APPAREL QUALITY MANAGEMENT - 11

ASSIGNMENT - 1
AKHILA P V - BFT/19/741

Date of submission : 19/02/2022

 ARTICLE - 1

Application of Lean Manufacturing Tools for Performance

Analysis in sewing department

This study is conducted in a selected garments industry located in Dhaka,

Bangladesh. The study gives an idea about the existing scenario of the sewing
section of the garments industry. This study deals about various types of wastes
of the industry, more specifically the waste of time.

STEPS INVOLVED IN THE ANALYSIS

Identify seven basic waste exists in the sewing section

Responsibility behind all these waste is analysed

through Pareto Chart. Major reason behind failure of
production are also analysed through Pareto Chart.

Root causes for various wastes are identified through

cause effect diagram

The existing situation of sewing section is analysed

by using 5S

Provide guidelines for the improvement of sewing

section

PROBLEMS IN SEWING SECTION

Problems Identi ed from Pareto Chart

PROBLEM REASON
Over Production Produce more than order
More process step
Non Value Added processing Rework
Inspection
Stocks out
Lot processing delays
Waiting
Equipment down time
Capacity bottleneck
Defect Replace Production
Poor work flow
Excess Motion
Undocumented work method
Transporting
Unnecessary Transportation
WIP long distance

Pareto Chart for Different types of wastes caused by Man, Machine, Materials & Others

Pareto Chart showing some major reasons behind failure of production

fi
 1. Fabric and accessories input problem
2. Power failure
3. Flat lock machine problem
4. Measurement problem

Problems Identi ed from Root Cause Analysis

Cause effect diagrams are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show
the potential causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are
product design and quality defect prevention to identify potential factors causing
an overall effect.

Cause Effect analysis showing different root causes for rejection of garments.

fi

 Cause Effect analysis showing different root causes for time waste.

Analysis from Cause Effect Diagram: In sewing section, productions in a

particular workstation are stopped due to mistakes of operators, as there is a
variation of operators: some of the operators are experienced, some are newly
appointed and these new operators make mistake during their operation.
Sometimes certain numbers of workers or operators are not available to full fill the
target of production, so more time is being spent. In sewing section, most of the
time there is a problem in Flat- lock machine among various machines, and a
significant time is being waste to repair this machine. Other types of machine
problem include pneumatic pressure failure, breakdown of needle, needle piping &
needle chain stitch problem.

LEAN TOOLS USED TO RECTIFY THE

PROBLEM: 5S
5S is a method which simplifies the work environment, reduces waste and non-
value activity while improving productivity, quality, efficiency and safety. The 5S
Philosophy focuses on effective work place organization and standardized work
procedures. The 5 Pillars of 5S are Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise and
Sustain. It can be applied to any company as a starting point of improvement
activities .
IMPLEMENTATION OF 5S
Eliminate the clutter; sort out what is not needed

Excess/unneeded machine, table, basket, trolleyinany area.

SORT Items are present in aisle way, corners etc

Excess/unneeded inventory, supplies, materials are in area

Safety hazards existing in the the floor is dust of fabric.

Organize and level, set boundaries and limits

Correct places for items are clearly not marked or labelled

Items such as trolley, basket for thread and scrap are not marked with 3
SET IN ORDER “return addresses”.

Aisle ways, unused machines, inventory locations are not marked.

Height and quantity limits are not clearly marked.

Clean everything inside and out

Machines are not properly cleaned

SHINE Floors, walls and stairs are not properly cleaned.

Shortage of appropriate cleaning materials

Lines, safety signs are hard to see

Have to maintain and monitor the first three Ss

A regular audit should be run to find out Excess/Unneeded machine, table,

basket, trolley are in area.

STANDARDISE Scores should be assigned for areas of responsibilities.

Have to introduce Checklist for all cleaning and maintenance of machines,

materials, equipments etc.
Have to fix quantities & limits for inventory, machines, materials, equipments
etc.
All workers should have a good knowledge about 5s.

Workers should be trained in 5s.

SUSTAIN Daily 5s pillars principles should be maintained

Maintaining a stabilized the workplace is an ongoing process of continuous

improvement.
5s checklists/standards should be followed.



