Apparel Total Quality management

Inspection: The essential process of maintaining the quality of raw materials used during making
the finished product is called inspection. For garments, need to check the quality of fabric, sewing
thread, trims etc.

Fabric Inspection:

 Fabric inspection is systematic observation of fabrics to decide whether it meets: Client’s

specification in terms of count/construction, color, design, measurement specifications,
hand/feel and other specific quality parameters laid down by the clients.
 This will minimize the quantity of panels or garments rejected for fabric faults, thereby
ensuring the quality of the finished goods. Fabric inspection is also considered as pre-
production inspection for garments or other textile products.

Figure: Fabric inspection

Benefits:

 The main objective of the inspection is the detection of defects as early as possible in the
manufacturing process.
 Fabric inspection ensures to minimize the rejection of cut panels or rejected garments due to
fabric faults.
 Fabrics supplied to customers meet their specifications and standards; thereby they face less
customer returns and recalls.
 Inspected approved fabric ensures not only finished garment quality but also reduces rejects,
improves efficiency and timely deliveries.

Fabric inspection Systems:

There are various fabric inspection systems:

 4- Point system
 10-Point System.
 Graniteville "78" system.
 Dallas system.

4-POINT SYSTEM:

 The 4-Point System, also called the American Apparel Manufacturers (AAMA) point-
grading system for determining fabric quality, is widely used by producers of apparel
fabrics.
 The 4-Point System assigns 1, 2, 3 and 4 penalty points according to the size and significance
of the defect. No more than 4 penalty points can be assigned for any single defect.

 Defect can be in either length or width direction, the system remains the same. Only major
defects are considered. No penalty points are assigned to minor defects.
  In this system, one should inspect at least 10 percent of the total rolls in the shipment and
make sure to select at least one roll of each color way.
 Fabric defects are assigned points based on the following:

Calculation of total points per yards:

In 4 point system fabric quality is evaluated by unit points/100 yd2

If total penalty points /100 yd 2 =<40, roll is accepted, more than 40 points roll is rejected
10 POINT SYSTEM:

In 1955s “Ten Points” piece goods evaluation was adapted by the Textile Distributors
and National Federation of Textiles. The system assigns penalty points to each defect
as per following guideline.

According to this system, the fabric roll is considered good/ First if the total penalty
points, assessed to that roll, do not exceed the length of the fabric. If the points
exceed the length of fabric in a roll, then it is considered ‘seconds’ and may be
rejected. Suppose if the fabric roll having a length of 50 inch is inspected in a ten-
point system and the total penalty points are less than 50. Then the fabric roll was
considered good

Warp Defects

…..Size of defects →→→→→→→→→→→→→→Penalty

 Up to 1 inch →→→→→→→→→→→→→1 Point

 1 to 5 inches →→→→→→→→→→→→→3 Points
 5 to 10 inches →→→→→→→→→→→→5 Points
 10 to 36 inches →→→→→→→→→→→10 Points

Filling/Weft Defects

…..Size of defects →→→→→→→→→→→→→Penalty

 Up to 1 inch →→→→→→→→→→→→ 1 Point

 1 to 5 inches →→→→→→→→→→→→3 Points
 5 inches to half the width →→→→→→5 Points
 Half to Full width →→→→→→→→→→10 Points

Advantages

 Oldest and most used in woven finished fabric.

 In it length of fabric is used and along the length of warp and weft defects are
identified.

Disadvantages

 It has width limitation.

 It is difficult in practical use.

 Under the Ten-Point System, a piece is graded a "first" if the total penalty points do not
exceed the total yardage of the piece. A piece is graded a "second" if the total penalty points
exceed the total yardage of the piece.
 Penalty points are assigned as per the following:
The following points are noteworthy:

 This system is bit complicated because points per length are different for warp and weft
defects.
 It is difficult in practical use.

