7 Basic Tools of Quality Control used in Improving Garment Manufacturing Process and Product

 These are a fixed set of graphical techniques that are used to identify all the issues related to quality and assist in solving those issues. The following are all the seven tools of quality control with examples. 

1. Flow chart

It is one of the basic process evaluation tools that is used to analyse the workflow or the process. It is represented through a diagram that pictures all the steps in the process along with the conditions related to any step. These steps can then be followed to go through the task for successful completion of the objective.

The flow chart maps out the steps as boxes of different types according to their processing order and these are connected with arrows. These arrows are in the direction of completing the process but depending on conditions can take on a different course. This diagrammatic representation thus illustrates a solution to any given model and are also used in analysing, planning, documenting or managing a process/program in various fields.    

Figure- Example of a Flow Chart

2. Histogram

It is a representation of the frequency (count) distribution of data among different groups of a sample or population. It consists of vertical bars of different heights and each bar represents a different group of the data. The height of the bar is determined by the frequency (count) of the group. The key characteristic of the histogram is that it represents categorization of continuous data with each group being of similar characteristics. It looks similar to that of a bar chart but unlike that, there are no gaps in-between bars and area of each bar is proportional to the frequency that it represents

It helps in summarizing the data that has been collected and represents graphical data frequency distribution in bar form to highlight areas of needed attention.

Figure- Histogram

3. Checklist

The checklist is used to collect quantitative or qualitative data in a form (document) in real-time at the location where the data is generated. When the data is in a quantitative form the check sheet is also called a tally sheet. Its simple data recording and representation can be used as a preliminary data collection tool for creating bar graphs, histograms and other quality tools. It can also be used to control quality by quantifying defect by type, location, cause (machine, worker), keeping track of completed steps etc. You can make garment checking reports using a checklist template. 

The data recorded in the check sheet is recorded with marking marks “check” on it. These checks are ticked in the sheet at different locations in a matrix and each has its different significance. These checks are read by observing the location and number of marks on the matrix. For better understanding the background information of the data it also consists of the five w’s which are

• Who filled out the check sheet
• What was collected (what each check represents, an identifying batch or lot number)
• Where the collection took place (facility, room, apparatus)
• When the collection took place (hour, shift, day of the week)
• Why the data were collected.
  
  Figure- A Check List
  
  

  4. Cause and effect diagram (Fishbone or Ishikawa diagram)

  Cause and effect diagram was created by Kaoru Ishikawa for the identification of potential cause (factors) leading to an effect (problem). It is mostly used to map out the potential factors for the quality defect which is leading to an overall effect. Each cause or reason for imperfection is a source of variation. Causes are usually grouped into major categories to identify and classify these sources of variation.
  
  The first part of the tool requires identification of the problem and the factors leading to that problem. Also, sub-factors are determined if need be by making the factors as a group of subfactors. Then the diagram is drawn with the problem in the centre and the factors affecting it as its root branching out. This creates a highly effective visualization to see all the causes simultaneously and work on them in accordance with their importance.
  
  
  There are many chronic problems found in garment manufacturing. You can reduce the occurrence of such chronic quality issues by finding the root causes of the problem. And the root cause can be found through the fishbone diagram.

  

  
  
• Figure - Cause and Effect Diagram
  
  
  

  5. Pareto Chart

  It a type of chart that consists of both bars as well as a line graph. The bars represent the individual value in descending order while the cumulative total is represented with the line graph. The left vertical axis represents the frequency of occurrence, costs, or other important units of measurement. The right vertical axis represents the cumulative percentage of the total number of occurrences, total cost, or the total of the particular unit of measure.
  
  It is used to highlight the most important among a large set of factors. In quality control, it can be used to represent the most common source of defects, the highest occurrences of type of defects, frequent reasons for customer complaints etc. These charts can be generated by any spreadsheet programs, specialized statistical tool, online charts generator etc.

  Figure - Pareto Chart
• 
  

  6. Scatter diagram

  A scatter diagram (or scatter plot, scatter graph, scatter chart, scattergram) is a type of plot or mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display pairs of numerical data with one variable on each axis and look for a relation between them. If the variables are correlated, the points will fall along a line or curve. The better the correlation, the tighter the points will hug the line.
  
  This is used in different scenarios such as to determine whether the two variables are related, or when there is paired numerical data or when the dependent value has multiple values for each value of the independent variable.

  

  
  
  
• Figure - Scatter Chart
  
  
  

  7. Control Chart

  Control charts are a statistical process control tool used to determine whether the manufacturing, quality or other aspects are in a state of control. There is always a presence of variations in a process which cannot be nullified as no process can run in an ideal condition for multiple time. This chart helps in control and identification of such variables. This always has a centre line for the average, an upper line for the upper limit and a line for the lower control limit. The control limits are set for a +-3 standard deviation from the centre line. The points recorded in the Cartesian have to be in between these control lines and any variation crossing the lines are an indication of an anomaly that needs to be checked or corrected.
  
• 

  Figure - Control Chart
    Written by: Soumyadeep Saha                                                                                                                  Colected by:Md. Tarikul Islam Jony  Mail:jonytex073@gmail.com
    +8801912885383

  

What is on standard efficiency & how to calculate.

• What is On-standard efficiency and overall efficiency?
• How to calculate on-standard efficiency and overall efficiency?
• What are the differences between these two efficiency terms?

Workers performance and production line performance is measured in efficiency. 

