of the garment

2. Right formation of the garment
3. Feel and fall of the garment
4. Physical properties
5. Color fastness of the garment
Quality is a multi-dimensional aspect:
There are many aspects of quality based on which the garment exporters are
supposed to work.

1. Quality of production
2. Quality of design of the garment
3. Purchasing functions – quality should be maintained
4. Quality of final inspection should be superior
5. Quality of the sales also has to be maintained
6. Quality of marketing of the final product is also important as the
7. Quality of the garment itself
To ensure quality:

 To insure quality some factors are considered:

 Recognize who the customer is
 Build processes that anticipate and prevent defects
  Make a plan to achieve the desired quality level
 Set up ways to measure progress
 Work as a team to achieve goal
In this context, customer is the entity receiving a service or product from our
work. For example, we can take a short production line.

Receiving → Cutting → Sewing → Inspecting → Finishing

Quality problem in cutting may lead to problems in sewing,inspecting and

finishing. It’s like “garbage in garbage out”. In other words, one needs to have
good quality materials to produce good quality goods. So this has to be applied to
every process in the system to have a total quality control.

A good plan requires:

 A clearly defined objective

 Goals or expected results
 The activities needed to achieve the desired results
 Defined roles and responsibilities for the activities
 Dates for beginning and completion of each activity
 An analysis of potential problems
Measurements are a vital part of any quality improvement program. Anything
that is not measured does not improve. We need to establish these standard
measures and measure the progress periodically.

Team work is also an essential element for the success of the program.
Remember “ONE of us is NOT better than an All of US”. The whole effort needs to
have a direction that a team leader will provide.

Way of control quality:

1. Have the proper approach toward operators.

2. Train the operator to sew with good quality from the beginning.
3. Know quality specifications and tolerance. Be sure you understand what
constitutes good and poor quality. Be consistent in your decisions toward
quality.
4. Comment on both good and bad quality. We all have a tendency to be
silent during good times and vocal during the bad.
 5. Be sure to check each operators work daily.
6. Use a check list. Do not rely on memory of specifications.
7. Do not rely on inspectors to tell you the quality level of your operators,
instead find out yourself.
8. Do not have a compromising attitude towards problem related to quality.
Basic quality inspection procedure in cutting area:

1. Marker is checked for all parts and for any variation against pattern.
2. Spreading has to be inspected
3. During cutting:
4. The marker line had to be followed
5. All notches should be located correctly with even depth say 1/8 in. (± 1/16).
When cutting, care should be taken not to shift the stack of parts to a side or
cut with the blade at an angle.
6. In bundling and shade marking, care should be taken to ensure that the
numbering is correct. For the final audit process, the quality inspector will
determine how many bundles to check from every size depending on the
sample size.
Basic quality control procedure in sewing line:
(a) 100% inline parts checking
The operations which are difficult to re-process after assembling is checked 100%
to avoid damages and waste of time.

(b) Inline inspection

During the production of garments the operator’s finished work is audited in an
inline inspection. A quality inspector moves from one operator to another at
random inspecting a pre-determined number of parts from a finished bundle. This
helps to control quality at needle point.

(c) 100% end-line inspection

At the end of a line or section there should be a checker to inspect all the parts
before they leave the section. The inspections should be effective in identifying all
defects in a garment. The checkers should have their forms filled correctly. A good
source of information to determine the quality performance of the section is the
point of 100% inspection. The section supervisor should check the quality level at
the point of 100% inspection periodically. With this information, the supervisor
should address the problems, correct the possible causes and make plans to
prevent them.
(d) Pre-final audit
A pre-final audit should be performed on packed items on a daily basis to ensure
that the good packed items are meeting the quality standards. Any problem seen
can be arrested at the early stage. If pre-final audits are done properly, the final
audit of the buyer should also be carried out without any issues.

Quality Training:
The purpose of the training program is to train operators to attain high speed and
production together with good quality work. Good quality comes from the
consistent use of correct methods

The steps to be taken to achieve good quality are as follows:

1. Initial instruction
Point out the key points of method and quality to the trainee and be sure that she
understands them.

2. Trainee practice
When the trainee first practices an exercise, the instructor should watch her
methods very closely and correct any incorrect methods immediately. The trainee
should not be timed or be permitted to start timing until she is doing the exercise
correctly. Even after starting her timing, the instructor should keep a close watch
on her methods and quality.

3. Quality checking
Whenever the instructor finds any faulty work, or whenever defects are found by
other inspectors or operators, the instructor should:
Look at the faulty work or record to determine what mistakes the trainee is
making.
Tell the trainee not just what she is doing wrong, but what she must do to
perform the work correctly.

4. Methods checking
The best way for an instructor to ensure good quality is by watching the trainee
while he is working, by inspecting some of his work and by correcting any faults
immediately. It is much easier and more effective to correct a fault when it
happens, than to try to change the method after he has turned out a quantity of
bad work. In order to become skilled at this part of training, the instructor should
take every opportunity to stand and watch each trainee at work, in order to
detect and stop any defects in method, immediately.

Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C) :

It is the application of statistical tools in the manufacturing process for the
purpose of quality control. In SQC technique attempt is made to seek out
systematic causes of variation as soon as they occur so that the actual variation
may be supposed to be due to the guranted random causes.

Statistical quality control refers to the use of statistical methods in the monitoring
and maintaining of the quality of products and services.

Basic Categories of Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C):

All the tools of SQC are helpful in evaluating the quality of services. SQC uses
different tools to analyze quality problem.

1. Descriptive Statistics
2. Statistical Process Control (SPC)
3. Acceptance Sampling
1. Descriptive Statistics:
Descriptive Statistics involves describing quality characteristics and relationships.

2. Statistical process control (SPC):

The application of statistical techniques to determine whether a process is
functioning as desired

3. Acceptance Sampling:
The application of statistical techniques to determine whether a population of
items should be accepted or rejected based on inspection of a sample of those
items.

Variations of Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C):

1. Allowable or cause variation

2. Assignable or preventable variation
Function of Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C):

1. Evaluation of quality standards of incomeing material, product process and

finished goods.
2. Judging the conformity of the process to establish standards taking suitable
action , when deviation are noted.
3. Evaluation of optimum quality, obtainable under given condition.
4. Improvement of quality and productivity by process control and
experimentation.
Main Purpose of Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C):
The main purpose of Statistical Quality Control(S.Q.C) is to divide statistical
method for separating allowable variation from preventable variation.

The Significance of Statistical Quality Control (S.Q.C) in the Textile Industry:

1. The expected quality of product can be produced and hence customers
satisfaction can be achieved which brings higher profit.
2. It is very easy to separate allowable variation from the preventable
variation by this.
3. It ensures an early detection of faults in process and hence minimum
wastage.
4. With its help one can easily defect the impact of chance in production
process in the change in quality.
5. It ensures overall co-ordination.
6. It can be use in the interpretation control chart.
Some test for quality control textile finishing:

1. Shrinkage Test
2. GSM Test
3. Tensile Test
4. Tearing Test
5. Color Fastness Test
6. Rubbing fastness Test
7. PH Test
8. Shade Matching Test
9. Fabric Width Test
Conclusion:
There are many quality parameters in different types of fabric. And there are also
many different faults in different types of fabric, which are effect in quality of
fabric. If we control those faults and effects ,we can get the good quality of fabric.
So quality control is very important for all types of fabric and textiles.