Apparel Production Management: Study Guide

4) Pictorial Explanation of Concepts The Sewing a) Sewing cycle Cycle Sewing Cycle Pick with left hand place and align with both hands, stitch and dispose with right hand The sewing cycle starts when the needle penetrates the fabric and forms stitches b) Basic Process Time BPT can be calculated based on at least 30 time study observations and recordings 48

Trainer’s a) Standard AllowanceGuide forProcurationManagement A time study chart with standard allowance calculated .5) Key phrases/ words that you must rememberKey Phrase MeaningMain task The main operation to be carried out such as preparing a collarAssociated Task A task associated with the main task without which the main taskBasic Process Time cannot be performed such as placing the cut part below the sewing armBPT The time required by a standard or average worker to perform a given unit process with out taking into account, any allowance Main task time +Associated task timeTOTAL This is the sum total of all process standard times for all the processesSTANDARD in a product. T.S.P.T. also defines the amount of work involved inPROCESS TIME making the product.(T.S.P.T.) 49

6) Common Mistakes most students / fresher's commit The Sewing Cyclea) Often while recording the cycle time, a fresher in industrial engineering misses to record either pre- or post- sewing operation.b) In the total number of observations and recordings of the cycle time, a student missed the actual sewing time more than six times. He calculated the standard time using the remaining number of observations and showed to his teacher.As the standard time value appeared to be on the higher side, the teacher suspected the answer and verified all the recordings. The error was traced to the number of recordings and the student was asked to return to the task and conduct the time study once again.7) Practical ExamplesAn industrial engineer planned to conduct time study for a new style of shirt that came forproduction. Some of the production operations of the style were common as with all theother shirts, the operations that differed were identified as bottom finishing with gusset oneither side seam, flatlock stitch on yoke attach, pocket attach and cuff attach to sleeve. TheIE prepared the time study chart to record each of these operations and then recorded anaverage of 30 observations of time for each operation. A single observation was brokendown into pre- and post- sewing cycle and sewing cycle. He then tabulated the recordings ofeach operation and calculated the BPT of the operation. Finally the BPT of all common andspecial operations were tabulated, standard allowance was added as a percentage to eachoperation and the final standard allowance time of the style was calculated.8) SuggestedActivity Take a skirt sample and prepare its list of production operations. Then conduct a time study for each of the operations and record. 50

Notes 51

Unit 7BASICS OF PRODUCTION PROCESS 52

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Unit 7 BASICS OF PRODUCTION PROCESS1. Learning outcome for the studentI. Understanding process and process chart and related terms and terminologyII. To know garment production process and sewing and non-sewing processesIII. To know the garment parts and to make a process chart of a garmentIV To understand garment parts of a dress shirt and knit shirt and make process charts2. Key ConceptsI. Process Chart its use, application, symbols and terminologyII. Terms and Terminologies used in a process chartIII. Sewing and non-sewing operationsIV Methods of process chart preparation, process charts of complex garments3. Concepts Explaineda) Process Chart its use, application, symbols and terminology To do a job we must know the steps involved. When you assign a job to a person you need to give instructions on how to do it. For example to wear your shoes the steps involved are – 1. Take out the shoes from the rack 2. Take out the matching socks 3. Sit down 4. Lift right foot 5. Wear the socks 6. Lift left foot 7. Wear the socks 8. Slide the left foot into the shoe 9. Tie the shoe lace 10. Slide the right foot into the right shoe 11. Tie the shoe lace 12. Brush both the shoes 54

Trainer’s Now the shoes are worn and you are ready to go. As you see there are 12 steps or operationsGuide forProcuration involved in shoe wearing. To explain a job or work often is not easy. The person who is toManagement undertake the work must understand and be able to do it when he or she is orally instructed. However very often oral instructions are not clear due to miscommunication resulting in either not doing the job or doing it in a wrong way. To avoid such situations, if the instructions are written in a sequence or order of precedence the job can be executed with more accuracy. If along with instructions diagrams or graphic representations or illustrations or pictures are placed, the work is carried out accurately or precisely. From a simple process chart for shoe wearing, a complex production activity can be explained through a process chart. A process chart can be developed by practical observation of a production line or by analysing the product construction and deconstructing it step by step or simple drawing and sketching or using CAD. To build a small shopping bag we can list the process beginning with 1. mark the measurements on fabric 2. cut the fabric according to the measured outline 3. fold the fabric at both ends as marked for the top hem 4. sew the hem on both ends 5. fold the hemmed fabric at its centre 6. stitch both sides with lockstitch machine 7. overlock the edges to secure 8. turn the bag inside out 9. fold and press to finish the bag These same set of instructions can be graphically represented using symbols for each instruction. Each of the operations like fold, overlock, lockstitch, press, turn, cut and mark are represented by symbols. Some of the other symbols used in a process chart are circle represents a process, large dot represents handling, square represents inspection, triangle represents idle time, and two concentric circles represents hand work. Using these symbols a process chart can be developed to instruct on stitching a bag. Some of the common terms that one comes across in the process charts developed for the garment industry are stitch, seam, part, process, unit workstation, unit process and process analysis. 55

