What Is Garment Manufacturing Process
Garment manufacturing process is the details of how to production a design in bulk, it is including prepare work: production sample, grading size, production detail form and production work(grading pattern, confirm bulk fabric sample,making production plan, purchase fabric and accessories, shrink fabric, cut, seam, medium inspection, finished seam inspection, iron, cut thread and packing.)
Prepare Work
When we get the order from clients, first of all, we will confirm one more time for the design details, like fabric, color, size, how many size, each size quantity, labels etc.
After confirm the order and details, hold on, we still need these things:
1.Production sample, this sample need to same as the last sample, including all the newest comments, everything should be correct, as the production group will follow this sample, anything not clear will check this sample first, so it is very important to make it correct
2.Grading size: Grading size is based on the sample size, grading more size according to size guide, like XS S M L XL, the sample is S, but bulk operation you need to have all the size details first, so factory would know how to operation the pattern grading. This is also very important, as the fabric cutting is according to grading size, if it is not correct, all of these cloth would be not correct.
3.Production details form: the form should including the fabric supplier, accessories supplier, fabric color, size and quantity, production time, production quality request, packing details, QC details, so the production group will know the standard and details directly, not need passing by anyone else.
All the prepare work was said very important, do you know the reason?
Because bulk operation is based on the prepare work, any mistake on it would be increased to the whole production and very hard to modification or even can not modification.
This is why we list the prepare work, we prefer to cost more time on prepare work, rather than find the mistake on bulk operation.
Prodution Work
If all the things are ready, we will take and send to production group. The order start to running.
When the production group receive the production sample, grading size, production form, they will start to operation:
1. Check the grading size is regular or not, like front bust grading and back bust grading same or not, the neckline grading and shoulder seam grading add is same as shoulder across grading or not, we need to confirm everything is regular and able to operation, anything not normal we will back to clients and confirm it, and then arrange grading the pattern according to the last grading size.
2. Contact the fabric supplier offer the bulk fabric sample and make sure it is in stock or arrive date. Offer bulk fabric sample as we need to confirm the bulk fabric is same like sample or not. normally the sample fabric will a little bit difference with bulk fabric, due to the bulk fabric is dye the color not the same time, every time the dye color would a little bit different, so we need to confirm the color is accept or not. Confirm in stock or arrive date, some hot sell fabric is selling very fast, when we making sample it is in stock, but when clients confirmed the sample, it may sold out and need 2 weeks to production, so we need to confirm first once clients confirm the order, to save the time.
3. Making the production plan , make a production plan is necessary, easy for arrange the next step with exact time, so we can control the process and able to update to clients, any place didn’t follow the time list, we can check what happen and the new update. Another part is before the fabric arrive, it is not able to control the time, but once the fabric and accessories, we are able to control and calculate the time.
4. Calculate the fabric for each size and know the quantity of fabric in total, this is pattern maker work, preparation for the cut work, if too much would waist the fabric and extra cost, but not enough may delay the production or different colors, not easy to calculate, normally we will choose purchase more fabric to make sure the production not bee affect.
5. Confirm bulk fabric sample, purchase all the fabric and accessories according to the production details form. Before confirm the bulk operation fabric sample,we need to tell fabric supplier the quantity we need and ask them to help keep this quantity 2 to 3 days, then we will have it once we confirm. the accessories need to purchase after the fabric, as some of them need to dye to match the fabric color, take a fabric sample would be much easier and more close.
6. Shrink the fabric. Shrink the fabric is too keep the size same like the grading size, normally the fabric with stretch need to shrink, all the knit fabric and stretch woven fabric. We will decide the fabric need to shrink when we making the sample, iron to test it, if the fabric getting shorter, we will decide need to shrink, after shrink, the fabric shape would be keep so easy to control the size, if you are not sure, better arrange to shrink for all the fabric.
7. Cut the fabric according to grading size, cutting fabric is another part to control the size, if cut bigger or shorter, it is very hard to process on seam part, they may need to measure the fabric first before seam, it will make the production very slow, if shorter, even not able to use, so take care about the cut.
8. Have a production meeting with production group about the details before start, this meeting is tell the production group the quality request, and the production group tell us the question or problem, we will confirm it by one time, so they will know how to operation and follow the request.
9. Start to seam, after confirm everything, production start to seam, this part we should help them not affect by the other things, like clients want to change which part, it is should not happen at this time, because this is not their duty, once start to seam means the changes are not acceptable, if we have to do it, we need to back to first step, repeat the work.
10. Medium inspection once the first pieces complete, Medium inspection as we want to check if it is any difference with the quality request, now most of them not finished yet, we still have time to fixing it with out extra time and repeat work, any different place need to confirm if it is in normal range, if not, find the reason and fixing at once, don’t waist time, every body is moving.
11. Finish seam, after Medium inspection is no problem, workers continue seam until all the pieces finished, this time we just need to check the time is normal or not, solve their problems
12. QC inspection once all the pieces finished seam, final inspection need to check the production form, all the details need to check one by one, if it is correct, and the the size measurement, check the size is under the range, and then check the seam working, recording everything and send the report clients, if it have problems, tell clients what is the way to solve the problems and operation it, after solve it, take picture and confirm with clients.
13. Iron, make the seam and the shape more clear, a good iron worker will make the cloth looks much better, show us the most beautiful part of a garment
14. Cut thread and packing, after iron we need cut thread at same time wait it getting cold and dry, then packing it in a good shape. Packing also including packing in a carton box, normally we are packing same design in one box, can not mix color, and size normally mixing no more than 2 size except the last box, so clients would easy to keep in their stock.
By the way, if clients want third party to do the final inspection, it should after packing, because they need to check the packing request also, not yet packing is not yet finished, some of them would reject to do inspection due to this reason.
