Industrial Engineering: General Work flow of IE Dept. in Apparel Industry

Industrial Engineering: General Work flow of IE Dept. in Apparel Industry: Scope of an IE Personnel: Direct Activity: •Capacity Planning •Resource Planning •Production Planning •Supply Chain M...

Does Worker Happiness Lead to Improved Work Performance?

Background:

      Through decade long process improvement & consulting experience, I will say one of the commonly seen major problem of apparel manufacturing industries are worker turnover, absenteeism and their low involvement in process improvement, which gets converted into low productivity, poor quality, increase in wastages and low profitability. This entire problem has a direct relation with worker happiness. 

Global companies like Google, Amazon and many other most successful companies growth and innovation comes from their happy and dedicated employees. These companies have taken serious initiative for improving employee happiness.

Many people would argue, “these are big MNC companies and they have deep pockets and resources” although the argument is more of a myth than a truth. Let us understand how even a small and medium size apparel manufacturing company can even get benefit from - “Worker Happiness Index”.

How to Measure and Analyse Worker Happiness Index?

There are various ways and means to measure the happiness index although it depends on company, to what sophistication level they want to measure and analyze the happiness index.

• Data recording for happiness index:

  1. A well-designed check-sheet format could be used for capturing each worker happiness or grievances.
  2. There could be simpler ways to capture worker’s happiness. For initial identification, organisation could place two baskets named happy and unhappy and each worker could be given similar ball to put in basket. This would help organization to understand quickly percentage of unhappy workers. Incase of high percentage of unhappy workers, in-depth data collection could be initiated in future.

• Understanding situation better through data analysis and various graph, charts:

  
  1. Department wise happiness and unhappiness percentage should be captured every month. 
  2. Reason for unhappiness / grievances category should be analyzed through pareto chart. 
  3. To get the company wide complete picture of worker grievances Radar chart can be used for quick understanding.

• Improve worker happiness through problem solving & implementing simple and innovative solutions:

  1. Once data collection and analysis is done, there are various tools for root cause analysis like: Fish bone diagram, 5 why analysis & Brainstorming etc.
  2. It is very important to select simple and effective solutions which can bring happiness to the worker and employees.
  3. It is very important to continue with worker happiness data capturing, even after it improves.

Benefits:

              Following benefits can be achieved through improved worker happiness:

• Reduction in worker migration
• Reduced absenteeism
• Reduction in excessive overtime
• Reducing the chances of ’worker unrest’ or ’worker strike’
• Increased work efficiency through higher output per person
• Improved quality through well trained happy worker instead of newly joined worker due to higher attrition
• Whole hearted participation in improvement projects which brings financial savings for management

Conclusion:

                  Most of us assume worker/ employee happiness can only come with increased salary, bonus or incentive. Well, they are important but many times it can be improved with simple steps, I have experience where a worker morale & happiness was improved through:

• Improving workplace hygiene, washroom cleanness
• Easy approval for ‘taking flexible holidays’
• Regular acknowledgement of better performance
• Initiating or Improving canteen facility, child care room, medical facility
• Eliminating misconduct with worker
• Regular worker training & motivation

Many times small changes can even bring happiness to the majority of workers. Improved worker & employee happiness not only improves the performance and profitability it also creates the momentum, which takes the company to the path of business excellence.

Published By: Manoj Singh

 Manoj Singh has wide experience of over 12 years in garment industry in

India and abroad. He has done consulting for over 7.5 years and his services has benefited above 70 factories in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar & Dubai. He has actively worked with Factories, Brands, and International funding agencies, Garment Clusters, Boards & Councils and other consulting firms.

General Work flow of IE Dept. in Apparel Industry

Scope of an IE Personnel:

Direct Activity:

•Capacity Planning

•Resource Planning

•Production Planning

•Supply Chain Management

•Inventory Management

Indirect Activity

•Costing

•Industrial Engineering

•Technical Assistance

•Production flow Control, process control

•Ergonomics and Human Factors

R&D

•Product Analysis w.r.t the available resource, capacity and future plan; and estimate the C.M of that specified product and assist to Merchandizing team.