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Major Inspection point to be verified final inspection:

 Styling or Workmanship of the garment

 Trims & Accessories (labels, Buttons) placement check
 Fabric & Trims quality check
 Dyeing shade matching & dyeing faults, fastness check
 Printing, Embroidery check (if have)
 Measurement
 Fitting
 Shape of the garments
 Proper finishing like ironing, folding, Packing check
 Overall appearance
Label:
Label is a part of garments which indicates the various instructions about the garments. Without
any label a garment cannot be sold especially in export oriented market. The essential data like size
of the garments, fiber type, care data, country of origin, company name, and trade mark etc.

Types of label: There are mainly two types of label as below:

 Main label
 Sub label
 Size label
 Price label
 Composition label
 Fit label
 Waist tag
 Premium Label
 Care label

 Main label: Main label contains brand name of buyer, country name. Like
J.C. Penny, Levis etc.
 Sub label: Sub label is of different types as below:

 Size label: Size label indicates the size of the garments.

 Price label: This label indicates the price of the garments.

 Composition label: This label indicated the composition of the garments that
means what type of fabric and what percentage is used to manufacture the
garments. i.e.: 80% polyester, 20% cotton or 90% cotton, 10% spandex etc.

 Care label: It is very important that the customers be given accurate
information as to how to take care of their garments. SO that they can make
informed purchase decision concerning the care characteristics of competing
products and to enable consumers and cleaners to avoid product damage
caused by the use of improper cleaning procedures.
 Care label is a typical label that indicates the care instruction of the garments
by internationally recognized signs. In this label instruction has been given
that how to clean the garments. Especially washing, bleaching, drying,
laundering, ironing etc is marked in the label.
Care labeling:

• Care label means a permanent label or tag, containing regular care information and
instructions, that is attached or affixed in such a manner that it will not become separated
from the product and will remain legible during the useful life of the product.

• Care instructions are small solutions to big problems. Care labels provide guidelines to
consumers about apparel care, and the best cleaning procedures to be used for a particular
combination of fabric, thread decoration and construction techniques. Following the
instructions on the care labels is an assurance that the appearance and fit of the garment will
be maintained after repeated cleaning treatments.
• From a manufacturer’s point of view, damage to garments from incorrect cleaning methods
can lead to complaints; costly customer returns and a bad image. Whereas accurate and
clearly written care labels can prevent customer dissatisfaction. From a consumer’s point of
view, accurate and clearly written care instructions serve as a cleaning guide and influence
purchase. Garments with ease of care are often preferred over garments with complicated or
difficult to understand care procedures
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Importance of care label:

• Labels in clothes and other textile articles play a huge role in the buying decision of a
consumer. For some, the convenience of dry cleaning might be a reason to pick up a certain
garment, while some might prefer machine wash more economic. Hence consumers, look
beyond the aesthetics and fabric of a product. The after use and maintenance is vital to push
their decision forward or backward to buy.

• The care labeling functions as a guideline to washing and caring. The instructions also help
laundry washers and dry cleaners, while cleaning clothes and other textile articles like
carpets, curtains, or cushion covers for their consumers. It also serves as guidelines to
consumers for increasing the life of a product and can prevent them from causing damage of
a garment.
• Colorfastness, shape, ironing, appearance, are also the matters of concerns with consumers
post purchase of a product. The chemical composition and structure of fibers used in a fabric
decide the method of cleaning and storing an article. According to the chemical sensitivity of
the fabric, the type of detergent, bleaching, or dry cleaning will be determined, and
depending on heat sensitivity of the fabric, the washing, drying, and ironing will be
established.

• Fabrics that are loosely woven, and can easily get out of shape, require special care while
washing, drying, and ironing. All these things help in maintaining the condition and
serviceability of the garments and other products. The creation of a garment or a textile
article adds to the intricacy of caring procedures. It is not possible to add all details to
 strengthen the life of a product; hence it is only fair on the part of the suppliers to help
customers with care labeling to guide them.

