I HIGH FABRIC UTILIZATION THROUGH CUTTING ROOM MANAGEMENT N. R. JAYAWARDENA This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology of the University of Moratuwa, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science. DEPERTMENT OF TEXTILE & CLOTHING TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA SRI LANKA JUNE 2007 II DECLARATION I hereby certify that this work incorporated in this dissertation was solely carried out by me under the supervision of Mr. Nihal Wanigatunge, and this dissertation or any material incorporated in it, has not been submitted for any other academic qualification at any institution. ………………………………… Nandika Roshantha Jayawardena. (Candidate) To the best of my knowledge the above statement is correct. ……………………….. Nihal Wanigatunge. (Supervisor) III ABSTRACT “High Fabric Utilization Through Cutting Room Management” One of the growing trends of customer service is to reduce the total operational cost that has to bear when supplying services or goods. As a customer service trade, the garment industry which is a high caliber expanding and fast growing fashionable Industry, is also looking for the reduction of production cost. Hence the fabric plays a vital role in the garment trade; it represents a high percentage of the garment cost. Therefore through getting high fabric utilization will provide a better customer service. The Cutting Room is the place that consumes the fabric to make a value addition as cut panels. Therefore a proper planning and carrying out of cutting room operation is a must to reduce the fabric consumption. Collecting data while working in a cutting room is the method used by me to find the best and effective cutting operational methods. The results benefit to the Cutting Managers and related people to get a decision in advance. Therefore this dissertation can be used as a Management tool in garment industry. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENT It is a great pleasure to thank those who helped me in various aspects in this effort, especially the project Supervisor Mr. Nihal Wanigatunge, who directed and encouraged me to do this dissertation. My heartfelt gratitude goes to Mrs. Sriyani Patikiriarachchi, the Senior Cutting Room Manageress, at Hirdaramani Mercury (Pvt) Limited, Katunayake, who has given a vast support, with her vast knowledge and the experience for more than 25 years in the cutting room. Mr. Ajith Samantha the Pattern maker at Hirdaramaini Mercury (Pvt) Limited at Katunayake gave his heartiest coorperation by drawing patterns and preparing markers and the Senior Supervisor at Cutting room at Hirdaramani Mercury (Pvt) Limited, Katunayake Mr. Sudesh Chandrasinghe who helped me in layering and cutting practices. The Fabric Inspection team with Mr, Michel Lawrence at Hirdaramani Mercury (Pvt) Limited, Katunayake also gave a good support to collect details from suppliers and the history of fabric data. The Cutting room Managers Mr. Serasinghe, at Hirdaramani Industries at Kahathuduwa Mr. Isuru Abeysinghe at Hirdaramani Mercury (Pvt) Limited at Seethawake also gave a good support by giving facts and figures as per my request. The all supports given to me are greatly appreciated. If not for their whole-hearted co-operation this study would not have succeeded so easily. As such I would like to say a very sincere “thank you”. V CONTENTS Content Page No. • Declaration………………………………………………….…… ii • Abstract……………………………………………………….…. iii • Acknowledgement………………………………………………. iv • Contents……………………………………………………….… v • List of illustrations…………………………………………….. vii a) List of figures ………………………………………...... vii b) List of tables………………………………………….…. ix c) List of graphs……………………………………….…… x • Chapter 1..……………………………………………………..… 1 1. Introduction………………………………………………..… 1 • Chapter 2………………………………………………………… 2 2. Objectives and Methodology………………………………… 2 • Chapter 3…………………………………………………………. 5 3. Factors affecting fabric utilization…………………………….. 5 3.1 Customer Requirements………………………... 5 3.2 Supplier Specifications………………………..… 8 3.3 Chemical and Physical Properties of Fabrics.. 