•Production analysis and make report card of each product about actual cost, productivity and profit/loss.

•Assist with process improvisation during development level and sample making.

•Assist to Marker, Pattern section to improvise the marker efficiency and process

•Assist to Cutting Control, Finishing Control so that to get the desired Profitability

Prepared by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Yarn Count conversion chart

Count:

Count is a numerical expression which defines its fineness or coarseness of a yarn/Thread. It also expresses weather the yarn is thick or thin. A definition is given by the textile institute – “Count is a number which indicates the mass per unit length or the length per unit mass of yarn.”

Types of yarn count

     - Indirect system- English, Metric,          Worsted etc.
     - Direct system- Tex, Denier, Lbs/Spindle etc.

Most of us know that how we can calculate English count(Ne) or Tex or denier.If you dont know, just search by "What is count on textile?" on internet & you will find many articles.

So, today I want to discuss about the relation between some direct & indirect system. Some time its happend that you get a order sheet where customer discribe the thread count by "English count". But you want to order the thread count as "tex". In that cases, if you follow my chart given below, you can easily convert the count from one to another.

Example: A COATS Astra thread having 27 tex.Now we convert it to English count(Ne).

Then, Ne= 591/27

               =21.89.

Please make an excell chart as above picture & you can convert count easily form one to another.

Prepared by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

All about WIP in Garments industries

WIP ( Work in Process):

Some people requested to write about WIP in Garments. Many of us don’t know that how to calculate WIP. Example, if we calculate cutting WIP, what it’s include? Only cutting parts or fabric laid on table or fabric kept in cutting racks for relaxation?  

WIP or Work in process means the unfinished items or products in a production process. These items are not yet completed but either just being fabricated or waiting in a queue for further processing or in a buffer storage. In garment manufacturing, WIP is generally measured in pieces (unit). WIP can be measured as:

WIP= Total pieces loaded in a process - Total pieces out from that process.

This is the WIP of that process.

To calculate current WIP level -

Cutting Room WIP: 

When one calculates cutting room WIP only stock cut pieces is considered as cutting WIP. Fabric those are layered on table or received from fabric store for cutting is not considered as WIP.

Cutting WIP = Total cut qty - Total qty input to sewing,
For example, Cutting room cut total 20000 pieces for style: A,B,C,D and 15000 pieces have been issued to sewing department. Then cutting room WIP will be 5000 pieces.

Sewing Section WIP: 

WIP level of sewing section can be calculated for a line, for a floor, even WIP between two operations.
Sewing Line WIP = Total pieces inputted to the line - pieces completed from the line.
For example, To Line 1 total 1000 pieces have been inputted for style A and total 2000 pieces have been inputted for style B. Total 1500 pieces are out from the line. Sewing line WIP is (1000+2000)-1500 = 1500 pieces for that day.

Finishing Room WIP:

Finishing room WIP = Total received from sewing - Total pieces packed.

If the goods having washing process, then the formula will

Finishing room WIP = Total received from wash - Total pieces packed.

Prepared by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Lean manufacturing tool series -17 (Cause and effect diagram)

Cause and effect diagram (Ishikawa Diagram):

A company has a problem that they need solving. For sake of example, it is a quality issue. So the company gathers a team together to figure out what is happening to truly cause this problem. They have all heard of a “root cause analysis”, and would like to find the true root cause that is causing this problem. They gather together in a room and start to brainstorm what the possible causes are. But they quickly realize that their brainstorming session isn‟t focused at all, but they keep going.

They come up with what they think is the true root cause, and find a corrective action for it. They implement the corrective action, only to find out later that while they have helped the problem, they haven‟t actually found or fixed the root cause. This is the hazard of not using the cause and effect diagram during a root cause analysis.