Care Labelling Systems

There are five care labelling systems which are generally used on care labels. These systems are:

 The European Care Labelling System

 The American Care Labelling System
 The International Care Labelling System
 The Japanese Care Labelling System
 The Canadian Care Labelling System

American care labeling System:

• According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Care Label rule, care labels may be composed
of either words or symbols. Irrespective of whether the content is words, symbols, or both,
care instructions appear in the following order:

• Machine wash / hand wash / dry-clean

• Washing temperature (hot / warm / cold)

• Washing machine programme (delicate / permanent press / normal cycle)

• Bleaching instruction (do not bleach / non-chlorine bleach / chlorine bleach)

• Drying method (tumble dry / line dry / flat dry / drip dry)

• Ironing (do not iron / cool iron / warm iron / hot iron)

• Warnings

• In addition to the care label instructions, manufacturers and importers must provide labels
that:

• Are permanently attached so that they can be easily seen at the point of sale. If the product
is packaged, displayed or folded so that the customers cannot find the label, care
information must also appear on the side of the package or on a hang tag
• Remain fastened and legible during the useful life of the product

• Mention the regular care needed for the ordinary use of the product

• Warn the customer about additional factors which may harm the garment

Symbol used in American care labelling system:

The European care labelling system:

• Individual committees of the European Union are reviewing existing care label standards by
collaborating with other international bodies so that they can create a unified system under
the ISO scheme.

• The symbols used in Europe are trademarked by GENETEX and a trademark fee needs to
be paid to GENETEX, the trademark holder, if the garments are to be sold in a GENETEX
country. Member nations of GINETEX are Belgium, France, Germany, England,
Netherlands, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain.

• A correct care label for European countries is required to consist of at least four and
sometimes five symbols in the following sequence: 1) Washing, 2) Bleaching, 3) Ironing, 4)
Dry-Cleaning 5) Drying.
Fabric Performance Codes:
The Premiere Vision Performance Codes were created to highlight specific properties or qualities of
the fabric. These are value-added characteristics of the fabric which may or may not be visible to the
buyer.

Premiere Vision Fabric Performance Codes:

Premiere Vision Fabric Performance Codes are listed below with their meanings:
Eco-Textile:

Eco-Textiles refer to clothing and other accessories that are designed with organic and recycled
materials, reducing the environmental impact throughout the life-cycle of it.

Eco-Labelling System:
•Eco-labels are a sub-group of environmental labeling and convey environmental information about
a product to the consumer and communicate that the environmental impacts are reduced over the
entire life cycle of a product without specifying the production practices.

•Eco-labelling is becoming a differentiating factor on a worldwide scale in retail markets for textile
and apparel purchase. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the adverse impact so
industrial pollution on the environment and their health, resulting mounting pressure on textile,
fashion industry to adopt more eco-friendly, chemicals and manufacturing processes.

Eco-labelling can accomplish several goals:

•Improving sales or image of a labeled product;

•Stimulating consumer awareness about environmental impact of products;

•Directing manufactures for the environmental impact of their products; and

•Ultimately improving the quality of the environment and encouraging the sustainable management
of resources

EMS:
An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a set of processes and practices that enable an
organization to reduce its environmental impacts and increase its operating efficiency. This site
provides information and resources related to an EMS for small businesses and private industry, as
well as local, state and federal agencies. The EPA continues with its progress in developing and
maintaining an environmental management system at each of its offices, labs, and other facility
operations, focusing on the reduction of the agency's environmental footprint.

Importance:

— mitigating the potential adverse effect of environmental conditions on the organization;

— assisting the organization in the fulfillment of compliance obligations;

— enhancing environmental performance;

— controlling or influencing the way the organization’s products and services are designed,
manufactured, distributed, consumed and disposed by using a life cycle perspective that can prevent
environmental impacts from being unintentionally shifted elsewhere within the life cycle;

— achieving financial and operational benefits that can result from implementing environmentally
sound alternatives that strengthen the organization’s market position;

— communicating environmental information to relevant interested parties.

Elements /Stages/Requirement to establishing EMS:

The steps for establishing environmental management system:

▪ Initial Review
This is one of the preliminary stages in developing a formal environmental management system. An
organisation must perform this initial review or internal audit to identify the environmental
problems and deficiencies. Examples are given below:
Environmental policy:

After the initial review, the top management must declare the policies that will help achieve “
Environmental compliance with the existing national law and regulations and commitment to
continual improvement”

Objective and Target

Upon establishing the policy, the organization must formulate the objectives and targets for the
identified activities, processes or services that are responsible for significant environmental impact.
Note that objective must be simple, flexible, and measurable and realistic.