 FINDINGS THROUGH 5S
• The sewing floor has a lot of unneeded features, such as an excess basket,
trolley, inventory backlog, and so on, according to the 5S analysis because
items aren't always put away right away after they've been used.
• There are a few instances when the height and quantity limits are not clearly
marked. The lighting is also insufficient for the sewing operator.
• Fabric dust is present in the sewing section's air, which is unhealthy for the
workers. Because none of the workers are wearing masks, they are unable to
operate comfortably in this environment. As a result, both worker productivity
and workplace productivity are reduced.

SUGGESTIONS
• The sewing floor has a lot of unneeded features, such as an excess basket,
trolley, inventory backlog, and so on, according to the 5S analysis because
items aren't always put away right away after they've been used.
• There are a few instances when the height and quantity limits are not clearly
marked. The lighting is also insufficient for the sewing operator.
• Fabric dust is present in the sewing section's air, which is unhealthy for the
workers. Because none of the workers are wearing masks, they are unable to
operate comfortably in this environment. As a result, both worker productivity
and workplace productivity are reduced.

 ARTICLE - 2

Lean manufacturing practices in a South Indian textile

This paper is mainly focused on implementing lean manufacturing techniques in a

textile industry in south India, which is a pioneer in textiles mainly dealing with
fabrication of cloths. The paper has concentrated on the weaving department. High
CT, lack of standardisation, and lack of job awareness of workers as the major
problems in the plant.

LEAN TOOLS USED FOR ANALYSIS

VALUE STREAM MAPPING
Value-stream mapping, also known as "material- and information-flow mapping",
is a lean-management method for analyzing the current state and designing a
future state for the series of events that take a product or service from the
beginning of the specific process until it reaches the customer.

PARETO ANALYSIS
Pareto analysis is a formal technique useful where many possible courses of action
are competing for attention. In essence, the problem-solver estimates the benefit
delivered by each action, then selects a number of the most effective actions that
deliver a total benefit reasonably close to the maximal possible one.

CAUSE EFFECT DIAGRAM

Ishikawa diagrams are causal diagrams created by Kaoru Ishikawa that show the
potential causes of a specific event. Common uses of the Ishikawa diagram are
product design and quality defect prevention to identify potential factors causing
an overall effect.

5 WHY
The 5 Whys technique is a simple and effective tool for solving problems. Its
primary goal is to find the exact reason that causes a given problem by asking a
sequence of “Why” questions. The 5 Whys method helps your team focus on
finding the root cause of any problem.

DIAGNOSIS OF PROBLEM

Through VSM, process flow mapping and method study tool, the major problem
was identified, which is High Cycle Time.
Analysis of the problem through lean tools like Pareto analysis, cause and effect
diagram, control charts and five-why analysis was done to find the root cause of
the problem.

IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS
PROBLEMS REASONS

Due to lack of standardisation of humidity control

Knotting is done manually leading to irregular thread diameter

Yarn diameter and stiffness is increased due to sizing, resulting in warm

WARP AND WEFT breakage
BREAKS
Transporting the yarns using sacks from one department to another causing
damage to the yarns.
Fine count thread yarns breaking easily because proper attention was not given
during warping

Lack of worker motivation

HIGH ATTENDING
TIME
Lack of tools for knotting and cutting process like scissors and cones.

Under utilisation of creels

HIGH SETUP TIME Lack of tools

Improper scheduling

LEAN TOOLS USED TO RECTIFY THE

PROBLEMS
1. 5S

The tools and materials in the workplace are sorted out. The unwanted
SORT
tools and materials are placed in the tag area.

The workplace is organised by labelling. The machines and tools are

labelled with their names and all the sufficient data required. A sketch
SET IN ORDER with exact scale of the work floor is drawn with grids. This helps in the
better flow of work and easy access of all tools and machines.

This step does the cleaning work. Periodical cleaning and maintenance of
the workplace and machines are done. The wastes are placed in a
SHINE separate area. The recyclable and other wastes are separately placed in
separate containers. The clean look of the place helps in better
organisation and increases flow.