b) Terms and Terminologies used in a process chart Basic of Production i) A stitch is formed by a needle with thread when it passes through a fabric and comes out forming a loop. Processii) Aseam is a line of stitches formed when joining two or more pieces of fabric together.iii) Processing refers to a change in the shape or properties of the materials, Parts or product.iv) Handling refers to the process which affects change of location of materials, parts or product.v) Inspection indicates a process where materials, parts or product are compared with a defined standard and the differences between them are evaluated.vi) Idle time indicates a process wherein materials, parts or product are accumulated by plan, or become backed up in contravention to the plan.vii) In addition the different types of processes such as single needle lockstitch or fusing, hand work that are used in the production are defined and symbols are used for each process for convenience in building any process chart.c) Sewing and non-sewing operations During the sewing of a garment, there are some operations where the machine is employed and others which are manual. For every garment that is stitched, both these operations are involved. Some of the sewing operations involved in a shirt – run stitch collar, top stitch collar or yoke or sleeve cuff, edge stitch yoke or armhole, tack collar band to neck or main label to inside yoke, attach sleeve to armhole Some of the non-sewing operations involve in a shirt – turn collar, turn cuff, fold pocket cut, crease pocket cut, iron and press collar, iron and press cuff, iron and press pocket, fuse pocket flap, fuse collar, notch neck band centre and neckd) Methods of process chart preparation, process charts of complex garments In order to prepare the process chart, list all the parts in the garment. Identify parts, sub- assemblies and assemblies. Start with sub-assemblies and their parts. Add direct parts to the largest part in the garment. Then add sub assemblies to the largest part and continue adding other parts or sub-assemblies until the garment is complete.56

Trainer’s For example process chart of a shirt will be as follows:Guide forProcurationManagement Collar sub-assembly Operation Parts Manual or Non- Machine or Symbol Upper collar sewing Sewing Interlining Place fused under Run stitch collar collar below Fuse to under collar Under collar Turn & Iron collar Topstitch collar Collar band upper Placed fused collar Run stitch collar Interlining Collar band under band below band Fuse to collar band under Turn & Iron collar band 57

4) Pictorial Explanation of Concepts Basic of Production a) Process Chart its use, application, symbols and terminology Process Process chart helps to organise processes or operations within a process in an orderly fashion58

Trainer’s b) Terms and Terminologies used in a process chartGuide forProcurationManagement Stitch is formed when a threaded needle passes through fabric material and makes a loop and passes out of it securing the thread in the fabric Seam is when two fabric pieces are joined together Process - Sewing Handling Inspection Idle time Fusing 59

c) Sewing and non-sewing operations Basic of Topstitch yoke Production Run stitch collar Hem pocket Process Side seam shirt Serge pocket bag Mark run stitch Turn and iron collar Mark pattern on fabric 60

Trainer’s d) Methods of process chart preparation, process charts of complex garmentsGuide forProcurationManagement List of parts of a garment Write the operations in their serial order Use machine symbol for each operation 61

5) Key phrases/ words that you must remember Basic of Production Process Key Phrase MeaningTop stitch A stitch that is ¼\" from the edge of a seam, sometimes done in a coordinating threadTuck color for decoration or a matching threadTack color for stabilization.Stitch width Afold or pleat that is sewn into the fabric.Seam allowancePleat A stitch used to temporarily hold two pieces of fabric together. Tacking can also refer toPattern notches repeated stitches at the beginning of a seam for added strengthGussetGather The distance across a stitch. A straight stitchHem is very narrow.Asatin stitch can be wide. The amount of space between the edge of the fabric and the line of stitching. Most home decor projects have a ½\" seam allowance. A fold in fabric created for functional or decorative fullness. The fold is sewn at one end of the fabric and allowed to gradually relax such as in pleated shirt Pattern notches are the marks (usually triangle shaped) printed on a pattern's cutting edge. They are used to line up two or more pieces of fabric that you will be joining together A piece of fabric inserted to enlarge or add strength. In garments a gusset is often inserted to add freedom of movement. Allows for making a long piece of fabric to fit with a shorter piece of fabric and also is a method of easing a seam to allow insertion of sleeves and other rounded pattern pieces. A finished edge; an edge of the fabric that is folded over and stitched. Usually the hem is understood to be the bottom edge. 62