10 3.4 Fabric Types and Structures…………….……. 14 3.5 Fabric Faults………………………………..…… 17 3.6 Pattern Engineering……………………….……. 21 3.7 Marker Types……………………………..…….. 23 3.8 Costing Methods……………………………….... 25 3.9 External Process……………………………….... 26 3.10 Internal Process……………………………….… 27 3.11 Resource Utilization…………………………….. 30 3.12 Reducing Wastages……………………………… 31 • Chapter 4………………………………………………………... 32 4. Data Analysis……..……………………………………….... 32 4.1 Why customer requirements are important in the cutting room?......................................................... 32 4.2 Why supplier specifications are important in the cutting room?......................................................... 35 4.3 How does the fabric GSM help the cutting room?. 37 4.4 What is the importance of fabric width?................ 39 VI 4.5 Dealing with inconsistent and narrow widths…. 46 4.6 Is fabric weight important for cutting room?.. 50 4.7 Is it necessary to know the fabric length of a roll? 51 4.8 The effect of the fabric colour and quality for cutting room operations…..................................... 52 4.9 Importance of fabric shrinkage…………………. 53 4.10 The importance of Chemical and physical Properties……………………………………….. 55 4.11 The importance of fabric types and structure in cutting operations………………………………… 57 4.12 Does the fabric fault make a significant damage to the cutting room?................................................ 59 4.13 How to go ahead with fabrics with high fault rate? 64 4.14 Calculation of the amount of fabric waste by fabric fault……………………………………………… 68 4.15 The role of shortage at cutting room……………. 71 4.16 The role of the pattern engineering for “higher fabric utilization”………………………………… 73 4.17 Does the marker making play a vital role in fabric saving?......................................................... 81 4.18 What are the advantages and disadvantages of costing marker methods?....................................... 86 4.19 The type of external reasons, which will disturb the cutting room process…………………………. 94 4.20 Way of reducing fabric and overall cost through pattern and marker making process…….. 96 4.21 How to deal with excess and shortage fabrics at lay planning?.................................................... 99 4.22 What is the best ratio marker?.............................. 102 4.23 How to select the fabric for marker making and cutting operations?........................................ 110 4.24 How to achieve higher fabric utilization through spreading……………............................... 112 4.25 The main cutting errors and how to overcome them. 119 4.26 The methods that can be used to store the cut panels securely before stitching……………..….. 120 4.27 Method to utilize the existing resources by Over coming the day to-day problems…………. 122 4.28 The avoidable wastages…………………………. 124 • Chapter 5…………………………………………………….….. 128 5. Application and Results……………………………….…… 128 • Chapter 6………………………………………………….…….. 142 6. Conclusion…………………………………………….…….. 142 VII LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS a) List of Figures Number Name of the figure Page No. Figure 3.1 Flow chart from Designer to End-user. 5 Figure 3.2 Some fabric labels 9 Figure 3.3 Structure of Woven fabric 14 Figure 3.4 Structure of Knitted fabric 15 Figure 3.5 An example for Skew-ness 17 Figure 3.6 An example for Bowing 18 Figure 3.7 An example for Bowing in both sides 18 Figure 3.8 Two examples for Barre 18 Figure 3.9 A crease line in a fabric 20 Figure 3.10 An overlapping point in a Marker 21 Figure 3.11 Sewing allowance of a Marker 21 Figure 3.12 How to turn a part 22 Figure 3.13 Panel Separation and Merging 22 Figure 3.14 An example of slipping of layers 23 Figure 3.15 Inter-department connections 26 Figure 3.16 The Cutting room process should be 26 Figure 3.17 Internal process flow chart 27 Figure 3.18 Cutting process 31 Figure 4.1 Marker of piping 32 Figure 4.2 Marker of circular panels of scarves 39 Figure 4.3 A piece of fabric with inconsistent width 46 Figure 4.4 How to utilize a smallest waste panel 53 Figure 4.5 Panels with stripes 57 Figure 