This process helps to standardise the work. The work of each person is
clearly defined. The suitable person is chosen for a particular work.
STANTARDISE People in the workplace should know who is responsible for what. The
scheduling is standardised. Time is maintained for every work that is to
be done. A set of rules is created to maintain the first 3S’s.

Once the previous 4S’s are implemented some rules are set for sustaining
SUSTAIN
the other S’s.

2. Kaizen

Kaizen is a Japanese concept that emphasises constant improvement in all aspects

of one's life. When used in the workplace, kaizen improves all aspects of a
company's operations, from production to management, and from the CEO to the
assembly line workers. Kaizen is a daily action with a goal that goes beyond
simply increasing productivity. It is a procedure that, when properly implemented,
humanises the workplace, reduces excessively hard work (muri), and educates
employees how to conduct tests on their own work using the scientific method, as
well as how to identify and eliminate waste in corporate operations.




3. Poka Yoke
Poka yoke is a method of manufacturing or assembling things with few or no
errors through the use of zero quality control (ZQC). It is based on the idea that
errors can be avoided by managing the process's performance so that no flaws can
occur in the end result. It's a technique for ensuring that a process is error-free.
• control system stops the machine when an irregularity occurs
• warning system signals the operator to stop the machine when error is
identified.

4. Quality Circle
Quality circle is a concept based on human resources management, which is
regarded as one of the most important variables in improving product quality and
productivity. It refers to the process of people developing their skills, capacities,
confidence, and creativity through a combination of education, training, job
experience, and engagement. The quality circle concept has three main
characteristics: it is a type of participative management, a human resource
development strategy, and a problem-solving technique.

5. Kanban
Kanban is an action-triggering signalling system. Kanban is a part-pulling system.
It's demand scheduling, which implies just producing stuff to replace what
customers have consumed and only producing product in response to customer
signals. Kanban scheduling minimises inventory, increases flow, prevents
overproduction, centralises control at the operational level, and allows for visual
process scheduling and monitoring.

IMPLEMENTATION OF LEAN TOOLS

1. To shift cones from winding department to warping department, use of sacs
are replaced with cardboard boxes. This improves the quality of threads, which
further improves the quality of yarn and hence reduces the weft and warp
breaks in warping process and also while arranging cones in the creels.
2. To increase the process flow flexibility the following colour coding system is
introduced for finished beams and cones.

 3. The warping section has two sectional warping machines with two creels each.
During single warping only one creel is use, which causes under utilisation of
creels. The creel which is idle can be arranged with cones for the next order.
This reduces the idle time of creel and improves the efficiency of warping
machines.
4. The inadequacy of tools like scissors and blades in warping is addressed, and
all necessary tools are provided, along with worker suggestions.

5. Increase the number of reeds from one to two per machine which helps the
split warping process and enables the warping of complex patterns. Here the
change of completed pattern from one creel to another can also be avoided.
The setup time for removing and again placing the reed from one creel to other
can be saved. This reduces about ten minutes for each process of changing the
reed.
6. The shop floor layout is improved by applying kanban and 5S. For better
utilisation of space, proper place for the location of cone boxes, empty beams
and finished beams are identified. The warped beams were arranged randomly
in the section initially. This resulted in confusion while preparing for the sizing
process. To avoid this confusion and organise the workplace for flexible
production, the concept of kanban and 5S is used. Similar to the warping
department the beams are arranged in accordance with the size of the order.
Colour codes are given for each type of order. The mixing area for the sizing
department is cleaned to avoid improper mixing. So places are assigned for
starch, softener and mixing area.

 Initial layout of warping section

Current layout of warping section

7. Due to this continuous ordering the consecutive threads are parallel to each
other. This results in confusion during the drawing process. To distinguish
between consecutive threads, ordering is done. In this creel ordering the
consecutive yarn are warped in crisscrossed manner.