Efficiency Calculation formula 

 Efficiency (%) = (Total minutes produced / Total minutes attended at work)*100 

In a normal workday, operators spend their total attended time following categories

1. doing standard work
2. doing off-standard work (doing a task which is not familiar to the operator / other than a regular job)
3. doing nothing (lost-time like power failure, machine breakdown, no feeding/no work)

When an operator works on a bundle (garment pieces) they produce standard minutes whether she works on-standard operation or an off-standard operation. But when an operator does nothing but sitting idle due to some reasons is lost time.

If an operator does not get work, that is not her fault. In such cases, if you measure her performance considering all the attended hours, that will reflect a wrong performance. For this reason, on-standard efficiency is measured where only on-standard work hours are considered for calculating efficiency.

Measuring on-standard efficiency is good for operator skill analysis but when it comes for production at the end of the day, or line efficiency, and incentive calculation for the line and individual operator, overall efficiency is used for eligibility level.

How to calculate on-standard efficiency, off-standard efficiency and overall Efficiency

To measure on-standard efficiency, off-standard efficiency and overall Efficiency we need to collect the following data

(A) Total hours worked on the standard work
(B) Standard minutes produced while working on standard work
(C) Total hours worked on off-standard work
(D) Standard minutes produced while working on the off-standard work
(E) Total lost time in hours
(F) During lost-time, practically, no garment will be produced, so no produced minute for lost time hours.

The standard produced minute is calculated as operation SAM x Number of pieces stitched.

On-standard Efficiency (%) = (Total on-standard minute produced *100)/(Total on-standard hours worked * 60) = (B*100)/60*A)

Off-standard Efficiency (%)= (Total  off-standard minute produced *100)/(Total off-standard hours worked * 60) = (D*100)/60*C) 

Overall Efficiency (%) = (B+D)*100/(60*(A+C+E))

If there is no lost time and no off-standard work hours employee's on-standard efficiency and overall efficiency will be the same.

If there is lost time, overall efficiency will be less than the on-standard efficiency.

Lean manufacturing tool series -18 (5 Why)

5 Why? Simple but effective lean tool:

Just like any good mechanic, a good lean expert should have many tools to help them do their job. While a mechanic may be fixing something under the hood of a car, a lean expert will be fixing something under the hood of a business. Unlike a mechanic‟s troubleshooting, sometimes the real reason why something is not functioning inside a business isn‟t readily apparent, and there isn‟t a manual to troubleshoot it. Additionally, it may be masked by other problems that appear to be the real reason, or “root cause”, when in truth, it is only a diversion.
Avoiding this is a very important job of all people who work in a company, primarily a lean expert, or someone who works on the quality team. There are many ways in which the quality team can approach the problem, and the 5 why technique is one of them. It is designed to help get to the real root cause of a problem, so the cause can be addressed through a short term or long term corrective action. The corrective action, then, can be tracked for its effectiveness.
The 5 why system is one in which the simple question “why?” is asked at 5 different levels of a problem to get to the bottom of the situation. It was first used in the early 1970‟s by the Toyota Company, who is often credited with being the pioneer of modern quality.
If used correctly, it can provide a way to help identify the true root cause of the problem by using a feedback system. An added benefit is that it can be used both on an individual basis as well as a part of a group attack. It can, and should, also be integrated into the Kaizen, lean, and Six Sigma methods.
It can also be used in conjunction with other tools, such as root cause analysis software and fishbone diagrams to help aid in the discovery of the true root cause and identifying the cause and effect associated with it. While some other root cause analysis tools are complex and require experts to run them, even a two year old knows how to ask the question “why”, so the much more simplified approach is easy to adopt to the level of each individual worker.
Of course, it may seem like the five why method is too good to be true: a simple, effective way to approach complex technical issues that anyone can apply? This is the exact argument that most “five why” critics have used against the system: it is not as effective as thought.
The biggest argument is that, while it is purported to get to the foundation of the problem, in reality, most people stop at the surface level symptomatic issues that appear to be plaguing them on a daily basis. By asking the question “why?”, most will simply come up with another symptom instead of working their way back to the root cause. They will then fix the additional symptom, proclaiming to have found and corrected the root cause, when in fact the problem they were trying to solve never actually is fixed.
Another pitfall that the critics of this system claim detracts from its effectiveness is the tendency for personnel to stop at their level of knowledge or comfort, instead of digging deeper and thoroughly investigating the limits of their technical knowledge. It is too easy for the “five why” method to reward and promote the “quick fix” answer of simply satisfying the question “why”, instead of more thoroughly finding a technical answer.
Lastly, while simplicity is one of the merits of the system, it is also purported to be one of the downfalls. Because anybody can conduct the five why method, they actually do, and do not seek professional assistance in determining whether the “why” they submit is a true, actual “why” and not a surface level quick fix.

Figure (1) illustrates the typical conduct of solving the answer “why does the pump leak”. As can be seen, it addresses the fact that the seal inside of the pump bell housing is leaking fluid. While many companies and employees would stop there, instead, this technique requires the champion to go much further and address the reason why the seal leaks.
Of course, there can be more than one “why” to every reason, as demonstrated by Figure (1). The seal could leak because of improper installation of the seal, or possibly an inadequate seal design. Each one of those has their own “why” branches, which address the more subsurface issue causing the “why” before it.
As stated earlier, anyone can use this method. However, care and consideration should be taken to at least fully train the personnel who will be in charge of leading the five why inquisition, as it is very easy to scratch the surface of the challenge and never actually dig to the subsurface root causes.

The 5 why technique is a great tool when used in conjunction with other tools as an aide in finding the root cause of a problem. Like any other tool, it should be wielded by someone who understands how to thoroughly investigate problems and conduct a solid root cause analysis.



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

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