Trainer’s 6) Common Mistakes most students / fresher's commitGuide for Astudent was asked to prepare a process chart for a trouser line. In order to prepare the chart,Procuration he was to first list the parts of the garment and then the operations involved to make each part of the garment. However, the student directly prepared the operations chart and in theManagement process missed out sleeve placket and collar bone. In the preparation of an operation bulletin, a newly recruited IE, has omitted the work aid to be used for placket attachment. This could have been avoided if a process chart is first prepared before the OB. 7) Practical Examples It is common practice in the garment industry to prepare an operation bulletin which is a form of Process Chart with all the garment details of parts their preparation and operations involved in their preparation. The OB details include – a) Serial number of part b) Operations to be performed on the part c) Sub-operations in each operation d) The work aid required to perform the operation – part number or description or symbol e) Basic process time (BPT) required f) Allowance for the operation g) Standard time h) Target i) Efficiency j) Daily productivity 8) SuggestedActivity Prepare an operation bulletin for a long sleeves shirt using process and machine symbols. 63

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Unit 8WORK, TIME & MOTION STUDY 65

Notes 66

Unit 8 WORK, TIME & MOTION STUDY1. Learning outcome for the studentI. Understanding work and work methodsII. To know the concept of work study and conduct and record data of work, time and Motion studyIII. To know the concept of Process Time CalculationIV To know the modern techniques to record time and motion studies2. Key ConceptsI. Work, Work Content and Work AnalysisII. Concept of Time and Motion Study and PracticeIII. Basic Process Time CalculationIV Modern Tools and Techniques of Time and Motion Study3. Concepts Explained a) Work, Work Content and Work Analysis Work can be defined as performing an assigned task or job by an individual in return for an agreed remuneration. For example a machine mechanic is assigned a task of maintain and repair certain number of machines for a given remuneration. Every employee in the garment industry as in any other industry requires a job to perform. As with other employees, sewing machine operators too work for eight hours every day. They work producing different garments. Some of the garments produced consume more time than others. The operators are paid monthly salaries depending on their skill and expertise. However, they are given incentives to motivate higher performance and productivity. In addition it is also necessary to know to estimate the content of work in a given garment in order to establish the time required to produce the same. Since simple garments may require less time than others such as a shirt requires less time to produce than a jacket. The reason why jacket takes more time than shirt is due to the fact that there are more parts in a jacket than a shirt. However it is not always correct to say that more parts take more time but longer time is also required due to the complexity of operations. Some operations may be simple while some may be complex as in the case of sleeve attach of a shirt and sleeve attach of a jacket with shoulder pad. Hence it is important to identify the quantity of work and then break it down to its smallest task and count the number of such tasks. It is important that work content is analysed of a every task is analysed and assigned. For example to let us identify a work and its content below: 67

Trainer’s Work - Mark Run stitch for a collarGuide forProcurationManagement - Pick collar upper part - Place on marking table - Place ready collar template on the collar upper part - Mark along the template on the upper part - Remove the template - Remove the marked Collar upper part The work above as you see has got 6 steps to complete. There may be some works or tasks which will contain another smaller work which need to be further analysed such as fuse the under collar and mark run stitch. This will obviously mean that one has to analyse the work of fusing before starting the marking operation or work. The modified work will then be - Pick under collar part - Place on the under collar on marking table - Pick fusible interlining - Place on under collar and align properly - Place hot iron box and press - Remove iron box Ÿ Pick collar upper part Ÿ Place on marking table Ÿ Place fused under part on the upper part on marking table Ÿ Place ready collar template on the collar under part and align to fused area Ÿ Mark along the template on the upper part Ÿ Remove the template Ÿ Remove the marked Collar under and upper parts With the addition of fusing the work which was earlier having 6 steps has now increased to 13 steps. In order to breakdown the work into its various operations, the work needs to be analysed first. Work analysis is used as seen above to content of each operation, its level of difficulty and the time it takes to complete. It will guide in planning the work activity and the times such a work and other similar works take. b) Concept of Time and Motion Study and Practice After having understood work, work content and work analysis, the concept of time must be explained with reference to work. Every work or task involves certain operations to complete; they need different amounts of time to complete. The amount of time required for every task varies depending on the content of work involved. The time to start and complete an operation also depends on the methods employed. Therefore time of each operation has to be studied as also the methods employed. 68

To study the time required to perform an operation we must know the operation first. As explained Work,earlier, the work of Mark Run stitch has the following operations: Time Motion- Pick collar upper part Study- Place on marking table- Place ready collar template on the collar upper part- Mark along the template on the upper part- Remove the template- Remove the marked Collar upper partEach of these operations consumes certain amount of time to complete. In a time study one willobserve the time required for these operations and records it. The observed time may be a fraction ofa second for each of the operations and a sum total of all the timings give the time required for thework as a whole.Pick collar upper part 2Place on marking table 3Place ready collar template on the collar upper part 4Mark along the template on the upper part 6Remove the template 1Remove the marked Collar upper part 2Total Time 18 SecThe time for each operation is thus observed over a number of operations. All the operationstogether form one work cycle. The combined timing of the work cycle over a number of times isrecorded and a basic process time or basic time is calculated.During the process of these observations, the method followed by the operator to perform eachof the operations is also recorded. The study of the method involves following or observing themotions performed during the operation. A comparison of the methods adopted by differentoperators for the same job is made along with their timings. The method which completed theoperation in the least amount of time is selected as a standard for the operation.The work study practitioners adopt the following procedures:1. SELECT – It means select the work to be studied2. RECORD – Having selected the work, make direct observations and record them3. EXAMINE – The recorded observations or facts must be critically examined in the same sequence as they occur using appropriate technique 69