Old creel ordering

 New creeling order

8. The increase in diameter of the thread is because of the starch coating. This
problem is rectified by using pressurised rollers. When the yarn passes through
these rollers, it is pressed so that the chemical penetrates into the yarn. This
process helps in maintaining the yarn diameter.
9. Due to lack of awareness of the yarn specification of the next order, the
department is forced to store chemicals in excess. This leads to excess
inventory. To prevent this, extensive chemicals analysis was made.
10. The following ideas were offered to reduce warp and weft breaks: educated
employees to utilise knotting machines, enhanced cone handling employing
boxes, and the use of pressurised rollers for diameter control.
11. To reduce breakages in the weaving section, humidity control is
recommended. The shop atmosphere will not be comfortable for workers
unless the required relative humidity of 70% to 80% is maintained. To deal
with this, an air conditioner with a unique mechanism that can maintain
distinct relative humidity levels for the loom and the shop floor is advised.
12. Because of the workers' low motivation, the attendance time for warp and weft
breaks was excessive. Complements for the best attendance time have been
introduced to reduce this.

RESULTS
The radar diagrams(next page) indicates the initial and final lean scores of the
plant under study. From the radar diagrams we can understand that after the
suggestions are implemented the lean score has gone upto 12 from 2.

 Radar diagram indicating initial scores

Radar diagram indicating scores after the suggestions were made

 SUMMARY OF RESULTS
DEPARTMENT SUGGESTIONS RESULTS
IMPLEMENTED
Regular and proper knotting diameter thus
Winding Machine knotting reducing warp and weft breaks.

Reduced confusion while drawing thus

Warping Creel ordering saving 30 min in drawing process time.

Reduced the damages to cones and thus

Warping Smooth handling of cones reducing the warp breaks.

Organised work environment. And tools

Warping and sizing 5S Layout are available.

Proper sized diameter thus reducing warp

Sizing Pressurised rollers
breaks.

Weaving Humidity control Reducedwarpandweft breaks.

Motivated worker thus reduced attending

Weaving Worker compliments times.

Reduced warp and weft breaks Increased the efficiency of weaving

Overalll
through various process machines

CONCLUSION
Process industries, especially textile industries, have automatic machinery which
are highly inflexible and have high volume/low variety products. This nature of the
textile industry makes implementing lean manufacturing techniques a challenge;
hence implementing lean techniques in a textile industry has been taken up as a
challenge. Here they have chosen a combination of value stream mapping (VSM),
5S, kanban, kaizen, poka-yoke, and visual controls to improve the processes.. The
findings of this study reveal that a thorough analysis of the process, setup, and
changeover time (CO), use of colour coding for identification of volume-mix, use
of kaizen and quality circles which empower the workforce, are some of the
various keys to a successful lean implementation in a textile industry.

 ARTICLE - 3
Implementation of Six Sigma to Minimize Defects in Sewing
Section of Apparel Industry
in Bangladesh

The case study conducted on a garment factory named Ananta Apparels Ltd.
Located at Narayanganj. This study aims to minimize the defect percentage by
using DMAIC approach of Six Sigma methodology. Five phases of the DMAIC
methodology named Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control which
indicates some critical defects such as stain, skip stitch, broken stitch, and slip out
in the sewing section of Ananta Apparels Ltd. Here they have applied various
types of six sigma tool in different phases.

SIX SIGMA METHODOLOGY

Six Sigma is one of today’s foremost process improvement methodologies. It
introduces a set of standards for organizations to follow, with the ultimate goal of
trimming operational waste and redundancy and therefore eliminating errors,
defects and waste.
The Six Sigma Methodology comprises five data-driven stages: Define, Measure,
Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC).
Define: The “Define” stage seeks to identify all the pertinent information
necessary to break down a project, problem or process into tangible, actionable
terms.
Measure: In the “Measure” phase, organizations assess where current process
capabilities are.
Analyse: The “Analyze” phase examines the data amassed during the Measure
stage to isolate the exact root causes of process inefficiencies, defects and
discrepancies.
Improve: The “Improve” initiates formal action plans meant to solve the target
root problems gleaned from your Analyzations.
Control: In the final phase, “Control,” Six Sigma teams create a control plan and
deploy your new standardized process.

