Training Program on "Garments Quality Managements System"

1. WELCOME
Abruan Group
Dept. of Industrial Engineering &
Planning

2. Training Program on
“QUALITY CONTROL SYSTEM in
Garments Industry”

3. Quality is the degree to which a commodity meets the requirements of
the customer at the start of its life. (ISO 9000)
What is Quality? What does Quality Mean?
So, Quality is……….
1. Degree of excellence
2. Conformance to requirements
3. Totality of characteristics which act to satisfy a need
4. Fitness for use
5. Fitness for purpose
6. Freedom from defects
7. Delighting customers
Joseph Juran says, quality is “Fitness for Use”. When “fitness for use”
concept applied to garment it must
According quality Guru Philip Crosby, Quality is “Conformance to
Requirements.”

4. Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control
•Assurance: The act of giving confidence, the state of being
certain or the act of making certain.
Quality Assurance: The planned and systematic activities
implemented in a quality system so that quality requirements
for a product or service will be fulfilled.
•Control: An evaluation to indicate needed corrective
responses; the act of guiding a process in which variability is
attributable to a constant system of chance causes.
Quality Control: The observation techniques and activities
used to fulfill requirements for quality.

5. Process Flow Chart of Garments Quality
Fabric Inspection (4 Point System)
Accessories Inspection (10% Inspection)
Shade segregation
Shrinkage test
Size set check

6. Marker check
Spreading quality assurance
Shade segregation
Cut Panel Inspection
Hard pattern check
Process Flow Chart of Garments Quality

7. Risk Analysis Meeting
Pre-production meeting
Quality Assurance when Line Feeding
In process audit Quality Assurance
Two time process check
Process Flow Chart of Garments Quality

8. Two time machine check
7 Pcs Check (Traffic light System)
100% Shell Check
100% Lining Check
100% Shell Lining Join Check
Process Flow Chart of Garments Quality

9. 100% KANBAN Check
Button Pull Check
100% Metal Check
100% Lining Check
Pre Final Inspection
Process Flow Chart of Garments Quality

10. DHU & DEFECTIVE %
Defects
Defects are all those non-conformance that are not acceptable by end customer. Like imbalanced shape of the
garment, broken button or other trims, holes in fabrics, slip stitch, broken seam etc. In a defective garment
there may be more than one defect.
Defective Pieces
Defective pieces are those pieces, which are separated for alteration during checking may be for any causes.
For the quantitative measure there is two measuring unit as Defects per hundred units and percentage
defective.
Defects per hundred units (DHU) – number of total defects in 100 checked garments. The formula for
calculating DHU is
DHU = Total no. of defects found X 100 / Total pieces checked
Percent Defective (%) – total number of defective pieces in 100 checked garments.
Percentage defective = Total no. of defective pieces X 100 / Total pieces checked
Example: Suppose in a day one table checker checked 200 pieces. He found total 15 defective pieces and in
those 15 pieces total 60 defects were found. So, quality measure of that lot in terms of DHU is 30 (60*100/200)
and Percentage Defective is 7.5%.

11. How to change defective or damaged garment parts intelligently?
“Part changing” is not an intended process in garment manufacturing but this process is there
because there is certain reasons where we can’t control the cause of fabric damages in the
garments completely. However, where possible, we have to minimize short shipment and improve
our sales. Part changing is generally done in finishing stages. Most of the fabric defects that are not
acceptable in garments are removed during cutting and stitching processes. Still damaged part is
found in the sewn garment due to heavy washing, dyeing or other reasons.
Instead of rejecting the defective garment, only damaged part can be changed and converted it
into a quality garment. When part changing is necessary and main purpose of the part changing is
to improve ship quantity, part changing must to be done intelligently. It should not increase the
fabric consumption or produce further defective garment in the part changing process. You have to
think from where you will get fabric for part changing? How to remove damaged component and
re-stitch the garment maintaining sewing quality?
For the fabric usage you have multiple options – i) End bits of the cut layers, ii) using fresh fabrics
or iii) replacing damaged parts with good parts of another garment. Which option to be chosen is
depends on garment processing after stitching, fabric types, value added work or embellishment in
the garment.

12. End bit usage for part changing:
In the cutting room, during layering cutters store end bits that are not layered in the lay for a cutting. These end
bits are one type of cutting waste. So for the part change you can use those end bits without increasing fabric
consumption. But here you have to take care about shade matching or lot matching of the fabrics with the
damaged garments. If the garments were heavily washed, then it will be very difficult to match the garment
fabric shade. After changing the parts garment must be washed again to give matching finished look and similar
hand feel.
Fresh fabric usage for Part changing:
If you don’t have enough end bits to replace the damaged parts from the garment, use available fresh fabric.
When using fresh fabric, you may find problem with shade matching, extra fabric consumption for the order. Only
use fresh fabric if there is no problem with shade matching. But for solid colors and yarn dyed fabric there is no
issue related to shade matching.
Using good components from other damaged garments:
This option is chosen when garments are dyed and there are no fresh fabric or end bits or fresh fabric for that
order. The reason, instead of rejecting all garments, you can make some good garment losing few garments. Also
for the high value garment with fine hand embroidery work and where you have less time to complete the
shipment, this option is preferred. Like above options, you have to care about the garment component’s shade
matching.

13. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Quality
Customer complaint:
When buyers received something wrong against the contract with suppliers in terms of product
quality they claim for the damages. It is huge money to pay back to the buyer. Even factory may
lose business relationship with those buyers due to poor product quality. So customer complaint
is considered as most important KPI.
• AQL levels:
It means when garments are inspected what AQL level is being followed as pass or fail criteria.
Though it may vary product to product but it gives clear idea about factory’s quality performance.
Lower the AQL you follow better is the quality performance.
• Percentage Defective level:
This term is also known as Defect %. It is measure of total defective garments founds and total
garments inspected in percentage. It can be calculated batch wise or on the basis of complete
order. Generally factory measure Defect percentage on daily and hourly basis of batch. Lesser the
defect% better is the quality performance.

14. • Defects per Hundred Units (DHU):
Factories measure Defect% but don’t track total number of defects found in inspected pieces.
Tracking of DHU is important because your rework time and work force required for repairing
defect directly linked with DHU number. Lesser the DHU better is the quality performance.
• Rework Cost:
Each rework is a cost to the company. The rework costs vary according to the process and types
of rework. It consumes extra time and increase factory overhead. Process wise and product
wise rework cost can be tracked to measure it. Lower the Rework cost better is quality
performance.
• Right First Time (RFT):
For garment manufacturer RFT quality is an ideal situation. It means whatever activities you do
to make the garment, quality of the garment should be correct at the first time. Data can be
captured for RFT at each process and it is expressed in percentage.

15. Garment Zoning for the Inspection of Visual Defects
Defect Zone of Vest Outwear

16. Defect Zone of Hooded Jacket

17. Defect Zone of Sports coat

18. Defect Zone of Sports coat

19. What are the Critical Defects for a Garment?
Definition of Critical defects:
According to Quality Assurance Manual of Gap Inc. "Anything which can harm the wearer of the
product are critical defects".
Critical defects are also defined as a defect that is likely to result in hazardous or unsafe conditions
for an individual in using the product and that does not meet the mandatory regulations.
A critical defect in clothes may cause accident to the wearer and may malfunction when wearer out
wearing a garment with critical defect.
Example of some critical defects:
•Loose components: Trims and fasteners those are used in the garment but not secure properly. For
example, buttons, snaps, stones etc.
•Sharp edges: During the processing of the garment it come in contact with various sharp metals
such as needles, staples. Broken needles, damaged or broken snap buttons, rivets, wire and pins.
•Drawstrings at head or neck for baby or kids products. Draw string must be avoided in kids clothes.
•Thread or trims which are extensively long or loose.
All the above critical defects must not be present in the product in any circumstances. In an audit if
inspector finds such defects in packed garments, he must fails the audit and ask quality checker for re-
inspection of all goods. For the factory, management should run awareness program on critical defects
and potential risk of the critical defects at end-user point.

20. Major & Minor Defect

21. Major & Minor Defect

22. Major & Minor Defect

23. Major & Minor Defect

24. Major & Minor Defect

25. Acceptable Quality Level
Consumer Product
Critical defects no critical defect is accepted
Major defects AQL 2.5
Minor defects AQL 4.0
AQL standard refers to the maximum number of defective that could be considered
acceptable during the random sampling of an inspection. The Defects that are found
during inspection are classified into 3 levels: Critical, Major and Minor.
The AQL level should be agreed between buyer and supplier before production
commences.
The following AQL standard are usually applied by Hong Kong Q. C. Center Ltd unless
otherwise instructed by customer.

27. How to Improve Apparel Product Quality?
• Specific steps that can enhance quality include:
Communicating the importance of quality, each worker’s role in achieving and maintaining right quality,
and expectations of worker performance
• Maintaining a clean and dry workplace, including storage rooms and shipping areas
• Selecting and utilizing proper equipment for each cutting and assembly step
• Providing the proper tools and training to each worker, and communicating management quality
performance expectations
• Planning and conducting an ongoing program of machine maintenance
• Establishing agreed-upon quality standards with all fabric and finding suppliers before purchase,
including procedures for rejecting/returning unacceptable goods
• 100% inspection of all incoming fabrics to include, at a minimum:
• Visual inspection by a trained inspector running every roll of fabric over a back-lit inspection frame to
identify fabric defects such as holes, tears, stains, stop marks, and width variations, and to compare
actual width and length to reported dimensions.
• Color shade check, compared to agreed-upon (or buyer imposed) shade tolerances under a five-light box
• Rejection and return of all fabric not meeting agreed-upon quality standards
• 100% inspection of value added processes like panel printing, machine embroidery, hand embroidery etc.
No defective panels or components should be sent to assembly. Defective component to be accepted
after corrective measure.

28. Corrective measures:
Replace – replace underperforming suppliers, equipment,
• Repair – repair ill-functioning equipment,
• Retrain – retrain underperforming workers and
• Reward – reward high performing workers
Implementing even a few of these steps will result in improved quality, but each additional
suggestion put into practice will yield significant improvements in product quality.
Traffic Light System
Roving QC
Internal AQL System