Trainer’s 4. DEVELOP – Based on the critical examination, develop a practical, economical andGuide for effective method with regard to all the circumstancesProcuration DEFINE NEW METHOD – Now define the new method developed for ease of identification and implementationManagement 5. 6. INSTALL – Implement or install the method as a standard practice 7. MAINTAIN – Continue to check its practice through regular and routine inspections. Applying the above procedure a basic process time with an observed method is adopted for an operation or work as a standard and is implemented for that operation in the industry. a) Basic Process Time Calculation Observe time of an operator to perform the task and record the time. In doing so remember that a work may involve short or long cycles.Ashort cycle is in which an observation can be made say for 0.15 minute. There may be tasks which take a longer time such as opening a bundle and sorting parts by number. In case of such longer cycles, they must be broken down into further elements which can be recognized by a clear start and finish. These are called breakpoints. Elements are of different types – repetitive, occasional, constant, variable, manual, machine, and foreign or external. Different types of stopwatches are used for timing, the most common being digital stopwatch. The common method of timing is Start – Stop. The watch starts at the beginning of a cycle and is stopped at the end. In the fly-back method of timing, at the start of the first element of the first cycle, the watch is started. At the end of the first cycle, the analog watch is stopped and the reading noted while the hand will fly-back to zero. The process is repeated and reading is taken for as many cycles as required. This is a continuous timing method. In the third method of timing called Cumulative, the timings are recorded continuously and through subtractions each cycle time is established. Timing is recorded to two decimal places as 0.05. In case of fractions such as 0.045 it can be rounded off to 0.05. During recordings errors are committed and whenever such errors are noticed, they must be circled and omitted in the calculation of the time. Since operators work with different skills and at different speeds and make different efforts, while calculating the basic time, a rating of 100 is assumed for the operator. The basic time then will be – Basic time = Observed time X Observed rating Standard rating Example: BT = 1.25 X 80 = 1.00 100 70

a) Modern Tools and Techniques of Time and Motion Study Work, TimeThe conventional work study is conducted using the stop watch to record the time taken for each Motioncomponent of work and recording the same. For ease of recording a method study chart is prepared Studywhich uses a set of symbols and outlines the sequence of operations in a work. Various types ofcharts are used such as outline, flow, flow material travel, string diagram flow, two handed chart,SIMO chart. Stop watches are available in both analog and digital formats. A complete operationcan be timed from start to finish, or each unit or step of the operation can be observed and recorded.Usually the study is conducted for an operation over a period of few weeks and it is conducted forthe same operation by different operators in different sewing lines. Observations and recordings aredone after the operator settles down to work in the morning which is usually about an hour after thework starts. Similarly time and method is recorded in the post lunch session after an hour after theoperator resumes work.The modern tools used for recording are Memotion photography and micromotion analysis. Thevideo recording camera fitted with a high speed lens is used to record every motion performed bythe operator along with the time. Using special software the recorded video is analysed frame byframe and the time taken for each operation is calculated. To compare the methods of the variousoperators tabulation of the recording is done and optimum method identified.Pictorial Explanation of Concepts e) Work, Work Content and WorkAnalysisWork is any task that is to be performed likemarking a pattern or sewingWork has some content which can bemeasured by the time it takes to completeEvery work is analysed to find the amount ofcontent involved so that time requirement canbe established 71

Trainer’s f) Concept of Time and Motion Study and PracticeGuide forProcuration Time is the unit of measure that a work or taskManagement requires to complete There are many repetitive works in the apparel industry The IE observes and records each of the tasks as they are performed by different operators 72

h) Basic Process Time Calculation Work, The observed timings of Time each operator is analysed Motion and the average timing is Study calculated Average timings of all operators is analysed and a basic time is calculated Standard allowances are added for personal fatigue and machine related interruptions 73