Application of six sigma methodology

PHASE 1: De ne
Problem: The garment manufacturer encounters a significant volume of product
rejections due to faults.
Goal: To reduce the percentage of defects to the lowest possible level, lowering
production costs while improving quality and productivity.
Tool used for analysis: SIPOC
This is a process map that includes Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and
Customers. Quality is judged based on the output of a process

SUPPLIER INPUT PROCCESS OUPUT CUSTOMER

Acotex Unstitched Cutting
T-shirt
H&M

Bangladesh cloth
Sewing
Polo shirt
Tesco

ltd.
Machinery
Washing
Pant ZARA
Fashion group
Thread
Ironing

D.H fashion Needles

Finishing

Button
Packaging
Zipper

Labels
SIPOC Flow of Ananta Apparels Ltd

Total checked pieces 3500

No of defectives 470
% defectives 13.42

DPO 0.1342

DPMO 134285

Sigma level 2.6063

DPMO and Sigma level of Existing process
fi

 Frequency of Defects of the Inspected Polo Shirts

PHASE 3: Analyse
The goal of this phase is to determine which process parameters, or inputs, have
the most effect on the critical process results (outputs).
Tools used for analysing: Brainstorming and Cause effect Diagram.

BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is one of an essential problem-solving tools. The goal of this tool is
to identify the issues, solutions and opportunities. To find out the potential causes
of the defects and their respective solutions, they arranged a brainstorming session
where they applied the Round Robin method with the presence of the following
members that are shown in the table

Attendants Numbers
Sewing floor manager 1
Industrial engineer 2
GPQ(growth, production, quality) 2
End line quality inspector 3
Line supervisor 3
Sewing machine operator 5
Attendants at the Brainstorming Session

After brainstorming with sewing operators, line supervisors, end line quality
inspectors, engineers, and floor manager, they recognised various problem causes.
After brainstorming potential causes were derived using Root Cause Analysis.

Cause & Effect Diagram for All Major Defects

Potential problems that were identified use Cause and Effect diagram are:
1. Inadequate training and operator efficiency
2. Negligence
3. Machines are threaded incorrectly
4. Excessive pressure on the presser foot
5. Bent sewing machine needle and knife
6. Incorrect size of the needle and thread for operation
7. Comparatively long stitch type of fabric in work
8. Needles are inserted incorrectly
9. Poor thread quality
10. Poor needle quality

PHASE 4: Improve
The purpose of the DMAIC Improve phase is to discover a solution to the problem
that the task aims to address. This improve phase involves brainstorming potential
solutions, selection of solutions to test and evaluating the results of the
implemented solutions.
They tried to suggest some potential solutions to minimize the causes of defects
through Brainstorming and direct observation.
Implementation of the solutions:
Solutions were implemented on sewing line which had 105 sewing machines.
• 16 bent needles were replaced
• 9 dull knives were replaced
• 17 machines were rethreaded
• Needle insertion was corrected for 15 machines
• Faulty bobbins of 3 machines were replaced
• 2 hours training was given to workers about machines each day

CAUSES SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Inadequate training and operator efficiency Trained and motivated workers sufficiently.

Negligence Improved supervision

Machines are threaded incorrectly Maintain proper thread tension

Excessive pressure on the presser foot Minimize the pressure on presser foot

Bent sewing machine needle and knife Replace the needle and knife with a new one

Ensure that correct thread type and size rightly feeds

Incorrect size of the needle and thread for operation
both the needle and bottom positions

Shorten the stitch length using stitch regulator,

Comparatively long stitch type of fabric in work
especially when sewing fine fabrics

Check that the bobbin wounds correctly and no

Needles are inserted incorrectly
loose threads or loops sticking out

Poor thread quality Using core spun yarn

The needle should have right heat resistance

Poor needle quality
capacity.
Suggested solutions against causes of defects

 PHASE 5: Control
In this phase a control plan is prepared so as to withstand the progress and to
refine the system continuously. It is important that the implementation of the
solution is done in a controlled way.
Control Plan: The management needs to take the initiative on the following
obligatory activities to withstand the progress after Six Sigma implementation:
1. Continually provide quality training to the clothing operators.
2. Use high-quality threads, needles, and other garment accessories whenever
possible.
3. High-quality performance should be rewarded with a sound incentive structure.
4. Defect prevention will take precedence over defect correction.
5. Maintain a high level of quality control in the line.
6. A suitable Quality Management System should be developed by the company.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION AFTER