A cause and effect diagram, simply put, provides a way for the average manager or office worker to be able to effectively come up with a true root cause of a problem. It is a process that can be repeated by anyone with a basic level of understanding of the system or the processes involved. It also allows the team to be able to approach extremely complex problems and situations by breaking it down into the fundamental components of what usually goes wrong in most situations.

The first cause and effect diagram was created in 1943 at the Kawasaki Steel Works to depict the work factors involved with a process. Because of this, they are sometimes called Ishikawa diagrams, after the original presenter, Kaoru Ishikawa. They are also called fishbone diagrams in some circles because of their resemblance to fish bones.

It is very uncommon for a quality problem, or any problem in today‟s high tech world, to be simple. Often, they contain many different factors and interactions that are hard to conceptualize when sitting in a meeting room. A cause and effect diagram breaks these complex problems down into easier, more simplified components, so they can each be individually addressed for determining their root cause.

A good diagram will break down the issue into major causes and sub causes, leading to the eventual discovery of root causes, which is the end goal of all six sigma processes. It will also provide a visual understanding of the problem for all parties involved, leading to a better understanding of the problem, and provides a way to focus on the correct issues to discuss and analyze.

                                                               Fig-01

There are very few instances of brainstorming sessions that should not include a fishbone diagram. An example of a fishbone is contained in Figure (1). The cause and effect diagram should always start with the effect that you wish to change on the right side of the paper, in the case of the above example, the “Leaking Pump”. You should then draw the backbone of the fish, a horizontal line from left to right. Include the primary causes, or even just a general category of cause on diagonal lines that are alternating between above and below the backbone of the fish. This can be seen in Figure (1) by the categories of “Leaking Seal”, “Leaking O-Ring”, “Misaligned Leakage”, “Improperly assembled seal kit”, “Environmental”, and “Ruptured Seal”.
From those lines, you should branch off into additional diagonal lines that indicate the secondary causes, or the causes of the primary causes. For example, in Figure (1), the “Static vs. Dynamic” and “Cold Weather” causes are the root causes. From there, you can branch off a third time from each secondary cause, which will indicate the root cause that should be addresses. Not every secondary cause is going to have a root cause, as the secondary cause is sometimes the root cause of the problem. Figure (1) doesn‟t have any third level causes, as the second level each contain the true root causes.

Once you have done this, you should have a good, thorough, cause and effect diagram. From here, you should mark the causes that you plan on correcting, and then brainstorm a corrective action, or many corrective actions, that will address the root cause.

Theoretically, if the root causes of a problem are eliminated, the problem will either disappear, or be dramatically reduced. In reality, what happens in many situations, is that the problem changes into a new problem with the same symptoms, making it look like the root cause was not the true root cause. What actually happens is that the root cause changes, but causes the same problem. Many times, the reason for this is that the new root cause was being masked by the bigger, original root cause.

Many companies require all of their employees, from the hourly worker to the CEO, to be able to correctly make a fishbone diagram and participate in the root cause analysis. It is a simple process that can be understood by all, yet can lead to dramatic changes for the better. It is in a company‟s best interests to be able to fix a lot of their problems by using the cause and effect diagram by any and all personnel.

If a company is interested in a process that is simple, straightforward, and more often than not attacks the root cause of the problem, all employees should be well versed in creation and execution of a fishbone, or cause and effect, diagram.


Collected by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383

Lean manufacturing tool series -16 (Visual Workplace)

Visual Workplace:

Human beings are naturally visual beings. While many people are able to learn through various methods such as auditory and kinesthetic learning, when it comes down to reactionary measures and movement planning, almost all humans use vision to guide their actions.

Nothing could be more applicable in the workplace, particularly in the atmosphere of a manufacturing environment, where focused attention is absolutely necessary at all times, and room for mistakes is very slim. Any sort of diversion or distraction will lead to a possible mistake, with quality and safety possibly hanging in the balance. A visual workplace results in a work environment that will sort through the clutter and produce a clean, well organized, and efficient. Often times, it clears a path for more advanced improvement efforts, but in itself it is a powerful tool that will lead to improvement, sometimes almost immediately.