Organization and Personnel

The organization management must ensure human, capital and technology for implementing EMS.
The top management must assign representative/personnel, who will have defined roles and
responsibilities to implement the system.

Training:
The organization must assign responsibility to the designated person and provide environmental
awareness training to familiarize them with their regular duties for implementing the EMS. This
should provide employees with the basic skill and motivation for the effective implementation of the
EMS.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

After any occurrence of accident or spill, the organization must review the emergency response and
preparedness. Periodically the procedure must be tested to monitor its practicality.

Environmental Management Manual and Documentation:

An organization must have a written Environmental Management Manual and prepare documents
when needed. This is essential because it provides guideline for the operation of the activities.

Internal Audit and Record Keeping:

An organization must do internal audits at regular intervals to keep record of its environmental
performance. Note that all the documents related to the EMS is kept up to date and approved by the
appropriate authority.

Corrective Action:
After each audit, a corrective action or preventive action should be taken to eliminate the actual and
potential nonconformities.

Monitoring and Continual Improvement:

As a follow up of implementation of corrective actions, monitoring should be carried out to check

the effectiveness and further improvement.

ISO : 14001

ISO 14001 is one standard within a set of standards known as the ISO 14000 series.

ISO 14001 is a global term for a set of standards that specifies the various requirements that have to
be satisfied in setting up an effective EMS, such that the risks of pollution incidents and other forms
of environmental damage through the operations and activities of a company are minimised. The
clauses in ISO 14001 are written in a general way so that the standard can be applied in a wide
range of industries and in diverse geographical and social conditions. The guidelines specify the
various procedures that need to be implemented.

Summary of Requirements of ISO 14001:

It is useful to first summarise what the main requirements of ISO 14001 are:

• The fundamental requirements of the EMS implemented are that it should:

– Identify and assess the environmental impact of all of a company’s operations, and repeat this on a
regular basis.

– Consider all of the company’s operations and activities that are identified as having a potential or
actual environmental impact, and set environmental protection targets that are appropriate to the
scale and impact of the operations, but within the constraints of what is technically possible and
economically affordable.

– Irrespective of cost, ensure that the company at least complies with all relevant environmental
legislation that its operations may be subject to in respect of their environmental impact.

– Be continually reviewed and improved wherever possible. – Have all aspects of the policy written
down in documentation that is available to the public.
• Everyone in a company must be fully committed to the EMS being operated. • Appropriate
communication paths must be established to ensure that the EMS operates efficiently.

• Responsibility for the implementation, operation and review of the EMS must be assigned to one
designated person.

OEKO TEX:

Oeko-Tex is a registered trade mark, representing the product labels and company certifications
issued and other services provided by the International Association for Research and Testing
(IART) in the Field of Textile and Leather Ecology.

The Oeko-Tex Association issues the product-related labels

 Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex (labeld)
 Made in Green by Oeko-Tex
 Leather Standard by Oeko-Tex
 Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex for chemicals to be used in textile production
 STeP by Oeko-Tex label (formerly Oeko-Tex Standard 1000)
 Detox to Zero status report for production facilities.

Oeko-Tex labels and certificates confirm the human-ecological safety of textile products and leather
articles from all stages of production (raw materials and fibres, yarns, fabrics, ready-to-use end
products) along the textile value chain. Some also attest to socially and environmentally sound
conditions in production facilities.

The Standard 100 by Oeko:

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is one of the world’s best-known labels for textile raw
materials, intermediate and end products (at all stages of production) tested for harmful
substances. It stands for customer confidence and high product safety.

If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, every component of this article, i.e.
every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that
the article therefore is harmless for human health. The OEKO-TEX® laboratory tests include
 around 100 control parameters and take into account the intended use of the textiles. The
more intensive the skin contact of a textile product, the stricter the limit values for each
product class.