IMPLEMENTING SIX SIGMA
After implementing the solutions defects have reduced tremendously. After
implementing the solutions DPMO and sigma level was once again calculated.
DPMO became 72660 from 134285 and sigma level increased to 2.9562 from
2.6063

It's critical to keep defects to a minimum in order to maintain product quality. In

today's global competitive market, producing a high-quality product is a must.
They apply Six Sigma's DMAIC technique to identify key problems, their root
causes, and then suggest logical solutions to reduce those defects.
They discovered that some defects (broken stitch, skip stitch, raw edge, uneven
stitch, down stitch, process missing, puckering, and joint stitch) were responsible
for more than 80% of total defects in the garment factory's sewing area for polo
shirts. After identifying the primary flaws, they utilised a brainstorming tool to
discover the likely reasons, and then they used online inspections and root cause
analysis to uncover potential root causes. In the industry, there has been a
tremendous improvement in the Sigma level. As a result, this procedure is
particularly effective in reducing faults.

 ARTICLE - 3
Application of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) at Bahir
Dar Textile Share Company, Ethiopia

This study reduces the downtime of the company through the application of
robust FMEA as a major cost effective tool and to enhance the profitability of
company, Dhar Textile share in Ethiopia. As one of the core production sections of
the company, the weaving section at Bahir Dar Textile Share company experiences
very high downtime and this study will focus on the FMEA application in the
weaving process line to identify the modes of the failures, their causes and effect
and show the economic impact of reducing the high downtime through the
application of robust FMEA.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Bahir Dar Textile Share Company's looming division, which has 178 looms, is
expected to work for 4,272 hours each day. This is the total number of hours spent
on each of the 178 loom machines. However, it now has an average downtime of
1,653 hours per day, or 38.69 percent downtime. As a result, the section loses a
production of 25,012.3 metres per day, which could generate the corporation a
profit of 571,481.03 ETB per day.
The study's goal is to reduce the case company's downtime by using a robust
FMEA as a primary cost-effective instrument, as well as to increase the case
company's profitability.

Downtime vs production loss in the looming subsection

The graph depicts the relationship between downtime and production loss over
three years of data. It indicates that when the downtime of machines in the section
decreases, the company's overall production loss decreases.

Production Plan – Performance - Loss curve of the loom subsection

As a result, the section's performance is not only substantially lower than the plan,
but also lower than the loss. Any production firm would find this situation
unbearable. A performance that falls short of expectations can be tolerated to some
extent because limits are always there in the manufacturing process, but a
performance that falls short of a loss is incredible and requires immediate
attention.

Actual observation of the approaching segment, as well as concentrated group

discussions led by the authors' experts and line managers, back up the foregoing
conclusion. As a result, before using the FMEA tool to reduce downtime, a step-
by-step process revision was performed.

Graphic Representation of the FMEA Sheet Results (Causes of the failures identi ed)
fi
DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROBLEM
Cause effect Diagram

Various failure modes and their respective contribution to the downtime of the
section and their potential causes were identified using Cause Effect diagram.
Failure modes that caused downtime:
• Shortage of sizing beam yarn
• Shortage of weft cone yarn
• Malfunction of machines
• Weft and warp yarn breakage
• Shortage of compressed air
• Air condition problem
Potential causes for failure modes identified:
• Excessive machine speed
• Less practice of electrical maintenance strategy
• Shortage of non genuine electrical spare parts
• Poor strength of weft cone yarn

Pareto Analysis
According to a Pareto analysis of the resulting reasons, 20% of the causes of
failure modes with high RPNs that contribute more than 50% of the RPN are four,
with the outcome being process downtime.

APPLICATION OF FMEA

Observation on the four vital causes of failure modes in a single hour

This table shows downtime hours that can be reduced to the possible minimum
with optimized efforts and resources.