Trainer’s 4) Key phrases/ words that you must remember Meaning Key PhraseGuide forProcurationManagementWork study It involves study through observation or data recording of the time from the start to the endMethod study of a work and thereby calculating the timeTime study takenObserved Time The method adopted by the operator to perform a task. There is no right or wrong method It is the time consumed from the start to finish of a work or task Recorded or observed time taken to complete a task by an operatorAllowance The additional time given for the interruptions caused due to personal fatigue or machine breakdownObserved rating It is the average of the times5) Common Mistakes most students / fresher's commit a) Work, Work Content and WorkAnalysisA new recruit in IE department was asked to analyse the work content in the cutting section as it wasfelt that there were more helpers than required. The recruit observed the various works beingundertaken in the section. However he could not calculate the work load in fabric spreading andbundling since the fabric being used was checks and therefore matching checks was a slow processand hence the cutting g supervisor employed more helpers. The recruit should have found out theamount of checks and solid dyed fabric used for production and the use of pinning table. b) Concept of Time and Motion Study and PracticeA fresher was asked to study the collar turning operation in a line and establish the basic time or BT.He observed and recorded the operation timing for once and calculated the basic time. To study thebasic time, a minimum of 20 operations must be observed over a week. c) Basic Process Time CalculationA student was asked to calculate the process time of the class for the task of sitting down andopening the note book. She recorded the operations for adequate number of times. However tocalculate the BPT, she could not calculate the rating which is a the average or mean of all therecorded timings. 74

d) Modern Tools and Techniques of Time and Motion Study Work, TimeWhen a student was asked to time the front placket sewing operation in the sewing lab of the college, Motionhe could not operate the stop watch for each cycle. Study 6) Practical Examples a) Work, Work Content and WorkAnalysisA merchandiser in a company received an enquiry for a women's top with embroidery motif on thefront. She took the enquiry to the sample section for consumption. A pattern was made and agarment sewn to get the near accurate consumption. The embroidery was developed on thecomputer and the number of stitches was calculated. The sample was then given to IE department toestimate the time required. IE did a work content analysis and gave the merchandiser the basic timeper garment and the allowance percentage. b) Concept of Time and Motion Study and PracticeIn garment factory industrial engineers regularly conduct time and method study. Every time a newgarment is introduced in the line, the IE records the observations and calculates the time and sets thetarget. Time study is also used to reward efficiency and improve methods and skills. c) Basic Process Time CalculationAfter observation and recording the timings of every operation in a shirt production line, the IE,calculates the basic time for each operation. Allowance is added for personal fatigue and machinerelated interruptions. A standard time is calculated accordingly. Using the standard time the IEprepared the operation bulletin (OB) including the line efficiency and daily production target peroperation and line. The line supervisor sets the line for production based on the OB. d) Modern Tools and Techniques of Time and Motion StudyA consultant was engaged by a garment factory to improve the productivity and efficiency. After thefirst day of simple observation, the consultant video-graphed every operation and recorded from thesecond day onwards for over two weeks. He then played back the video recording using speciallydeveloped software and analysed every movement of the operators and their method of operationframe by frame. Through graphic analysis and interpretations, the consultant identified the selectedmethods which were time saving and efficient. Putting together the selected operations, theconsultant explained how the productivity can be improved.75

Trainer’s 7) SuggestedActivityGuide for a) Work, Work Content and WorkAnalysisProcurationManagement Make a list of parts in a shirt, write the operations and count the number of operations. 8) Concept of Time and Motion Study and Practice Prepare tea at home and record all the operations and time taken for each operation and the method followed. Then observe while another person is making tea and record the operations performed, time taken for each operation and the method. Compare the results. a) Basic Process Time Calculation Calculate the basic time required for tea making in the above activity. b) Modern Tools and Techniques of Time and Motion Study Record the list of activities starting from the time you woke up till you reached your place of work and the time spent on each activity. You then prepare a pie chart to indicate the time consumed for each of the activities. 76

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Unit 9PRODUCTION CALCULATION 78

Notes 79

Unit 9 PRODUCTION CALCULATION1. Learning outcome for the studentI. Understanding Pitch Time and Bottle neck Pitch TimeII. Will know how to calculate pitch time and applyIII. To know what is configuration and calculating its efficiencyIV. To calculate productivity using configuration efficiency2. Key ConceptsI. Pitch Time and Bottleneck pitch timeII. Configuration and Configuration EfficiencyIII. Lost Time3. Concepts Explained a) Pitch Time and Bottleneck pitch time Pitch time is the speed at which products or parts of products flow from one process to another in production line. Pitch time is a ratio of total SAM of a garment and number of operations to be set for the style. It can also be represented as Pitch Time (PT) = Garment SAM or Total Standard Process Time No. of operations or No. of operators assigned to the line As can be seen pitch time is dependant on the operators employed on the production line. It also depends on the machines in the line and the quantity to be produced. The number of operators varies daily due to various reasons including absenteeism. To determine the number of operators assigned or to be assigned, multiply the available personnel on the day with attendance rate. It can be represented as Assigned personnel = available personnel X attendance rate where the attendance rate is calculated per month and the available personnel represents per day.The other factor that PT is dependant on is the quantity to be produced. The target quantity per day depends on the time available. Therefore pitch time can also be calculated as PT = Working time available per day Target production quantity 80