A distinction is made between four product classes:

 Product class I: textile articles for babies and toddlers up to 3 years old (clothing, bedding,
towels etc.)
 Product class II: textiles used close to the skin (underwear, bedding, T-shirts etc.)
 Product class III: textiles used away from the skin (jackets, shirt, coats etc.)
 Product class IV: furnishing materials (curtains, tablecloths, upholstery etc.

OEKO-TEX® Standard STeP (1000)

The OEKO-TEX® Standard STeP stands for sustainable Textile & Leather Production. It
certifies the manufacturing process for environment friendly and social responsible
production facilities. It stands for customer confidence and high product safety. The more
intensive the skin contacts of a textile & leather product, the stricter the limit values for each
product class.

Objective of Oeko-Tex:
 Manufacturing textile products in environmental friendly way that is harmless for humans.
 Offering Safe Products to the end users
 Give confidence to the customer that the products are free from any harmful substance.
 To enhance the buying decision make easier by attaching confidence label.
 The introduction of the standard established a globally standardized quality assurance system
for manufacturers and retailers

GOTS:

GOTS is recognized as the world's leading processing standard for textiles made from organic
fibers. The aim of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is to define requirements to ensure
organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and
socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end
consumer.

Only textile products that contain a minimum of 70% organic fibers can become GOTS certified.
All chemical inputs such as dyestuffs and auxiliaries used must meet certain environmental and
toxicological criteria. The choice of accessories is limited in accordance with ecological aspects as
 well. A functional waste water treatment plant is mandatory for any wet-processing unit involved
and all processors must comply with minimum social criteria.

The standard provides two label grades. The classification is based on the minimum percentage of
'organic' 1 'organic in conversion' material in the final product. One of the most important points

ISO-9000:

ISO 9000 is a quality management standard that presents guidelines intended to increase business
efficiency and customer satisfaction. The goal of ISO 9000 is to embed a quality management
system within an organization, increasing productivity, reducing unnecessary costs, and ensuring
quality of processes and products.

ISO 9000 series of Standards:

The ISO 9000 family contains these standards:

 ISO 9001:2015: Quality Management Systems - Requirements

 ISO 9000:2015: Quality Management Systems - Fundamentals and Vocabulary (definitions)
 ISO 9004:2018: Quality Management - Quality of an Organization - Guidance to Achieve
Sustained Success (continuous improvement)
 ISO 19011:2018: Guidelines for Auditing Management Systems

Principles of Quality Management:

The ISO 9000:2015 and ISO 9001:2015 standards are based on seven quality management
principles that senior management can apply to promote organizational improvement.
 ISO 9000 Quality Management Principles

1. Customer focus
o Understand the needs of existing and future customers
o Align organizational objectives with customer needs and expectations
o Meet customer requirements
o Measure customer satisfaction
o Manage customer relationships
o Aim to exceed customer expectations
o Learn more about the customer experience and customer satisfaction

2. Leadership
o Establish a vision and direction for the organization
o Set challenging goals
o Model organizational values
o Establish trust
o Equip and empower employees
o Recognize employee contributions
o Learn more about leadership

3. Engagement of people
 o Ensure that people’s abilities are used and valued
o Make people accountable
o Enable participation in continual improvement
o Evaluate individual performance
o Enable learning and knowledge sharing
o Enable open discussion of problems and constraints
o Learn more about employee involvement

4. Process approach
o Manage activities as processes
o Measure the capability of activities
o Identify linkages between activities
o Prioritize improvement opportunities
o Deploy resources effectively
o Learn more about a process view of work and see process analysis tools

5. Improvement
o Improve organizational performance and capabilities
o Align improvement activities
o Empower people to make improvements
o Measure improvement consistently
o Celebrate improvements
o Learn more about approaches to continual improvement

6. Evidence-based decision making

o Ensure the accessibility of accurate and reliable data
o Use appropriate methods to analyze data
o Make decisions based on analysis
o Balance data analysis with practical experience
o See tools for decision making

7. Relationship management
o Identify and select suppliers to manage costs, optimize resources, and create value
o Establish relationships considering both the short and long term
o Share expertise, resources, information, and plans with partners
o Collaborate on improvement and development activities
o Recognize supplier successes
o Learn more about supplier quality and see resources related to managing the supply chain
Just-in-Time (JIT):
Just-in-time, or JIT, is an inventory management method in which goods are received from
suppliers only as they are needed. The main objective of this method is to reduce inventory holding
costs and increase inventory turnover.