 Production gains and pro tability from the reduction of downtime through FMEA implementation

A single machine can experience 0.07 hours of reducible downtime in a single

operation hour on average. When converted to the company's 24 hour working day
(three shifts) downtime is 1.68 hours per day (24hrs x 0.07). As a result, the total
downtime from the 178 loom machines can be decreased by 299.04 hours each
day. The company can generate 1,672.82 metres of more weaved fabric per day by
saving 299.040 hours of downtime every day, as the section's production rate is
5.59 metres per hour. The weaving sector goods have an average width of 160
centimetres (1.6meter). This translates to 1672.82m x 1.6m= 2676.51 m2 of saved
production. As shown in table 2, the case company can earn ETB38,220.56 per
day by using FMEA and addressing the 20% critical causes of failure modes.

CONCLUSION
The findings of this study reveal that by using FMEA in industry's weaving section
and performing appropriate corrective steps on the 20% of failure modes that
contribute more than 50% of RPNs, the section may earn a gross profit of
ETB11,466,168.00 per year. As a result, the company is advised to use FMEA in
numerous sections in order to decrease high downtime, improve production
performance, maximise profit, and remain competitive in the market.
fi
 ARTICLE - 5

Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Tools in

Garment Industry in Tamil Nadu

This work takes place in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, in the garment sector. They are
a company that makes formal and casual shirts for men. Unbalanced production
among various operations in the sewing department has been an issue for the
organisation.

DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROBLEM

The firm produced formal woven shirts with 60 high-speed industrial lock stitch
sewing machines. The collar, cuff, sleeve, front, and back of the shirt are sewn
separately on different sewing lines, and the final garment is assembled by joining
these prepared components with other components on an assembly line. The
customer need 725 shirts each 8-hour shift. According to an examination of
component and main assembly line production statistics, the cuff line produced
roughly 550 pieces every shift. Every shift, it showed a shortfall of 175 cuff pieces
on the manufacturing line. The manufacturing of cuff involved 8 operations.
The operations analysis for the cuff production line and the present condition of
value stream mapping are created to understand the real bottleneck area.

PROBLEM ANALYSIS
Through Value stream mapping the take time was estimated
Takt time = Available time / Customer Demand = 480 / 725 = 0.66 Min or 39.72
Sec. The production activity of any operation must be equal to or below 39.72 sec
to maintain smooth flow of production.

 STEP ACTIVITY Time(s

S )
Shift a pair of cuff from the bench to ironing table using left
1 2
hand
2 Pick one cuff and place in the work area 1

Fold the raw edges of the cuff to the inner side using both
3 3
hands

4 Hold the cuff in left hand and iron press with right and 12

5 Place the ironed cuff aside 1

6 Pick the second cuff to the work area 1

7 Fold the raw edge of the cuff to the innersole using both hands 7

Hold the cuff in left hand and press using the iron box with
8 11
right hand
9 Place the ironed cuff aside 3
TOTAL 41

Current state operation

Identi cation of bottle-neck operations

The graph clearly showed that the cycle time of the operations cuff ready, cuff top
stitch and cuff pressing are higher than the takt time.
fi

LEAN TOOLS TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM

1. Line Balancing

Line balancing is a production strategy that involves balancing operator and

machine time to match the production rate to the takt time. Because operations 3
(Cuff ready) and 6 (Top Stitch Cuff) take up more than 50% of the takt time, a
parallel production operation was required to shorten the cycle time. The line
balancing technique was to be utilised in order to facilitate continuous flow.
Parallel to operations 3 and 6, two sewing operations were implemented. The line
went from eight operations and nine operators to eight operations and eleven
operators. The bottleneck was eliminated, and the cycle time was reduced to takt
time as a result of this method. The bottleneck has been eliminated at operations 3
and 6, as seen in Fig 4.

Improvement after line balancing

2. Kaizen
Kaizen was implemented to operation 8 which is ironing. As the cycle time of
ironing is few seconds above the takt time, introduction of another extra ironing
table will cause a greater pull and the cuffs may start to pile up at the iron station.

STEPS ACTIVITY TIME(S)

Pick both cuffs and place it simultaneously in top and

1 4
bottom manner on the working table

Hold the edges of the top cuff and extent it slightly so

2 6
that it gets folded and place a ruler over it

Similarly hold the edges of the top cuff and extent it

3 6
slightly so that it gets folded

4 Now holding the bottom cuff iron both cuffs together 11

5 Pair both the cuffs and place it aside 1

TOTAL 28

KAIZEN 1 – Top and Bottom Extension

STEPS ACTIVITY TIME(S)

Pick both cuffs and place it simultaneously in top and

1 2
bottom manner on the working table

Fold the top cuff by extending its edges and place it in

2 4
such a way that it overlaps the bottom cuff

3 Similarly fold the bottom cuff by holding the top cuff too 5

4 Hold both the cuffs and iron it together 7

5 Place the ironed cuff aside 2

TOTAL 20

KAIZEN 2 – Top and Bottom Extend Overlap

 Outcomes of KAIZEN

The timing has been reduced to 50% by KAIZEN. Now all the operations in the
cuff line are under control and a smooth flow is achieved.

RESULT AND CONCLUSION

Takt time after implementation

As you can see the takt time of each line has improved significantly after the
implementation of line balancing and kaizen. Value Stream Mapping was used to
identify bottleneck regions in this industry (VSM). Line balancing and the Kaizen
tool were used to minimise bottleneck spots. The introduction of kaizen resulted in
a 48.7% reduction in cycle time. The value added percentage increased from 0.397
percent to 0.431 percent, representing an improvement of 8.5 percent in the
processes.

 ARTICLE - 5
Productivity Improvement With Kaizen Tool In a textile
industry in India

This paper is mainly focused on implementing lean manufacturing techniques in

Gokuldas Textile industry, south India, which is a pioneer in textiles mainly
dealing with fabrication of cloths.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Current layout of sewing section

In the sewing department, jackets are produced with 154 workstations in 130
minutes of operation cycle time, with waste averaging 30 seconds per jacket out of
200 jackets prepared per day, and wastage time averaging 1 hour 40 minutes (110
minutes). The majority of the wasted time is due to incorrect workstation
placement between the fashion tab and loading, as well as undesired movements
made by the checker when inspecting the inner jacket.
KAIZEN IMPLEMENTATION
• The problems can be rectified by implementing lean tool Kaizen. Kaizen sees
improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.
• Installing the front ready ahead of the sleeves and collar, as well as the fashion
tab and zip near the front ready and collar.
• For an average of 10 jackets, installing an inspection table between the hood and
the inner completed can save 30 seconds of time.
• By reordering the work stations front ready, collar, sleeve tab, sleeve, fashion
tab, zip attach, in the proposed line design we will save 1minutes for an average
of 4jackets

Proposed layout of sewing section

The modification to the sewing operation layout are fashion tab to front ready
instead of fashion tab to direct loading then checking then zip to collar instead of
zip to loading and checking, which saves two operations in terms of time and
sequence, resulting in a cycle time reduction of up to 50% when compared to the
previous sequence. Which is aimed toward time savings and increased production.

RESULTS
After implementing the kaizen concept by changing the layout for the sewing part
of the jacket, 15 seconds per jacket were saved, totalling 84 minutes saved for 200
jackets. The sewing operation's cycle time was lowered from 110 minutes to 84
minutes, and the number of garments produced increased from 220 to 247 per day,
resulting in higher productivity.

Cycle time reduction

Productivity improvement
 CONCLUSION
In this research work the implementation of effective lean manufacturing
technique like kaizen is implemented in garment industry. Prior to that the study of
layout analysis is made in sewing process. The application of lean concepts such
as kaizen is favoured to decrease these wastes. In general, lean production
improves profitability and shortens lead times. However, the goal of implementing
lean in waste management is to reduce the amount of trash produced by the textile
industry.
The lean principles are well suited for decreasing and managing industrial waste,
and additional lean concepts and principles are being investigated for future work
to manage industrial waste. Finally, by altering the sewing machine configuration,
wastes are identified and minimised. As a result, the reduction of operating cycle
time and increase in productivity is clearly achieved in this study. As a result,
kaizen, a lean manufacturing technique, is an excellent tool for small and medium-
sized businesses to increase production without overhauling their organisational
infrastructure.

THANK YOU