Trainer’s As can be seen pitch time is dependant on the operators employed on the production line. It alsoGuide forProcuration depends on the machines in the line and the quantity to be produced.Management The number of operators varies daily due to various reasons including absenteeism. To determine the number of operators assigned or to be assigned, multiply the available personnel on the day with attendance rate. It can be represented as Assigned personnel = available personnel X attendance rate where the attendance rate is calculated per month and the available personnel represents per day. The other factor that PT is dependant on is the quantity to be produced. The target quantity per day depends on the time available. Therefore pitch time can also be calculated as PT = Working time available per day Target production quantity where working time is the time available as in a working day of 8 hours is 8 x 60 x 60 = 28,800 seconds divided by the target quantity gives the time required per unit or pitch time. The other factor that determines the pitch time is the machine available. This is applicable when the number of machines available is limited and the operations are known as in PT = Standard machine TimeAvailable Number of units or processes or operations This will enable to allocate machines to the processes or operations in the line as per machine and skills availability. Pitch time as we learnt at the beginning is standard time of a garment distributed among all the operations meaning thereby among all the operators equally. However standard time itself is so small often calculated in a few minutes, it is not always possible to equally distribute a fraction of a second amongst all the operations. As a result one of the operators is allotted more than one operation and thus that operation will become the slowest. Thus the frequency of finished product exiting the production line depends on the slowest operation which is termed as Bottleneck Operation and the time allotted to it is called as Bottleneck Process Time or Bn. P.T. Bn. P.T is obtained by dividing working time with actual production. b) Configuration and Configuration Efficiency The difference between pitch time (PT) and the bottleneck process time (Bn.P.T) will reflect how well the total standard process time (TSPT) is distributed. The allocation of machines and manpower to a production line will determine the efficiency of the configuration. The configuration efficiency (CE) can be calculated as follows: Configuration Efficiency = Pitch Time (PT) X 100 Bottleneck PT (Bn P.T) 81

Actual production divided by target production multiplied by hundred also gives the configuration Productionefficiency. But configuration of machines and operators does not include the hidden bottlenecks of Calculationhandling. Often the distance between workstations is an important factor to determine the timerequired to clear handling bottlenecks. Therefore layout configuration must consider loss due tohandling time.c) Lost TimeIn addition to the loss due to handling time, production is affected due to machine delay, productionrepairs, waiting time, rejects, unmeasured work etc. Lost time can be defined as the differencebetween actual production time and available man hours. Lost time is expressed as a percentage oftotal time available.Lost Time = (TSPT XActual Production Pieces) X 100 (Working Hours X No. of Operators)4) Explanation of Concepts through Calculationsa) Pitch Time and Bottleneck TimePitch Time If TSPT is 20 minutes and number of operations are 60, what is the Pitch Time of the line?Pitch Time (PT) = Garment SAM or Total Standard Process Time No. of operations or No. of operators assigned TSPT = 20 mnts or 1200 seconds to the line No. of Operations = 60 PT = 1200 / 60 PT = 20 seconds If SAM of a trouser is 34 minutes and number of operators assigned are 30, calculate the Pitch Time? SAM = 34 mnts or 2040 seconds No. of operators = 30 PT = 2040 / 30 PT = 68 secondsProduction Target A shirt production line recorded a pitch time of 20 seconds. What is the production target set for the line?Working Hours Pitch Time PT = 20 seconds Number of working hours = 8 or 8x60x60 or 28,800 seconds =28,800 / 20 1440 pieces per dayBottleneck Pitch Time In a garment factory 700 shirts are produced per day. Calculate the bottleneck pitch timeAvailable Production Time Working time available = 28,800 seconds/day Actual Production Number of shirts produced per day = 700 Bottleneck PT = 28,800 / 700 = 41.14 seconds 82

Trainer’s b) Configuration and Configuration EfficiencyGuide forProcurationManagementConfiguration Efficiency (CE) If the PT of a shirt style is given as 45 seconds, calculate the daily production target, bottleneck pitch time andPitch Time (PT) X 100 configuration efficiency. Assume daily production atBottleneck PT (Bn P.T) 85% of the target PT = 45 seconds No. of work seconds/day = 28,800 Target per day = 28,800/45 = 640 pieces Daily production = 544 pieces Bottleneck PT = 28,800 / 544 = 52.94 seconds CE = 45 / 52.94 X 100 = 85%c) Lost Time Lost Time A production line of 60 operators in an 8 hour Lost Time = shift produce 840 garments with a SAM or TSPT of 1800 seconds. What is the time lost (TSPT XActual Production Pieces) X 100 per garment? (Working Hours X No. of Operators) Production per day = 840 pieces TSPT = 1800 seconds No. of Operators = 60 Lost Time = (1800x840) / 28800x60) x 100 = 1512000 /1728000 =0.875 x 100 = 87.5 seconds/piece5) Key phrases/ words that you must remember Key Phrase Meaning Pitch Time The ratio of SAM of garment and the number of operations or assigned personnel Configuration The number of machines configured for a quantity of work Bottleneck Pitch time The slowest process time or the operation in a production line which has lengthier task Configuration efficiency Allocation of machines and manpower to a production line Lost time Time lost in production due to various factors Working hours The number of hours of work put in the work place 83

6) Common Mistakes most students / fresher's commit Production CalculationIt is a common mistake most students commit first time to describe pitch time as the time a sewingneedle takes to penetrate fabric and emerge.Bottleneck pitch time is wrongly considered by a fresher in the IE department as the time that isfastest time after the slowest time in a production lineLoss of time was not recognised by a fresher as loss of production7) Practical ExamplesAn industrial engineer in a garment production company planned the line for production of shirtsusing the SAM, order quantity and delivery date as follows: - Order quantity = 10,000 pieces - SAM = 24 minutes - Production time available = 15 days - Daily production = 60 x 8 / 24 = 20 pieces per dayBut to estimate the total number of days required to complete the production, the industrial engineerhas to assess the number of operators required. This is based on the number of operations in the shirtas 45. Based on the operators, he calculated the pitch time - Additional information available = 45 operators - Pitch Time = SAM / No. of operators = 1440 seconds / 45 = 32 seconds - Target per day = working time per day / pitch time = 28800 / 32 = 900 - No. of days required to complete the order quantity = 10,000 / 900 = 11 daysHowever, the factory absenteeism is 15%. Hence the configuration efficiency is 85%. Therefore thepitch time has to be increased and PT of 32 seconds will become the Bottleneck PT. The PT will bethen = CE% = PT / Bn PT X 100 or 32 X 0.85 = 27.20 seconds. Due to the revised PT, the operatorsrequired is = 1440 / 27.20 = 53 operators.8) SuggestedActivityA shirt sample is given to you. SAM of the shirt is known. Identify the number of operations in thegarment and set the target for daily production.84

Trainer’s NotesGuide forProcurationManagement 85

Unit 10SHOP FLOOR, BATCH SETTING & PROCESS RE-DESIGN 86

Notes 87

Unit 10 SHOP FLOOR, BATCH SETTING & PROCESS RE-DESIGN1. Learning outcome for the studentI. To draw shop floor plan and set batchII. Knowledge of manpower and machine requirement and work assignmentIII. To know the procedure to compile work flow configuration chart and understand its applications and calculating its efficiency2. Key ConceptsI. Shop floor plan and batch settingII. Process Allocation & manpower and machine allocationIII. Work flow configuration chart – Procedure to prepare, its applicationIV. The Pitch Diagram3. Concepts Explained a) Shop floor plan and batch setting The shop floor is planned to facilitate ease in production, operator convenience and space utilisation. Last things first, space being a real estate term of built up area which is available at a premium price, its utilisation must be not only aesthetic but also optimal with least wastage. The various sections of the production – fabric and trims warehouse, cutting, sewing, finishing and packing are all ideally located in the sequence of process flow. Depending on the production capacity planned, areas for each of the sections are allocated. Warehouse floor plan is made keeping in mind the first come first out principle which is followed through the entire unit to reduce cost of carrying inventory for long periods. The material in the warehouse is arranged by production order and is issued as for inspection and checking accordingly. Racks of suitable heights are used for fabric and trims storage. Cutting section is planned to accommodate area for fabric relaxation, spreading, cutting, bundling and numbering, and fusing and storage. The size of each cutting table depends on the production capacity of planned. A medium size production unit will accommodate a modest cutting capacity of about 10,000 pieces. The cutting table width is usually suitable to spread fabrics of widths of up to 60 inches and a height of 4 ½ feet. The length of the table usually extends to 20 meters. 88

Trainer’s The sewing section which continues or extends from the cutting section is planned to accommodateGuide forProcuration production of up to 5000 pieces of garments in a day. Accordingly the machines are laid out.Management Depending on the production system to be followed machines are laid out length wise or U shape or in comb shape or in blocks. Direction of the machines is important. In the linear placement machines are usually placed one behind the other. In the horseshoe or U shape placement machines are placed adjacent to one another. The comb shape placement is for assembly and sub-assembly or parts design with parts preparations forming teeth that join the linear assembly line at junctions where the assembly requires a part to join the body. A variation of the comb shape is the fish bone diagram where the parts join the assembly on either side. In the blocks layout, each block is laid out for one activity such as parts preparation or assembly. Depending on the number of parts in the garment that many blocks are laid out with one of them representing assembly. The sewing section is followed by the finishing and packing sections. Various activities in the finishing section such as trimming, spotting, dusting, and ironing are laid out in linear design as continuous flow. Packing section follows finishing where the ironed garments are folded, tagged and packed in cartons. After the general layout of the plant, each section is designed with specific activity space defined and the machine and furniture placed appropriately. In case of sewing section after defining the machine placement the layout must identify by name the position of each operation, the machine name and model. Depending on the machine specification such as single needle lockstitch (SNLS) or double needle lockstitch (DNLS) or feed of arm (FOA) operator skill is specified and indicated by grade A to C. The layout also specifies the operator work stool position. The production layout also has to identify the manual operations and their positions in the line of machines. Placement of the tables and the work direction must be indicated. Other furniture required in the sewing section such as work bins and their placement needs to be specified. The entire plant layout is a diagram with suitable symbols for identification and the diagram and the various machines and tools are drawn to scale. This will enable the plant engineer to utilise the space available in the sewing section optimally and provide for aisles and conveyors between sewing lines for easy movement. a) ProcessAllocation & manpower and machine allocation The machine layout is different from plant layout. Plant layout is made at macro level and is fixed for the plant since steam and electrical wiring and conveyor system are installed once and any shifting or modification means additional expenditure. However, the machine placement in the sewing line is adjusted according to the style to be produced. Some styles need more number of machines while some less, similarly number of specialised machines. Therefore shifting of machines and reducing the number of machines is a common practice in the industry. 89

In order to plan the layout of the line or batch as it is called, the industrial engineer needs to know the Shop Floor, Batch (a) Pitch time (PT) (b) Total standard process time (TSPT) Setting (c) Order quantity & (d) Style details. (e) Rate of absenteeism Process Re-DesignBased on the five factors the IE will calculate the number of machines and type of machines, numberof operators and checkers and finally the daily production target for the line. On the basis of the styledetails, number of operations is calculated and manual and machine operations are differentiated.Using the formula Working Time / PT = Production Target is set. The ratio between the target andactual production (Target / Actual = Bn.P.T) will be the bottleneck pitch time (Bn.P.T). Theconfiguration or batch efficiency is calculated using the formula PT / Bn P.T X 100If the batch efficiency is lower than the desired resulting in daily target being not met, the IE mustrevise the production target or improve efficiency through re-allocation of operations. Whileallocating operations care must be taken to see that no operation exceeds the PT and in combinationsof multiple tasks must not exceed Bn P.T. Required skill inventory must be identified as also thework aids that can reduce the Bn P.T. c) Work flow configuration chart – Procedure to prepare, its applicationOnce the batch is organised, work flow configuration chart or process flow chart must be prepared.The flow chart will compile the operation flow and production conditions and makes it convenientto understand the complete process and defines the operation of each operator. Work flowconfiguration chart is the combination of process flow and machine configuration of the batch.Standard time of each process or operation is recorded in the chart and a total of these must be equalto the TSPT or SAM. d) The Pitch DiagramThe pitch diagram is prepared to identify through graphic representation the pitch time and theTSPT or SAM of the garment. The diagram is plotted on the individual SAM of every operationwith a parallel PT of the operation and based on hourly production.90

Trainer’s 4) Pictorial Explanation of ConceptsGuide forProcurationManagement a) Shop floor plan and batch setting Shop floor plan is represented by various symbols - Machine and Machine Direction Process, Process Data Conveyor System of Production 91

b) ProcessAllocation & manpower and machine allocation Shop Floor, Batch The process allocation with machine and Setting manpower is & represented through a Operation Bulletin Process Re-Design92

Trainer’s c) Work flow configuration chart – Procedure to prepare, its applicationGuide forProcurationManagement Work flow and process chart is 93

d) The Pitch Diagram Shop Floor, Batch The Pitch diagram enables comparison of Setting the SAM and PT of each & operation in a production batch Process Re-Design5) Key phrases/ words that you must remember Key Phrase MeaningOperator Skill The skill of performing an operation at a speedProcess Chart The process of constructing a garment part byAisle partBatch Setting Space between two columns or rows of sewing lines Garments are produced in batches as each production order is for a specific quantity. After every PO production is completed a new PO is taken up for production and the production line may have to be re-arranged6) Common Mistakes most students / fresher's commitMany fresher's do not know the difference between pitch and standard time and often make wrongcalculations of capacities as a result.In preparing the plant layout for a shirt production, one student arranged sewing workstations facingeach other instead of either side by side or one behind other. As a result ample opportunity for crosstalk was given. 94

Trainer’s 7) Practical ExamplesGuide forProcurationManagement An industrial engineer in a reputed export house prepared a shop floor layout for a shirt manufacturing facility. He had planned all production related activities at one level starting with fabric warehouse. Cutting section was designed to follow the warehouse inspection area. Fusing and embroidery facilities were placed in the area following the cutting section. Sewing section followed these activities resulting in minimal movement of workers and large savings in time. Finishing and packing were designed in the area following the sewing section. Packing section opens to the trucking bay and finished goods loading was planned with simple and easy movements of men. The layout was appreciated by the management as a feasible and practical design. 8) SuggestedActivity Take aA3 size paper and draw a the process chart for trouser production. 95

Notes 96

Unit 11CUTTING FLOOR 97