A visual workplace is the first step in the 5S system. „Seiri‟, or the „Sort‟ step in the 5S system is what brings the organization to a system or workplace. It starts at the worker level and continues upwards to the upper management level.

The first action that most companies take is to go through the workplace and look through the tools, equipment, and supplies that are not used on an everyday basis. With cooperation from the workers who operate the equipment, it should be relatively simple to identify the excess that exists around the plant. Using red markings to mark the tools and objects that are not necessarily an integral part of the manufacturing process is usually the first actual step in the right direction. Often times, a lot of excess inventory are marked with a red tag, indicating that it is waste. This can lead to identifying bottlenecks and parts in the manufacturing process that may need additional resources. Next, middle management will come in and map out the paths that the workflows follow and ensure that they are clearly marked, as straight as possible, and definitive. They will also ensure that there are no conflicts between workflows and workstation locations. Just as importantly, the astute manager will take information and tooling flow into account as well.

Sometimes it is impossible to get a good grasp on how important a visual workspace is until you are standing above the workplace from a good vantage point, often called the machining vantage point. Like a poorly coordinated intersection on the roadway, it is sometimes abundantly clear that better coordination is necessary. You may see workers crossing paths, information not flowing as optimally as it could, or tooling that is in the absolute worst place possible. All of these things should be changed before any further issues are addressed.

When a company finally gets serious about creating a visual workplace, they can expect to see dramatic changes in the way that parts, information, and personnel flow. The company usually sees a large reduction in defects, increased morale, and greater productivity.

A good example is shown in Figure (1). In this example, a chip manufacturing company has decided to take the visual workplace concept seriously. In the first part, anyone can clearly see that the plant has a lot of equipment, an entire workstation in fact, that is left over from a bygone era, in which they used it to produce an older style chip that they never use anymore. Instead, the equipment just sits obtrusively on the floor, slowing the flow of the assembly line and creating safety hazards.

What cannot be seen from this example is that all workstations still have the tools necessary to produce and work on the old chips. The chip manufacturer never removed those tools and left them at the workstations because it would incur a cost to remove them. While it will incur a cost, most managers will recognize that the tools are actually detracting from the current manufacturing of the chip, and the amount saved by choosing not to remove the tooling was long lost in the way of inefficiencies and lost productivity. Once these steps were taken to clean the area and adhere to the 5S methodology of improvement, the visual workplace can take effect. Many times 5S is described as the method used to prepare for the ultimate goal of a visual workplace. Once implemented, a visual workplace is able to keep itself orderly and is self-regulating and self-improving, all because visual solutions have been developed.

Fig-(02)

If a workplace is a truly visual workplace, a person off the street that has absolutely no knowledge of the area can know exactly where each piece of equipment and each tool is located because it is clearly identified and marked, as shown in Figure (2). Figure (1) also demonstrates the importance of a visual workplace in safety, as can be seen by the yellow tape on the shop floor. Visual workplace goes beyond labeling tools, however. It also includes such initiatives as coloring buttons that turn equipment on green instead of red, as well as maintaining yellow as a cautionary safety only color. As stated before, a visual workplace is most effective if it starts on the ground floor. The workers who use the equipment every day will know best what components are and are not necessary. From there, it can move into more high level thought, such as reducing machinery, cutting out steps in a workflow, or even removing manufacturing processes altogether. These are usually accomplished at a much higher level than the worker level, but as you can see, obtaining a truly visual workspace can only be achieved if every member of the company is involved. Most companies are surprised to see how inefficient their processes and manufacturing lines run. When they finally make a commitment to running a truly visual workspace, they will usually see a dramatic improvement to their bottom line. The most common reaction that companies give is one in which they could not believe they didn‟t tackle it earlier.

Collected by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony
Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
+8801912885383