4.6 Acceptable defects in a panel 65 Figure 4.7 Getting smaller parts from defect panels 66 Figure 4.8 A fabric piece with shade variations 66 Figure 4.9 A fabric piece with uneven repeats 67 Figure 4.10 A fabric piece with crease lines 67 Figure 4.11 Some panels that can round the corners 74 Figure 4.12 Buffer allowance 79 Figure 4.13 Sectional marker 83 Figure 4.14 A single normal marker 86 Figure 4.15 A single one-way marker 87 Figure 4.16 Fabric classification 110 Figure 4.17 Joints in a normal marker 113 Figure 4.18 Joints in a sectional marker 113 Figure 4.19 Joints in an interlock marker 113 Figure 4.20 Pining positions 116 Figure 4.21 A pattern placing method for skew fabric 117 Figure 4.22 Pinning position of a skew layer 117 VIII Figure 4.23 Shirt panels cut by a skewed check fabric 118 Figure 4.24 Bowing effect 118 Figure 4.25 A mirror cutting 119 Figure 4.26 Numbering sticker placement 120 Figure 4.27 A method of avoid defects 126 Figure 5.1 A sketch for fleece stripe top (night wear) 128 IX b) List of Tables Number Name of the table Page No. Table 4.1 Fabric types & highest number of plies can be laid 37 Table 4.2 Values for style number T78/3254 40 Table 4.3 Values for style number T87/4629 41 Table 4.4 Values for style number T87/4600 42 Table 4.5 Values for style number T87/2058 43 Table 4.6 Values for style number T78/3262 44 Table 4.7 Variation between ordered and received widths and shortage occurred 47 Table 4.8 The behavior of fabric supplies of width variation 48 Table 4.9 Lengths of fabric rolls and the number of plies can be laid 51 Table 4.10 Points system – Ten points 60 Table 4.11 Shortage calculation for style number 4416 72 Table 4.12 Values taken by rounding corners 73-74 Table 4.13 Values taken by reducing sewing allowances 76 Table 4.14 Values taken by turning of hidden parts 77 Table 4.15 Values taken by adjusting dimensions 78 Table 4.16 Values taken by parts separation and merging 78 Table 4.17 Values taken by removing buffer 79 Table 4.18 Values for half garment marker 81 Table 4.19 Some single size markers 82 Table 4.20 Figures of a same size set drawn sectional interlock and mixed markers 83 Table 4.21 Comparison of cost and actual ratio markers 89-93 Table 4.22 Additional cost that has to spent 97 Table 4.23 Quantity calculation before cut 99 Table 4.24 Savings and Additional profits 101 Table 4.25 Comparison of set of ratio marker A and B for style 0974 102 Table 4.26 Comparison of set of ratio marker A and B for style 2254 105 Table 4.27 Comparison of set of ratio marker A and B for style 8013 107 Table 4.28 List of all 148cm width fabric received for style 0424 114-115 Table 4.29 The results of spreading Manual vs. Auto 115 Table 4.30 A method of cut issues 121 Table 5.1 Order quantity requirement in colour vise and size vise 128 Table 5.2 Shipment requirement in colour vise 128 Table 5.3 Possible marker and marker length for style T86-2913D 129-135 Table 5.4 The best marker set for style T86-2913D 135 Table 5.5 Inspection list of the fabric received for style T86-2913D 136 Table 5.6 Pattern engineered marker sets for production of style T86-2913D 137-138 Table 5.7 The best markers for all available widths 138 Table 5.8 Lay plan for style T86-2913D 139 X c) List of Graphs Number Name of the graph Page No. Graph 4.1 GSM vs. number of plies per lay 38 Graph 4.2 Marker Efficiency vs. Width for style number T78/3254 40 Graph 4.3 Marker Efficiency vs. Width for style number T87/4629 41 Graph 4.4 Marker Efficiency vs. Width for style number T87/4600 42 Graph 4.5 Marker Efficiency vs. Width for style number T87/2058 43 Graph 4.6 Marker Efficiency vs. Width for style number T78/3262 44 Graph 4.7 Handling cost vs. Weight of a fabric roll 50 Graph 4.8 Defects percentage vs. Number of panels per garment 62 Graph 4.9 Cost of defects removing vs. Number of defects 65 Graph 4.10 Defect garments vs. Consumption 70 Graph 4.11 Value of garment cut pieces vs. Number of garments cut 97 Graph 4.12 Value / Cost vs. Number of garments cut 98 Graph 4.13 Additional profit 100 Graph 4.14 Cost vs. Number of markers 111