Importance of just-in-time:
Just in time requires carefully planning the entire supply chain and usage of superior software in
order to carry out the entire process till delivery, which increases efficiency and eliminates the scope
for error as each process is monitored. Here are some of the important effects of a just-in-time
inventory management system:

Reduces inventory waste

A just-in-time strategy eliminates overproduction, which happens when the supply of an item in the
market exceeds the demand and leads to an accumulation of unsalable inventories. These unsalable
products turn into inventory dead stock, which increases waste and consumes inventory space. In a
just-in-time system you order only what you need, so there’s no risk of accumulating unusable
inventory.

Decreases warehouse holding cost

Warehousing is expensive, and excess inventory can double your holding costs. In a just-in-time
system, the warehouse holding costs are kept to a minimum. Because you order only when your
customer places an order, your item is already sold before it reaches you, so there is no need to store
your items for long. Companies that follow the just-in-time inventory model will be able to reduce
the number of items in their warehouses or eliminate warehouses altogether.

Gives the manufacturer more control

In a JIT model, the manufacturer has complete control over the manufacturing process, which works
on a demand-pull basis. They can respond to customers’ needs by quickly increasing the production
for an in-demand product and reducing the production for slow-moving items. This makes the JIT
model flexible and able to cater to ever-changing market needs. For example, Toyota doesn’t
purchase raw materials until an order is received. This has allowed the company to keep minimal
inventory, thereby reducing its costs and enabling it to quickly adapt to changes in demand without
having to worry existing inventory.
Local Sourcing
Since just-in-time requires you to start manufacturing only when an order is placed, you need to
source your raw materials locally as it will be delivered to your unit much earlier. Also, local
sourcing reduces the transportation time and cost which is involved. This in turn provides the need
for many complementary businesses to run in parallel thereby improving the employment rates in
that particular demographic.

Smaller investments
In a JIT model, only essential stocks are obtained and therefore less working capital is needed for
finance procurement. Therefore, because of the less amount of stock held in the inventory, the
organization’s return on investment would be high. The Just-in-time models uses the “right first
time” concept whose meaning is to carry out the activities right the first time when it’s done,
thereby reducing inspection and rework costs. This requires less amount of investment for the
company, less money reinvested for rectifying errors and more profit generated out of selling an
item.

How does just-in-time work:

The above image shows how a just-in-time model works. First, a customer places an order with the
manufacturer. When the manufacturer receives the order, they place an order with their suppliers.
The suppliers receive the order and then supply the manufacturer with the materials needed to meet
the customer’s order. The raw materials are then received by the manufacturer, assembled, and sold
to the customer.

Drawbacks of just-in-time:
Even though the just-in-time model saves a lot of costs for businesses that use it, it also has a few
drawbacks:

1. Just-in-time makes it very difficult to rework orders, as the inventory is kept to a bare minimum
and only based on the customers’ original orders.

2. The model is dependent on suppliers’ performance and timeliness, which are hard to ensure.
Additionally, the manufacturer needs to be able to cover any sudden increases in the price of raw
materials, since they cannot wait to order during better pricing.

3. In case of disruptions, a JIT model can have a major impact on the business. Since there is no
excess stock to fall back on, sales may come to a halt.

4. A just-in-time system needs to be carefully tracked and organized, which will be hard if you are
doing it manually. Softwares should be adopted as it makes the whole process more manageable.
Even though a good software help you it can be a bit tricky and/or expensive to adopt a new
software system and train your personnel accordingly to use the same.

Therefore, just in time saves you a lot of costs which would otherwise be tied up as inventory
holding cost. At the same time just in time should be executed carefully so that your business does
not face loss in times of unpredictable events.

Poka Yoke: Poka-yoke is a Japanese term that means "mistake-proofing" or "inadvertent error
prevention". A poka-yoke is any mechanism in a process that helps an equipment operator avoid
mistakes and defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur.