Post on 16-Apr-2017
TECH BYTESDo you face the problem of plies getting fused together while cutting 100% polyester or other fabric with thermoplastic fibre content? Do
you feel that more force is needed to cut lays while cutting denim or any other fabric with very high EPI/PPI? Does your straight knife
blade heat up while using with fabrics of high GSM?
How do you solve such problems? Have you ever used wavy blade in straight knife? Are you aware that use of wavy blade in your
straight knife may solve theseproblems?
Yes, definitely we face such kinds of problems while cutting the
100 per cent polyester or similar kind of fabric.The remedy we have
taken to counter the problem is we normally use old blades which
have been used in other styles so that the frequent blade grinding
is not required to heat the blades. While cutting high GSM fabric,
we have to use more force than average or low GSM fabric. To
counter this,we plan the height of the lay according to fabric’s GSM
and also take care that new blades are used in our straight knife to
ensure that there is least possible fraying. As for wavy blades, we
have neither used them in our straight knife cutting machine nor
tried them as a solution to counter such problems.
VIKAS KUMAR,Senior Manager – Cutting and Planning, Shahi Exports, Faridabad,
Haryana, India
We do face problems of plies getting fused together as we
work quite a lot with 100 per cent polyester fabrics. To solve
this problem, we use special blades in our straight knife cutting
machine. Our Eastman cutting machine is compatible with blades
of different brands, of which there are 10-12 variations of blades
available in the market, in terms of height. To reduce such fusing
of edges, we use a blade with grooves on the cutting edge.
This makes it easier to cut the plies as it can be manoeuvred
without difficulty in the 2-inch lay height that we maintain in our
spreading system. Since we do not work with high GSM fabrics,
we do not face the problems of needing to apply force while
cutting with straight knife.
DEEPAK VAZE,Plant Head, Tex Trade India, Surat, India
While cutting 100 per cent polyester fabrics,we make sure that
we spread less plies to ensure there is no fusing between plies.
We lay plies till 1-inch height and use an 8-inch blade in our
Eastman straight knife cutting machine. Since we do not cut
fabrics with high GSM or denim, we do not face the problem of
applying high-level force while cutting.
PUSHPENDRAMISHRA,Production Head, VAM Hi-Fashion Garments, Gurgaon, India
I am really surprised at the level of technology awareness of the
garment manufacturers in India. Use of wavy blade in straight
knife cutting machine is a simple
technology upgrade, which are
commonly used for decades by
garment manufacturers acrossthe
world for cutting special fabrics.
Use of wavy blade reduces friction
generated,resulting in less heatgeneration, thus no fusion of layers happens while cutting 100
per cent polyester,nylon and other thermoplastic fibres.Wavy
blade is also used for cutting denser fabrics like denim, which
results in faster cutting due to chopping cutting mechanism.
Technology is sold like commodities these days, and price and
commission have become more important. Only a few had heard
of something called wavy blade (but never seen), and those who
have heard or seen ‘wavy blade’, never bothered to explore the
technology. Some of the mechanics categorically mentioned
that earlier this wavy blade was used, but nowadays the use is
very limited.
While I am yet to hear any possible disadvantages of using‘wavy’
blade, this only indicates our technicians lack of knowledge
about appropriate machinery and technology to use.
DR. PRABIR JANA,NIFT – Delhi, India
Which department is responsible for recruitment and
training of sewing operators? How do you select fresh
recruits for sewing job? Do you conduct any test (like
peg board test, ball & tube test, etc.)? Please name
thosetests.
Do you conduct any sewing test also? What do you
give/ask them to sew?
After recruitment, how do you train them to make them
production ready? How long is the training period?
What all do you teach in the training period? Are there
any provisions of re-training of sewing operators (to
acquire new skill) who are already in production?
Write your comments to us by 20th November 2016 at:
editor@stitchworld.net or post your views online through our
website: www.apparelresources.com
TechByte
StitchWorld DECEMBER 2016 Question
9 Stitch
Worl
d
India: KG Exports to invest US $ 9 million in new unit
Bangladesh: Renaissance Group continuously evolving to remain competitive
the company we started
in 2006 with the turnover
of Rs. 1 crore, is nowdoing
business worth US $ 6 million
(Rs. 40crore).”
Dua, who is also the President
of the newly formed Knitwear
and Apparel Exporters
Organization, further
informed that exporters of
Ludhiana are trying to stay
united. Additionally, he is
expecting 200 members to
join the association in next
one year.“We will increase our
involvement in AEPC so that
exports can also grow from
here. We are also expecting
few subsidies/incentives
like freight subsidy from the
new Government that will
come into the power post
state elections. So exports
will definitely grow from
Ludhiana, may be 10 times
from the existing Rs. 1,000
crore per year. We have asked
the State Government for
4,000 acre of land to work
floors of 1,20,000 sq. feet
each; moreover, Lean is
expected to be introduced
at the facility.This facility is
expected to be operational by
the mid of 2017, accounting
for US $ 40 million turnover.
Furthermore, the company
also has plans under way for
the second green unit to be
operational by next year.
In another development,
Fast React, a production
planning software,is now
integrated into their planning
and production to boost
efficiency, productivity, and
also save time.
udhiana (India)-based KGL Exports,which exports
tees to France (only), is
coming up with a new factory
by making an investment of
US $ 9 million (Rs. 60 crore).
This new unit will be built on
a land spread across 4 acres
and the production is likely to
start next year. Currently, the
company has the capacity of
manufacturing 3,000 pieces
daily and the target is raising
it to 10,000 pieces per day. It
will also explore new markets
and will work with new
buyers too.
“We will try to make it a
green facility as Ludhiana is
lagging behind on this front.
From last three years we have
been upgrading our unit
and have invested Rs. 5 crore
in machinery for knitting,
stitching and value addition,”
informed Harish Dua, MD of
the company to StitchWorld.
He further added,“It was our
professional approach that
enaissance Group (RG),Ra vertically-integrated
US $ 200 million apparel
manufacturing enterprise
in Bangladesh, is majorly
producing sweaters and
shirts under 6 different
group companies employing
22,000workers.
The Group is in the process of
setting up two green facilities
for cut and sew knits, shirts
and blouses as part of its
expansion plan. One of
the green factories, named
Renaissance Barind Ltd. will
have 36 production lines in
three different production
in this direction and the
Government has also given its
approval onthis,” he says.
Furthermore, Dua averred,
“We will meet more and
more apparel buyers and will
invite them in Ludhiana. We
will also approach more and
more apparel buying houses
which are not very interested
as of now in Ludhiana,”
he concluded.
Additionally, the company
is also moving into the
direction of value addition
to existing products and
product diversification.
“We are doing higher
SMV products, more
prints and embroideries
and sublimation printing.
We have also made
investment on 800 Stoll
and SHIMA SEIKI jacquard
machines for sweaters. All
these initiatives are taking
us forward, preparing for
the future,” informsMd.
Shahriar Alam, Chairman,
Renaissance Group.
Harish Dua, MD, KGExports
India: Indo Transworld Exports upgrades infrastructure; adds capacity
ffering products forO ladies and kidswear,
Indo TransworldExports,
Delhi recently upgraded
its infrastructure and
added capacity too.
Gurpreet Singh Kohli,
Director of the company
said,“We have added
some machines and
new attachments in
our stitching section,
and upgraded our
infrastructure also by
adding machines for
embroidery, pintucks and
other value additions.
Now we have more
inputs to offer our
buyers. All these efforts
made us competitive
and now we are better
placed, be it product,
costing or delivery
schedule compared to
earliertimes.”
The company, mainly
working with Europe
and US, now has 200
stitching machines
and is expecting to
double business with
all these initiatives.
Sabrina Kohli, heading
product development
of the company, shared
that recently they have
developed collections
in chambray, cotton and
viscose blends, a lot of
developments have also
been made in prints and
woven jacquard.
Bangladesh: Bangladesh formulating new Labour Inspection Strategy
India: India to provide fixed-term employment in apparel manufacturing sector
years,” said State Minister
for Labour and Employment
Mujibul Haque Chunnu said
that the strategy will help
set the direction for the next
five years.
Adding to that, Secretary
to the Ministry of Labour
and Employment Mikail
Shipar said, “While much
importance has been
placed on the RMGsector
we must also seek to
systematically widen the
labour inspection process to
other key industries as well
as those operating in the
domestic market.”
The primary purpose of the
labour inspection is said to
be to improve Bangladesh’s
current inspection system
and the performance of its
enforcement responsibilities
consistent with international
labour standards and national
legislation, which will also
focus on strategic priority
the Ministry of Labour and Employment intends to include workman on fixed-term employment eligible for all statutory benefits available to permanent workman proportionately accordingly to the period of service rendered by him, even though his period ofemployment does not extend to the qualifying period of employment required in the statute, a notification issued by the Ministry.
The seasonal nature of apparel manufacturing sector results in fluctuation of demand and hence
n an important stepItowards developing a
credible and effective
labour inspection system
for Bangladesh, around 50
participants representing
the Government ministries
and regulatory agencies,
employers’ organisations,
trade unions, brands
and retailers, NGOs and
development partners
recently took part in a
consultation to discuss
and deliberate on the draft
Labour Inspection Strategy
for Bangladesh is the first
ever in the country which
is undergoing consultation
before getting the final
nod. This was stated in a
press communique issued
by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) recently.
“The Department of
Inspections for Factories
and Establishments (DIFE)
has undergone considerable
improvement in recent
he Indian GovernmentThas introduced ‘fixed-
term employment’ in the apparel manufacturing sector under Industrial Employment (Standing Order) Act, 1946. This move will facilitate employment of workers in apparel manufacturing on a fixed-term basis and ensure same working conditions, wages and other benefits for fixed-term employee in the sector as a regular employee.
With the inclusion of ‘fixed-term workman’ as one of the categories in the classification of workmen under the Act,
requires flexibility in employing worker, states the notification issued by the Ministry. By permitting fixed-term employmentin apparel manufacturing, the working conditions in terms of working hours, wages, allowances and other statutory dues of a fixed-term employee would be at par with permanent workmen.
Further, the employer can directly hire a worker for a fixed-term withoutmediation of any contractor. Likewise, any worker employed for short period will get better working
and service conditions as compared to a contract worker. The decisionis expected to provide flexibility to textile sector in employing workers and hence strengthen and empower the Indian textile and apparel sector.
It is a win-win situation for both workers and employers as it provides flexibilityfor employing workersas per the demands of the market, while ensuring that workers hired gets
equal benefits and working
condition at par with the
permanent employees.
The primary purpose of the Labour Inspection Strategy is to improve Bangladesh’s current inspection system
areas and key measures to
be undertaken over the next
five years.
In addition, it will help
guide employers, worker
organisations, buyers and
foreign investors to better
understand the labour
inspection environment.
During the consultation the
need for the strategy to go
beyond key export-oriented
sectors was also emphasised.
Labour Inspection Strategy for Bangladesh is the first ever in thecountry which is undergoing consultation before getting the finalnod.
Bangladesh: RMG exports to UK, US down in Q1 FY ’16-17
in the same period of FY ‘16
while RMG export to the US
market in the July-September
period of FY ‘17 fell by 12.04
per cent to US $ 1.26 billion
compared to US $ 1.43 billion
in the same period of FY ‘16.
The scenario is almost similar
as far as UK is concerned. Total
export to the UK, the third
largest destination, declined
by 2.47 per cent to US $ 843.78
million in the first quarter of
FY‘17 from US$ 867.60 million
in the same period of FY ‘16,
while RMG export to the UK
in the first quarter of FY ‘17
decreased by 2.23 per cent to
US $ 780.52 million from US
$ 798.37 million in the same
period of FY16.
According to Additional
Research Director of Centre
for Policy Dialogue (CPD),
Khondaker Golam Moazzem,
Brexit could have been one of
the reasons for the negative
export growth in the UK
(even though the influence
of the issue was yet to be
considered ‘thatstrong’)
fter maintaining a healthyAexport trend to its two
top export destinations-the
United States and the United
Kingdom in the last financial
year, Bangladesh’s exports
to these two countries
witnessed a decline in the
first quarter of the current
financial year (2016-17)
due to what many consider
a downward trend in the
demand for RMG items in
these markets.
According to experts and
garment exporters, shipment
suspension during long
holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr and
Eid-ul-Azha coupled with
a slump in demand for
RMG products in US and
UK markets resulted in the
negative growth, reported
a daily newspaper of
Bangladesh recently.
As per Export Promotion
Bureau (EPB) data, the total
export in the July-September
period of FY ‘17 from US fell
by 10 per cent to US $ 1.40
billion from US $ 1.55 billion
while as per former President
of the Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers and Exporters
Association (BGMEA), Anwar-
ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez,
export earnings in US and UK
markets witnessed negative
growth in the first quarter of
this fiscal year as it was the
transitional period of the
export season.
“There were ups and downs
in the US economy and a
slow growth in the overall
demand was prevailing in the
India: Indian apparel manufacturer Orient Craft to set up factory in Jharkhand
involvement of Orient Craft
in setting up the unit will
aid the State Government in
acknowledging the potential
of textile industry that has
the capacity to generate
employment, lack ofwhich
is forcing a major part of the
state’s populace to migrate.
The company will also assist
in training the youth of the
state with greater focus on
the districts, as migration
majorly takes place here only,
and will later deploy them
in the factory. The move is
expected to garner greater
ndian apparel manufacturerIand exporter Orient Craft,
which has the capacity to
produce 2 lakh units every
day, is reportedly considering
a textile factory in Jharkhand.
The company would also
assist in constructing Textile
Park in the state.
The construction of the
factory is expected to
begin from March next
year. The decision toset
up the textile unit was
taken in the backdrop
of increasing migration
ratio of the state.The
enthusiasm amongst the
youth of the state towards
apparel and textile sector.
Orient Craft will hold the
first phase of training in
Gumla, Dumka, Khunti and
Simdega, stated a release
from the State Government.
It added that the company
already has a training centre
at Lohardaga and imparts a
three-monthly course.
Suspension of shipments during long holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr in the month of July and for Eid-ul-Azha in the month of September resulted in negative export growth in some bigmarkets
The construction of the factory is expected to begin from March next year
market,” stated Khondaker,
while Anwar-ul-Alam on his
part maintained,“There is
no reason to be panicked as
the earnings would rebound
after the start of the new
season in October.” Alam
further added suspension
of shipments during long
holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr in
the month of July and for
Eid-ul-Azha in the month
of September resulted in
negative export growth in
some big markets.
India: Government announces enhanced support under MEIS to boost export
Code-43040019) the rate
is 3%. For garments of silk
and other such products,
the rate is 2%. Additionally,
for articles of apparel and
clothing accessories made
from wild animals covered
under Wild Life Protection
Act, the rate is 3%. For
s the exporters of theA country are struggling
to grow, the Government
of India has announced
enhanced support under
Merchandise Exports from
India Scheme (MEIS) of
the Foreign Trade Policy.
Department of Commerce
has extended the support
to certain new products
and enhanced the rate of
incentives for some other
specified products under
the scheme. The same has
been implemented from 22
September.
Rate for products added
to the MEIS schedule with
immediate effect is between
2% and 5%. For most of the
products it is 2%, like for
plastic stickers for garments
of polyurethane foam; for
other articles of artificial
fur, garments/made ups/
knitwear, etc. (as per ITC (HS)
Bangladesh: MK Sweaters to add capacity to address labour problem
payment, thus complicating
the situation for the company,
which follows all compliance
norms. The company intends
to address the labour
problem by installing around
40 SHIMA SEIKI machines
over the next few years.
These automatic jacquard
machines are operated by
skilled workers, who generally
abstain from working with
the job workers,hence
letting the production run
smoothly under one roof. In
the meanwhile, the factory
is committed to take proper
initiative towards worker
welfare complying with the
norms of BSCI, ILO, BUET and
the likes.
K Sweaters,aMBangladesh-based
export house set up in 2003
by Md. Salim Rana, Chairman
and Russell Rana, Executive
Director of the company, has
created unique blends of
spandex, acrylic and nylon
fabric blend to differentiate
the products. The company
has 1,100 hand flat knitting
machines with a monthly
capacity of 50,000 to 60,000
finished products/sweaters
at two factories, MKSweaters
and Fashions Designs.
Currently, one of the biggest
issues affecting growth at
MK Sweaters is labour, as
they prefer to work with
job workers due to daily
The total support extended by Government of India under MEIS has been enhanced to Rs. 23,500 crores per annum
Russell Rana, Executive Director, MKSweaters
silk carpets, etc. the rate is
maximum i.e.5%.
Introduced in April 2015,
under this scheme exporters
get duty-free scrip to import
input goods, which go into
the production of export
items. With this, the total
number of items covered
The company has recently
added high-end knitted
jackets in varied designs
and fabric blends to their
product profile and is
looking to buy another
piece of property to
pursue their current
plan for expansion, as
they are very positive of
developing knitted jackets
as an important category
of the growth strategy.
“Based on the response
we have received, I think
jackets will do very well in
the future. We just started
this year and learnt a
lot, so we are hoping for
better things next year,”
underlines Russell.
under the scheme has been
increased from 5,012 to
7,103. The total support
extended by Government of
India under the scheme has
been enhanced from the
present Rs. 22,000 crore to
Rs. 23,500 crore per annum.
Rate for productsadded to the MEIS schedule with immediate effect is between2%and 5%.
USA: Garment workers reporting labour issues via mobiles
increases transparency and
accountability of the supply
chain by getting around
many of the limitations of
traditional audits.”
The idea behind this
technology is to warn big
brands of problems at
the furthest ends of their
supply chains about labour
exploitation and modern
slavery. LaborVoices is also
tracking abuse of Syrian
migrant workers in Turkey’s
garment industry, seeking
evidence of forced labour
and trafficking, whereas
Laborlink has reached more
arment workers fromGBangladesh to Turkey
are using IVR (Interactive
Voice Response) services on
their cell phones to report
labour issues… Two US-based
mobile services companies
– Laborlink and LaborVoices
are providing this facility to
workers to make a call on toll-
free numbers to anonymously
report violations taking
place around them. Workers
just have to answer simple
questions along the lines of
being treated fairly, timely
payment of wages, blockage
of fire exits, or child labour at
the facility by pressing 1 for
“yes” and 2 for “no” on their
cell phones.
“The 5,239 workers who
called LaborVoices in the
first half of the year worked
in 85 factories in Dhaka and
Chittagong, which supplied
more than 30 global brands
including Walmart, Target,
Zara, Adidas, H&M and
Levi’s,” said Ayush Khanna,
Director, LaborVoices adding,
“Mobile-phone penetration
in developing countries
than 500,000 workers in
16 countries from China to
Colombia, the companysays.
“While technology can help
flag abuses in the supply
chain, it cannot single-
handedly solve them. Calls
from workers is a good
system to have, but it is not
a substitute for audits and
checks.You need both to
tackle the issues in the supply
chain,” said Sarah Labowitz,
Co-director – Center for
Business and Human Rights,
at NYC Stern School of
Business in New York.
India: Sree Kanaga Durgaa Textile expecting 100 per cent growth
ven in the wake of difficultEmarket conditions, some
of the small- and medium-
level manufacturers are
expecting good growth.
Tirupur-based GOTS-
certified Sree Kanaga
Durgaa Textile offering
organic kidswear is also
one of them. The company,
having 40 machines and
exporting 2 lakh pieces per
year, is expecting 100 per
cent growth in next one
year. Rajesh Babu KRA (ex-
NIFTian), CEO of the company
Laborlink has reached more than 500,000 workers in 16 countries from China toColombia
Rajesh Babu KRA (extreme right), CEO, Sree Kanaga Durgaa Textile
more orders are coming in.
We are focusing on value
addition as we have in-house
printing facilities in the name
of Macrofast where besides
doing our own work we are
also serving as a job workers
for others too.”
The products of the company
are priced from Euro 2 and go
up to Euro 4.
The company started kidswear manufacturing with four machines in 2006 and has seen good growth over the years.
India: RB KnitsExports lookingto explore SouthAmerican market
mong the well-Aknown companies
of Ludhiana, RB Knit
Exports is exploring
newer markets like South
America and upgrading
its infrastructure also.
The company is buying
new machinery in
knitting/CMT. Currently
it has more than 100
computerized flatknit
machines and 1,600 hand
flats as well.“Wewant
to expand our buyer
base and for that we
are adding newstyles.
The company is working
mainly with European
buyers in countries like
Germany and Italy, and
now it is planning to
explore South America
and few other markets
too,” informed Harsh
Bhatia, Merchandiser
Manager of the company.
who took over the four
decades old family business
in 2005, says, “Our wholesaler
buyers of UK, Sweden and
France are appreciating our
designs and creativity so
The Indian garment manufacturing industry has never been a ‘hot bed’ for investment by foreign enterprises and there are very few success stories to emulate.Yet, Aquarelle – the
casual shirts division of the Mauritius-based CIEL Textile Group (Apparel Division), which
has 20 factories located in four countries – Mauritius, Madagascar, India and Bangladesh,
is a growing company which is proud to be Indian by team but international in its
functioning. Team StitchWorld visited their factory on the outskirts of Bangalore and was
impressed with the professionalism that they observe. While in conversation with the top
management of Nagesh Badida, Executive Director and Parameswar Chopparapu,
Global Manufacturing Director, Aquarelle Group, the strategy and manufacturing competency behind the success weredecoded…
Aquarelle standardizing systems across the globe
Marketing‘Aquarelle’, not a‘country’…When the marketing team at
Aquarelle meets any customer,
they do not talk on Indian,
Madagascar or Mauritius lines.
They introduce Aquarelle, as a
global company that can produce
the same product from any
country; be it in Madagascar or
Mauritius or India with
basis then the prices vary. For
example, if denim or any hand-
working job is required and if it
turns out to be a common product
in 100% cotton, then we give the
customers the liberty to choose
their preference locations from
where they want to pick up the
products…; if it is India, you get
India prices,” explains Nagesh.
Having operations in many
countries has its advantages, which
Global Standardisation Process
(GSP), ensuring that no matter
where it is produced the goods
remain the same. Interestingly
there are some blur areas inthis
very straightjacket approach,
mostly in terms of pricing.“If
the shirts are 100% cotton then
they are produced in the same
price bracket at all thethree
manufacturing destinations, but
if something is made onregional
Lays spreading process at Aquarelle factoryNagesh Badida, Executive Director (extreme left), and Parameswar Chopparapu, Global Manufacturing Director, Aquarelle Group (standing next to him) with their senior team at Aquarelle factory that manufactures casual shirts
the buyers also recognize.
“Mauritius is duty-free to the
US and I will not even try to
compete with Mauritius inthis
market. Our flagship customer,
J.Crew predominantly
has their business done
in Mauritius, eventhough
they know we are in India
too and the countryis
relatively cheaper, butafter
the duty-free advantage,
we lose out hands down,
so there is no competition.
Again for production in
Madagascar, though it is
more expensive than India
the proximity advantage it
enjoys attracts buyers looking
for quick turnarounds,”
aversParameswar.
Standardization of processes…There are lots ofprocesses– cutting, sewing, finishing,
and general operations or
hard core manufacturing
which are similar everywhere.
So for every single product
the clarity of operations is
there.“We have a unique
GSP (Global Standardisation
Process) which we aredriving
in for the last three years. We
have a team working on the
system to make all factories
uniform.Therefore, what runs
here for casual shirts runs
the same at the other two
factories in other countries.
The local team managesthe
product nuances according
to the customers’needs
as per their resources. A
sewing automation process
happens as long as it makes
cost sense in the country,”
says Parameswar.
The company has even
standardized the machines
used on the production
floor across all factory
locations along with their
model numbers andbrands,
according to the operations.
Thoroughpre-production systems forsmooth production…“We have a very strong pre-
production culture here; it
starts with the discussion
of the feasibility of thestyle
along with the costing.We also
share the concern we have
regarding stitching, washing,
embroidery or anything we
feel may causea problem
or can be done in a better
way,”explains Ashok Kumar,
Global Head – IE.
Once an order is confirmed,
the finer points are discussed
with the sampling, technical
and marketing teams.Another
set of meetings is held with
all the departmental heads
to discuss the confirmed
styles every 15 days,of which
the feasibility study is done
every day. In these planning
meetings, the teams sit to
plan production strategies for
coming two months, discuss
the orders, while at factory
capacity meeting the order
quantities are analysed and
the requirements interms
of machinery, equipment,
skills or any other needs for
the upcoming orders are
discussed. The factory keeps
a 3-month visibility period
where analysis of the kind of
skill required for the upcoming
styles are to be procured.
Sampling, the 2nd phase of
pre-production is done in
four stages… It depends on
the buyers’ requirements
as to how many samples
he requires. First there’s a
stage sample, followed by
a fit sample, then the size-
set sample and then the
proto sample. Following
the sampling process, the
production department
conducts a pilot run at the
factory, which isthe
Sections for each process are defined at the factory, such as the depicted ‘BundlingArea’
Aquarelle handles line balancing by separating preparatory operations from the production line
Quality checks are embedded in the production processes, cut parts are checked before assembly
3rd phase of the pre-
production process. The pilot
run starts in the production
line itself, about 10-12 days
before the production needs
to begin, depending on the
kind of wash that is required
in the garment. On an average,
there are 1 or 2 pilot styles
in the line. Any problems
that are encountered in the
pilot run are reviewed and
discussed so that it does
not occur in the production
line and cause machine
breakdown or downtime.
Along with the rawmaterials
for the garment, the right
machines are also placed
in line. In case, any special
machines have to be rented
or leased for final production,
the same are arranged for in
advance so that there is no
delay during production.
“At every stage in our
production process, we have
a champion, who is the best
in that field. We have a pre-
production engineer, who
coordinates with the people
and gets the tasks done,”
aversAshok.
Cutting room…Since 80 per cent offabrics
used in casual shirts are
checks, which isAquarelle’s
forte,the factory does not use
automatic cutters. In shirts
that use checkered or striped
fabric,matching is required
at the pocket andsometimes
even the sleeve plackets
need to be matched along
with front placket and collar
top down.
In terms of automation,
factory engineers have
manufactured pintables
for use in the cutting room,
which is customized to their
requirements. The company
believes in performing their
own experiments, ratherthan
making huge investment.
“In case we put in automated
cutters, we would need to
run two shifts to get the ROI,
so we are still figuring it out.
Because this is a small unit,
and you need to cut at least
10,000 to 12,000 pieces with
an automatic cutter per day
to make it viable. We have
plans to save money from
such experiments and then
use it to further automate our
processes,” statesAshok.
The company is working on
the end-bits management
and its optimization.
Although, there are quite a
few software’s in the market
for the same, Aquarelle is
trying to come up with their
own and have succeeded to
a level where they are able to
save up almost 0.5 per cent
fabric from their algorithm.
“Our main focus is always
to keep the system in place
so that not everybody is
required to be involved in
the day-to-day ongoings of
the factory. If the systems
don’t deviate, there will
not be many anomalies
to handle. Before we
implement any solutions
and invest in it, we
experiment in our own
way and then check if the
available technology can be
used in our organization,”
says Ashok.
Part preparations in cutting room…After cutting, there is a group
of operators in the cutting
room to perform three basic
preparatory operations
for the entire 500-5,000
pieces – buttonholing,
placket attaching and sleeve
attachment to ease the skill
balancing in the production
line.There are even operators
that work on two machines
at once, made possible due to
the folder and other working
aids that are attachedin
the machines.
To handle correct placement of checks, critical parts are re-bundled and cut using band knife
The Kanban Supermarket works well for the factory in managing WIP of the production lines
Since 80 per cent of fabrics usedin casual shirts are checks, the factory does not use automatic cutters. Since matching is required at the pocket, and sometimes even the sleeve plackets need to be matched,these small parts are cut using band knife.
Innovative ways to monitor workflow and support efficiency...Maintenance, IE and technical
departments all work together
to make attachments and
machines that are needed
inline, in the factory itself.
There are trial runs for folders
and attachments made in-
house to ensure they fit to
the production requirements.
Once a machine made
in-house, works well and
accepted by the operators, it is
replicated for wider use. Such
synthesized machines are
made in a way that they are
easy to handle and maintain,
so that the operator can self-
maintain the machine rather
than wait for a technician to
come. This reduces downtime
and gives theoperator
a sense ofresponsibility
and ownership.
The pocket making/pressing
machine at Aquarelle has
been fabricated in-house and
are extremely flexible. The
die-sets are very simple to
make as compared to the die-
sets in European or Chinese
machines, whichare costly.
A die for any pocket size can
be made in Rs.4 and so are
easily created according to
the types andsizes of pockets.
It gives more productivity
and also uses less energy.
Since it is easy to handle,
operators do not require
much training and hence
it is a de-skilling machine.
The company has fabricated
five machines and are in the
process of fabricating 10more.
It has a suction system and a
stacking system that aid the
whole process.
The innovations in thefactory
are done whereverthere
are any problems and even
though they are not named
as ‘lean tools’, they work in the
same manner.The factory has
a clear visual system, where
the ‘’ sigh is for efficiency,
and the ‘’ is for quality. These
are also colour codes, where
green stands forabove
75 per cent efficiency,yellow is
to depict under 60-75 per cent
efficiency, and red is for
people working at efficiency
below 60 per cent.“Byjust
a glance, we can figure out
the status of both theworker
and the production level. Our
Visual Management provides
assistance to the management
teams and is standardized
across all our factories,
anywhere in the world like
Mauritius and Madagascar,”
says Ashok.
The production floor
maintains productivity and
quality sheet, whichdisplays
operator’s performance
and hung in front of the
operator’s workstation. It
shows the daily performance
of the operators on top and
the quality performance is
displayed at the bottom. This
is an indicator of the level of
work done by‘RFT’ – Right
First Time method. If it is green,
it means that the operator
is working at 97 per cent or
above level, if it is orange, the
work is at the 93-97 per cent
level, and if the level is below
that, it would be indicated by
red.The list also indicates the
number of operations that
the operator knows andtheir
absenteeism records.
Factory layout…The Aquarelle factory has
been set-up in a U-shaped
layout, whichprovides easy-
flow of material throughout
the production system.
There are on an average 380
machines runningat any point
of time in the factory, which
have a manual hanger system
in place for material handling.
The factory maintains 3days’
Aquarelle aces Visual Management by using visual aids in production lines The pocket making/pressing machine at the factory has been fabricated in-house and has an easy and flexible mechanism to cater to all sizes and styles ofpockets
The innovations in Aquarelle are done wherever there are any problems and even though they are not named as ‘lean tools’, they work in the same manner.The factory has a clear visual system, where the ‘Δ’ sign is for efficiency, and the ‘o’ is for quality, colour coded to depictthe efficiency of the operator in line.
machines, which are claimed
to be the best in this segment.
Recently the company
bought 19 Brother 7300
DigiFlex machines for one
of their smaller units. Such a
choice has been made as the
machine allows the user to
store the setting done on one
machine for a specific fabric
and set the other machines
in the line all at once. Since
the settings or parameters
are stored, they can be easily
recalled, whenever thesame
fabric is used.This reduces the
time taken in machine setting
during style changeover. The
machine also comes with a
thread-sensor, which informs
the operator, when their
bobbin thread is empty. It
even has a feeding system
that takes care of the uneven
thickness of the fabric at
seams and joints. Currently,
there is a lot of training in
progress for the machine
and it may take up to a year
to get the optimalusage
of the machine and use all
the parameters.
The production room has
UHS (Unit Handling Solution),
which is a manual hanger
system that goes on from
loading the cut parts until
finishing. The system has
worked well for Aquarelle
and has aided in managing
production in their lines. UHS
has also reduced the number
of helpers required in theline
and also the time taken in
bundle opening and picking
out the piece to be worked
on, which facilitate increase
in operator productivity,
along with saving space in
the factory.
Aquarelle also uses VAS
(Visual Analysis System)
to aid the Industrial
Engineering Department.
Praising the system, Ashok
states,“VAS is a very good IE
tool for training operators,
calculating SMV and standard
operations.We can see
major improvement in the
efficiency. The system is a
very useful tool to create
SMV database along with
standard videos, operational
breakdowns of styles,
maintaining skill matrix,
deskilling IE team’s work to
establish a common database
and ease the communication
across the factory.”
Commenting on the time
taken for any style, Ashok
avers,“Our SAM varies from
18 minutes to 35 minutes,
depending on the sleeve
length,number of pockets,
worth of fabric and has a
centralized warehouse,which
is located 5 kilometres away
from the manufacturing
location. 10 per cent of the
fabric used is inspected for
quality assurance.
Production floor…“We have Kanban cards,
which take care of ourWIP.
In case we plan 1,000-piece
production for a day, we keep
400-500 pieces’ worth of WIP.
Our Kanban Supermarket is
stocked according to the daily
production planning and all
cut parts are stored at one end
of the production
floor,”shares
Ashok.
Aquarelle uses
many machines
from Brother and
states that the
machines have
worked well for
them… It is also
easier to maintain
the spare parts
inventory for one
brand of machines,
rather than for
various brands.
They have Juki
machines too,
for example, the
buttonholing
Aquarelle rigorously follows preventive maintenance for its machines by updating its Preventive Maintenance Board that keeps track of the status of each machine in production line
Aquarelle uses ‘Unit Handling Solutions’ from ISSS to maintain their production lines and reduce manpower
The company has a studiously maintained ‘maintenance room’ where anyone can find any tool or spare part in less than 10 seconds
Any tool, spare parts, folder or equipment required in the factory is stored in the ‘maintenance room’,managedto the levelthat
anyone can fetch whatever is required within 10seconds.The 5Ssystem
works well for the company and even helps in handling the inventory of all parts required.
season and customer.
Templates are used in
production of collars and
cuffs to ease the operation
and attain fixed quality in
each piece which also leads
to de-skilling any operator,”
declares Ashok.
Each floor of the factory has
alarms that set off when any
abnormal situation takes
place. In case the boiler starts
acting up, any personnel on
the floor, who notices the
alarm light can act on it.
Maintenance room…The well-stocked and
innovatively managed
maintenance room at
Aquarelle is benchmarked,
as per 5Spractices.“We
compete at a Japanese factory
competition – ‘ABK AOTS –
CUMI“5S”Award Competition
of Best 5S Practices’ – with
external competition, which
are not just from the apparel
industries, but from many
industries; and our factory
received the ‘Excellence
Award’ last year and the
‘Sustenance Award’ this year.
We have even applied for the
tag of ‘model factory’, which is
the toughest tag to receive,”
shares Ashok.
Any tool, spare part, folder
or equipment required in
the factory is stored in the
maintenance room,managed
to the level that anyone can
fetch whatever is required
within 10 seconds. The 5S
system works well for the
company and even helps in
handling the inventory of
all parts required. If in case
there is a breakdown, and
any spare part is required to
restore the machine, there
need not be a commotion in
the whole line for the same
as the maintenance team is
trained sufficient enough to
handle the anomaly. Also, if
any mechanic ortechnician
removes a tool from theboard,
they leave a chip at its place
which bears their name and
photograph. This method
ensures that the tool is never
lost and is traceable anywhere
in the factory. The cupboards
and drawers are all marked
and labelled, guaranteeing
that even if the maintenance
team is absent, whoever
requires any tool canlocate
it with the help oflabels
and markers.
The maintenance room
has a wall of matrix,which
is to keep track of the
maintenance of the machine
in each line of the sewing
floor.The company follows
preventive maintenance and
uses the matrix toensure
all machines are serviced
at the correct time. It also
benefits in keeping note
of the machines thatneed
maintenance or are currently
broken-down. All the lines are
colour coded, wheregreen
is to depict the machines
that have been recently
serviced, for which files are
also maintained tracking the
dates when the machine was
calibrated, or when it had a
part changed. Yellow is used
to depict the machines that
need to be serviced and the
red ones are to show the
machines that are currently
not in use due to break-
down. This wall-matrix aids
in visually keeping track of
the maintenance plans for
the whole year.There are
in total 14 people in the
maintenance team.
Efficiency grows in tandem with involvement of people at managerial positions...
It is a well-known fact that majority of the apparel manufacturing facilities in India are unable to drive efficiency and it hovers around at the 40-60 per cent level. Most of the investors/
profit centre heads are unable to crack the nut, forced to settle at this level and accept it as
the “norm”. The situation forces them to go for new investment/facilities to execute orders,
which could have been avoided if the efficiency of existing facilities is improved.Jayapal Nair– Apparel Manufacturing Expert, Consultant and Author, briefly discusses an approach
towards achieving the efficiencygoal...
or the past couple of
decades,every popularFmanufacturing system
in other industries around the
globe have been tailored to suit
apparel manufacturing – be it in
productivity improvement, WIP
control, quality management,
planning tools, production
monitoring tools, etc. – and have
widely been accepted in India’s
apparel manufacturing sector
despite their premium. Even after
these investments, in real terms,
production efficiency has not even
reached to 70 per cent or 80 per
cent level consistently,thanks to the
old Pandora box of worries such as
low-volume orders, unskilled labour,
heavy absenteeism, de-motivated
workforce, etc. However, there are
fully compliant facilities,which
use the same Asian workforce and
consistently hit the high level of
efficiencies. Hence, this attainability
warrants different management
tactics in the current Indiancontext.
The IE Bulletin –General Myths and in-built CushionsIn order to achieve higher
efficiency, it is very importantto
line is using excess manpower
than budgeted.
b) Another culprit is balancing
loss while allocating
operators in the bulletin.
IEs tend to allocate excess
operators to round off the
fractions to the next whole
number. Besides, the factory
feels that their workers are
at say maximum 75 per cent
efficiency only and hence
the SMV will be extrapolated
accordingly. Together with
‘balancing the whole number
game’, the actual bulletin
efficiency will be at around
65 per cent. After negotiating
with production team the
target will be set at 60 per
cent; say for example, 1,000
pieces in 8 hours. The same
figure will be considered
down the line by production
team as 100 per cent target.
The line may achieve 800
pieces at their peak, which
is actually just 48 per cent
efficiency (0.6 x 0.8). Further,
if there are few more days
for the shipment to execute,
the production tends to
crawl, further adding to loss
have a stringent and well spelt IE
Bulletin without giving room for
diluting the target.When there are
known cushions, a higher target
can never be achieved. Generally,
IE Bulletins have the following
weaknesses:
a) Most of the companies’ IEs
follow a system to allocate SMV
to machine operations only and
not to help operations such
as in-line marking, trimming,
turning, ironing, etc.considering
they are low paid.
Strategy: All direct operations
including helper operations
must be allocated with SMV
and manned accordingly, which
should be the garment SMV. On
a better note, the number of
direct helpers should be limited
to a maximum of 10-15 per cent
of direct machine operators’
count. The requirement of
indirect workers such as
supervisors, monitor, quality
controller, quality checkers are
to be placed just sufficiently
and the count to be frozen. The
assembly line should look trim,
slim and focused. A “combing
operation” to be performed
daily to see and control if the
Adorning the clothes with a number of accessories and finishes not only intensifies its aesthetic appeal but also adds value to the garment. Be it eye-catchy print designs, attractive
thread work, use of embellishments such as sequins, or various types of embroideries like
flock printing, there is a compelling need among apparel manufacturers to differentiate their
products from others by adding value to the garments. Jeans is mostly enhanced by various
finishes, both dry finish and wet finish, to modify the appearance and comfortability of jeans.
One such technology that is currently in use is laser finishing, usually known as denim fading
technique. In this edition of Tech Value Addition comeback, Team StitchWorld discusses the
various techniques of denim fading and advantages of laser finishing.
Fading Denims the SustainableWay
rabbing eyeballs since the
beginning, with its multi-G faceted use from casual daily
wear fabric to trendy high fashion
garment, denim has the ability of
fitting into any social or professional
setting. Basic denims can take on
new appeal with an innovative
concoction of chemicals, scrappers,
laser beams,pumice stones, etc.
and there are various methods to
achieve that natural faded streak in
denim, which is much sought-after
by masses and classes alike.
Team SW explores on how your
favourite pair of denim jeans
undergoes that ‘washed’ look
and which conventional method
various denim players in the
industry acknowledge to achieve
that finish…
Arvind Denim achieves denim
fading look by manually scraping
with emery paper of different
grades and strokes depending on
the intensity and look desired, or
by using handheld rotary device
with emery paper attached on
the desired area with the required
number of strokes. The company
also does denim fading via laser
by creating the desired area and
burning them on the denim,along
with robots to do the scraping
Production Director, Sai-Tex.
Additionally, the company also uses
the sustainable way of denim fading
through the help of laser machines
by Jeanologia.
Fading denims with laser
technology...
The phase of fading of denim
by sandblasting is losing its
momentum as the new technology
of laser finishing is coming into
play. Also known as spray painting
in denims, laser finishing is used
exclusively on the surface of the
denim and are considered a more
sustainable process compared
to other traditional methods of
finishing such as acid washing,
sandblasting or PP spray. In laser
finishing, a computer inputted
with design, drives the laserbeam
to the material where fading
is required. The laser works by
creating extensive heat. The laser
beam decomposes the dye and the
resulting vapours vent away. The
material fades only where the beam
impacts on the fabric.Commercially,
two types of lasers are being used:
solid-based (wavelength of 1 μm)
and gas-based (wavelength of 10
μm). The desired degree of fading
depends upon the wavelength,
part. Ashish Kumar, CEO, Arvind
Exports states,“Levi's, one of our
customers, asks for denim fading by
laser. It is a sustainable technology
and the future of denim fading.”
Catering to Benetton Jeans, Spykar
Jeans and Pepe Jeans, RC Apparels
use conventional method of denim
fading such as manual scraping by
sandpaper. The process of fading of
jeans at RC Apparels requires the
air dummies onto which the jeans
is fitted and the air is blown up.The
company uses rubber templates of
different sizes as reference areas
where the fading effect is to be
created. PP spraying on jeans is
another technique used to create
that effect.Manvendra Singh, GM
– Operations, RC Apparels states,
“Laser fading is still not popular in
India due to its high investment.”
A well-known jeans manufacturer in
Vietnam, Sai-Tex does various types
of finishing on jeans including the
fading effect. The companyachieves
the look by doing PP spray on jeans
and then leaving it to dry.“From
next year onwards we will start
using an indigenously developed
eco-friendly alternative to PP spray
for G-Star products. G-Star is one of
the most renowned buyers of the
company,” mentions Md. Ifthikar,
power density, and pulse width of the
laser beam.
Advantages of laser finishingThis computer-controlled process
of laser finishing uses zero water
and therefore is an ecological and
economical process. This technique
can create not only local abrasion
and fabric breaks, used look effect
but also lines and/or dots, images,
text or even pictures as well. It
not only consumes less time and
less space but also offers high
consistency of production and
excellent reproducibility and high
productivity. Possibilities of human
error are absent being an automatic
system with 0 per cent rejection
rate compared with around 5 per
cent in manual system. The ratio
of manpower required in laser
and manual is approximately 1:3.
Moreover, the effect quality and hand
feel is comparatively finer in laser
system as against manual denim
fading. The machine is extremely
safe, simple to operate and compact.
It therefore necessitates very low
maintenance and cleaning.
Disadvantages of laser
finishing
The biggest setback of this technique
is its relatively high cost. Skilled
operators are required to handle
the machine which proves out to
be a hindrance at times. Also, power
requirement is higher in laser system
(approximately 7.5 kilowatt per hour).
Creation of a natural looking effect
on denim through laser finishing
might be a problematic concern. The
fumes produced during the process
are hazardous to health and laser
radiation has harmful effects on
eyes and skin.
Machinery for laser finishingTonello’s new development
multicolour Laser is capable of
furnishing different colours on a
denim (or any other fabric) substrate
by homogeneously applying a
resin (developed by Zaitex) onto
the garments. The resin is then
permanently imprinted on the
fabric through a special setting of
Tonello Laser.
Jeanologia, the Spanish innovator
of denim finishing technologies,
lays emphasis on sustainable denim
finishing technologies with TwinHS
– a machine utilizing laser light for
the creating wash effects on denim.
Equipped with two laser resonators
of maximum power and designed for
mass production volumes,TwinHS
is touted to be amongst the most
productive and fastest laser in the
market with an output of4,000
5-pocket jeans per operator per day.
Each operation is controlled by an
artificial vision camera so as to ensure
no time is wasted on secondary
operations and the operator can keep
a tab on the progress of a design. The
rotation speed of its dummy and its
easy placement for the garment help
speed up the process. Its dual marking
system and an exclusive digital
power control allow working on
both jeans legs at the same time.
Jeanologia Flexi E laser technology
incorporates the ultimate electronic
features and Jeanologia’s patented
technology UFS (Ultra-Fast Scan)
that increases marking speed while
reducing electrical consumption
on each garment. Its reference
element system offers easy garment
placement. Rotating head and
optical system that allow working
either on horizontal or vertical
mode can deliver multiple marking
combinations.
In the realm of eco-sustainability,
another company encouraging
environment-friendly denim
finishing practices is Sei Laser, the
leading Italian manufacturer of
industrial laser systems, with its
Flexi Denim, a digital laser machine
that replaces traditional, manual
methods for discoloration, abrasion,
decoration, marking, engraving and
cutting of jeans and other finished
garments. Flexi Denim safeguards
the environment by reducing water
consumption by
80 per cent and eliminating the use
of toxic chemicals. It can be custom
configured to meet the needs of
customer at the time of purchase
and upgradeable later with
additional options. Jeans can be
processed horizontally on thetables
or vertically on the mannequin.
Jeans Laser Engraving Machine
ZJ(3D)-9090LD by Golden Laser,
equipped with 500W CO2 RF
metal laser and triaxial dynamic
large-format galvanometer control
system, is an energy-saving,
eco-friendly solution. This low-
maintenance-cost machine can
engrave a variety of personalized
designs such as cat whiskers,
monkey wash, PP spray, hanging
rub, ripped, sandblasting, snow,
portrait and other effects with clear
texture and never fade.
Denim fading process through Jeanologia’s laser technology
These conventional techniques
largely fail on sustainability
grounds and call for a more
sustainable and environment-
friendly option.
Whiskering
Whiskers, also known as cat’s
whiskers, are the worn out
lines and impression patterns
generated by naturalwearing
on hips and front thigh area.This
is being done manually with
help of sharp edge emery paper
rubbed on denim. DemcoVina
mechanically scrapes the denim
with sand paper on the areas to
be faded. The areas to be faded
are referenced by the templates
under the denim, which serve as
a guide for areas that must be
scraped and abraded.
Grinding/Scraping
The‘destructed’denim look is most
popular among teens and the
youth.The certain look is achieved
using blades and other rough or
sharp tools to nick and tear denim
surfaceat desired places.
SandblastingThe technique, purely a
mechanical and water-
free process, is based on
scrubbing of the garment by
blowing high-speed air mixed
with very fine particles of sand
onto specific areas of the garment
surface to be treated, to give
the desired distressed/abraded/
used look. Though it provides
uniformity in natural abraded
effect, it is a hazardoustechnique
andhas been banned.
Stone WashingFreshly dyed jeans are loaded
into large washing machines and
tumbled with pumice stones to
achieve a soft hand and desirable
look. Pumice stones give the
additional effect of a faded or
worn look as it abrades the surface
of the jeans removing some dye
particles from thesurfaces of
the yarn. However, quality of the
process is difficult to control as the
outcome of a load of jeans is never
uniform and requires high capital
investment as well. It damages the
machineries and garment due to
stone to machine and machine to
stone abrasion.
Tonello has designed NoStone®
to overcome economic,
mechanical and environmental
limitations of existing stone-
wash processes. The NoStone®
system eliminates the use of
pumice stone, replacing it
with a stainless-steel abrasive
drum, fastened to the washing
machine. This drum can create
a variety of finishes through
flexible abrasion adjustments
to create the look and styles.
Due to the mechanical – rather
than chemical – nature of the
process, the NoStone® effect is
the same as that of stone-wash
and reduces the carbon footprint
created by using pumice stones.
Potassium Permanganate Spray (PP Spray)
To achieve a bright effect on
denim, PP Spray is done with
the help of normal spray gun
with each jean installed on
rubber dummies. Garments are
mounted on the dummies and
air is filled so the full fit of the
garment is exposed. The garment
is hanged in the open to dry after
PP Spray and it turns its colour
completely to brown,followed by
neutralization process to remove
any chemicals which can oxidize
or irritate the skin of the wearer
and prevent yellowing and bad
smell from garment. The most
common neutralizer used is
sodium metabisulfite (Na2S2O5)
which is used as an antioxidant.
This process is extremely
dangerous to health as micro-
particles absorbed by works
performing this technique results
in lung problems.
Another offering by Tonello
to overcome harmful effects
of PP Spray is The Water Brush
that uses water forwhitening.
Interestingly, the Water Brush runs
on water but consumes none as
a large tank beneath the spray
robot collects the water used for
whitening the garment, filters it,
and sends it back to the robot
through a recirculation system.
The highlight again is reduced
consumption of resources, and
zero impact on environment
and operators.
Conventional Methods of Denim Fading
Whiskers being developedmanually
Mechanical scraping ofdenim
PP Spray process on denim
Mattresses of today have traversed a long journey – from just comfort to fitness and now to even ‘appeal’...However, in all cases, the outer covering is invariably quilted with a
backing material to give it a decorative look and fluffy feel.The US $ 24.70 billion market
for mattress is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5 per cent in the period 2016-2024, and
Asia-Pacific mattress market, in particular, is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of
10.7 per cent during 2015-2020 period.This is an opportunity area for the sewn product
industry that not many are looking at.
Making mattress production easier with automation...
mattress consists of two
parts: a cover and asupportA system. The support
system may be made of springs,
visco elastic foam or latex to act
as a foundation for the mattress.
But it is the cover or cushioning
layers which serves as an exterior
decorative cover and also
determines the feel and comfort of
the final product.
The cover, along with a backing
material, is made on a giant
quilting machine, which holds
together a multitude of needles
that stitch the layers together. The
stitch chosen serves both useful
and ornamental purposes, as it
must prevent the mattress cover
from slipping or creeping over the
layers of cushioning in addition to
creating a visually pleasing stitch
pattern.
Once the fabric is quilted, it is cut
into panels that will fit the top
and bottom of the mattress. The
side panels are often cut from
this same composite or made
separately on a border machine.
If side handles or vents are to
be added, they are attachedto
Matramatic QuilterThe Matramatic Quilter is suitable
to stitch not only mattress, but
also the quilt covers and mattress
toppers. The machine offers the
advantage of high-speed, heavy-
duty stitching; coupled with
computer control that ensures its
precision and easy operation. The
latest addition to the Matramatic
Quilting range offers one
additional key main advantage
over many of its rivals – the ability
to quilt many natural fibres such
as latex, wool, horse hair, cashmere,
etc. which can’t be quilted on
traditional through-feed quilters.
the side panels before these are
applied to the mattress.
There are many quilting machine
manufacturing companies,
among them is England-based
MPT Group, which produces and
supplies automated and stand-
alone mattress machinery that are
exported to over 80 countries and
stand out for its features. Its latest
launch – Matramatic Quilter, is a
lock-stitch computer-controlled
quilting machine.Team StitchWorld
reviews the technology, along
with iQuilt, a multi-needle chain
stitch quilting machine by the
same company.
Matramatic Quilter, a lockstitch mattress quilter by MPT Group
The machine has a floating
beam technology, similar
to the technology used
in computerized cutting
machines, which facilitates
multiple pattern designs.
These patterns can be stored
in the embedded computer
of the machine, with the
provision of pattern selection
via a touchscreen display.The
machine bed (dimensions
13.45 ft. x 13.77 ft.) is wholly
covered by the floating beam,
which hosts the sewing
machine head over it. This
beam can support up to two
sewing heads, with an option
of including a Duerkopp
sewing head as is mentioned
in the key features.Placement
of two sewing heads
in a beam aids in faster
production as they both work
on the same mattress frame
at once, thereby doubling the
productivity.
Matramatic Quilter comes
with twin loading frames,
which allow the operators to
prepare the mattress to be
quilted while the quilting on
another mattress is in process,
which saves on critical time.
Fit for even the size of a king-
sized mattress, the standard
machine has a clamping area
of 8.8 ft. x 8.8 ft.,providing
a clear quilting areaof8.6 ft. x 8.6 ft. – which can
easily accommodate two of
the largest size mattresses
commonly used by people
and the hospitability industry.
The two thread lockstitch
sewing machine on the
beam incorporated with a
lifting presser foot and a
thread trimmer comes with
a thread breakage detection
mechanism that alerts the
operator when there is a
thread breakage during
sewing so that it can be
rectified.The machine stops
operating, giving theoperator
the time to mend the broken
thread. The sewing head has a
variable speed of up to 1,250
stitches per minute, for a
stitch length ranging from
2 mm to 10 mm, that is, 2½ to
12 S.P.I. at the linear speed of
25 metres per minute (82 feet
per minute).
iQuiltPutting to use their quilting
experience of 50 years, the
MPT Group has another ace in
its portfolio – the iQuilt, part
of the Matramatic Quilting
range. The machine, which
can quilt together rolls of
fabric using multi-needle
chain stitch, is ideal for
Mattress Panels, Bedspreads,
Comforters, Sleeping Bags
and Upholstery.
iQuilt can be integrated with
an optional, fully-automated,
panel-cutting system for
the production of finished
panels and preparing multi-
slit borders, which produces
strips used to cover the
edges of the mattress.Unique
features like an air mandrel,
an apparatus that aids in
easy unloading of finished
products and full thread
breakage detection fortop
and bottom threads with LED
lighting in threading areas
make the machine easy
to work.
The machine comes witha three-roll in-feed system,
which allows feeding of three
different rolls in one set,
offering manufacturers the
ability to combine a variety
of fillings such as foam, visco
memory foam and polyester
in their mattress. A servo-
driven cloth in-feed ensures
minimal stretch during the
process, while the access for
bottom threading is made
simple with a powered door
opening to the rear, the front
threads are easy to control
and simple to access.
The iQuilt has a three needle
bar configuration, with a
needle space of 25.4 mm
and a variable sewing speed
ranging from 850 RPM to
1200 RPM. These bars provide
stitching sizes of 2-7 mm and
an overall production speed
of 80-230 metres per hour.
The machine has a maximum
horizontal movement of up to
450 mm and has the provision
of quilting a mattress of width
iQuilt, multi-needle chain-stitch mattress quilter by MPT Group
8 feet and thickness up to
0.2 feet.
Powered with a Panasonic
brand servo control, iQuilt
offers a wide variety of pattern
effects. Also included in the
machine, the iDesign software
assists in creation of self-
designed range of designs for
continuous quilting, in addition
to more than 200 pre-loaded
jump & tack design options
which have been grouped
together based on fixed needle
positions to make pattern
selection simple. These pre-
installed designs can be further
expanded by adjustments to
needle spacing. An on-screen
display shows any changes to
pattern effects giving the user
further pattern choice.
The major companies operating
in the global mattress market
in India include Sleepwell,Kurl-
On, Spring Air, India Mattress
Company, J & J Enterprises,
Prestige Coir, NatarajInsulation,
M. H. Polymers Pvt. Ltd., Sant
Mattresses and more;whereas
the international players
include Select Comfort,
Sealy Corporation,Spring Air,
Comfortaire among others.
The major companies operating in the global mattress market in India include Sleepwell, Kurl-On, Spring Air, India Mattress Company, J & J Enterprises, Prestige Coir, Nataraj Insulation, M. H. Polymers Pvt. Ltd., Sant Mattresses and more.
USA: Gerber Technology debuts AutoMatch at IFAI Expo 2016
erber Technology, worldGleader in integrated
software and automation
solutions for apparel and
industrial markets, debuted
its revolutionary layout and
cutting solution forfurniture
manufacturers – AutoMatch
at the Industrial Fabrics
Association International (IFAI)
Expo 2016, which took place
from 18-21 October 2016,
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Gerber’s AutoMatch utilizes
advanced digital imaging
technology to ensure that
patterns such as stripes,plaids
and other complex designs
continue seamlessly from
one cut piece to the next.The
system increases throughput
by up to 75 per cent and
helps furniture manufacturers
reduce labour costs byas
much as 50 per cent as it
eliminates the conventional
matching methods that relyon
teams of operators tomanually
align patterns before cutting.
In addition to ensure greater
accuracy, AutoMatch utilizes
a single operator and does
not require extensive training
or labour skilled in furniture
design and patternmatching.
“Pattern continuity is
the hallmark of quality
upholstered furniture.
However, ensuring continuity
can be extremely time-
consuming and prone to
errors, adding significant time
and cost with wastedmaterials
and labourassociated
with re-cutting,” said Tom
Gordon, Director – Product
Management at Gerber
Technology.
USA: AATCC, SGIA to hold conference on ‘Digital Textile Printing’
ATCC(AmericanAAssociation of Textile
Chemists andColorists) andSGIA (Specialty Graphic
Imaging Association), an
international association for
specialty imaging, are jointly
organizing an educational
conference on Digital Textile
Printing:The Future is
Now, which is slated to be
held on 6th-7th December
at Durham, NC,USA.“The
partnership between AATCC and SGIA for this conference
dovetails nicely with both organization’s mission and
purpose,” said Johnny Shell,VP – Technical Services,SGIA.
The two-day event will feature the industry experts
presenting topics on technology, colour management,
product performance, testing, design, and more. The
first day will have presentations on colour management
for digital textiles, finishing, meeting your customer’s
sustainability objectives,product testing for quality
assurance, and research findings from North Carolina State
University College of Textiles. The second day includes
designing for digital printing of textiles, fabric factors
impacting digital printing, digital print inspiration and
design, web-to-print,digital manufacturing.
AATCC is the world’s leading not-for-profit association
serving textile professionals which provides test method
development, quality control materials,and professional
networking for thousands of members in 60 countries
throughout the world.
Gerber’s AutoMatch utilizes advanced digital imaging technology to ensure that patterns continue seamlessly from one cut piece to the next
In the period of
January-August
2016, global apparel
imports by the US
plunged (-) 4.46
per cent in terms of
value. Additionally,
it faced a decline of
(-) 1.08 per cent in
terms of volume.
TRADE STATISTICS
Bangladesh’squantity
of apparel exports
to the US in the first
7 months of the
year proved fruitful
with 1.69 per cent
increase and a
marginal increase of
0.85 per cent
value wise.
China faced a
major down surge
of (-) 2.26 per cent
in quantity of total
apparel exports to the
US in the period of
January-August 2016
and it dived (-) 7.73
per cent value wise.
Vietnam witnessed
a surge of 6.41
per cent and 3.04
per cent in terms of
quantity and value,
respectively of total
apparel exports
to US in January-
August 2016 period.
France: Lectra launches Modaris V8
Modaris V8 ensures the
smooth exchange of quality
data throughout the supply
chain. In today’s fashion
industry, close co-ordination
is required to respect tight
delays and to rapidly get high-
quality products tomarket.
Improving product approval
processes and digital file
he latest version ofTModaris® V8 launched
by Lectra, the worldleader
in integrated technology
solutions dedicated to
industries using fabrics,
leather, technical textiles,
and more, will facilitate
collaboration during the
fashion industry’s product
development process.
Modaris is one of the widely
used 2D/3D patternmaking
and grading solutions
worldwide, adopted by well-
known brands in fashion and
apparel. The solution handles
complexities such asextended
product development
processes along with the
constant pressure for new,
high-quality products toreach
the market quickly.
exchange, Modaris V8 speeds
up creation, accelerates
sampling, and facilitates
teamwork – all of which are
required by widely spread
product development teams
these days.
Céline Choussy Bedouet,
Chief Marketing and
China: Karl Mayer’s tricot machine enables one-piece seamless bra
demand for this innovative,
high-speed tricot machine
is also increasing,” while
adding that the machine was
premiered at ITMA 2015 in
Milan, and has been selling
well ever since. Over the last
six months, there hasbeen
a huge increase in demand
from China.
The HKS 2-SE operates in a
machine gauge of E 36 to
produce the lingerie fabric
for the one-piece bra. This
high-speed tricot machine
specializes in producing
stretch knit goods, and is
designed to operate at a
high level of efficiency to
produce high-quality fabrics.
Also, specific changes to the
machine design have enabled
energy consumption to be
reduced by as much as 13 per
cent, the company reports.
warp-knitted charmeuseA fabric,produced on Karl
Mayer’s HKS 2-SE machine,
has been used to develop
a one-piece seamless
bra, which is now gaining
traction in the Chinese
lingerie business, reports
the company.
According to the
manufacturer, this popular
lingerie item owes its success
to its special design as it is
produced with virtually no
seams, claims to be practically
invisible and comfortable
under clothing, and has no
friction points. The fabric
produced on Karl Mayer HKS
2-SE machine lends it a soft
and cool feel.
Rainer Mueller, Sales Manager,Karl Mayer averred,“With
the hype surrounding this
fashionable, seamless bra, the
The smooth, high-quality
fabric can be processed into
a complete bra in just a few
stages. The entire bra with
its cups and side wings is
styled in a single piece, and
combined with a single layer
or several layers.The assembly
is laminated and the straps
and fastening are added.
The cutting/sealing process
produces clean fabric edges
without any seams, and the
multi-layered construction
ensures the flexibility of the
product. Foam inserts can
also be incorporated to create
push-up effects, and bras
having differently coloured
inner and outer sections
can also be produced. The
variety and efficiency of the
production process are said
to enable manufacturers to
achieve rapid delivery times
and to react quickly to rapidly
changing fashion trends.
Modaris V8 has the ability to create and fine-tune products more easily for faster
approval in the pre-productionprocess
Communications Officer,
Lectra avers,“Modaris has
been a flagship solution in the
fashion industry fordecades.
With this newest version
our customers, acrossthe
entire product development
ecosystem, will benefit from
the ability to drive astate-of-
the-art collaborative process,
ensuring data consistency,
end-product quality and
finally faster time tomarket.”
Benefits of the latestversion
of Modaris V8 include the
ability to create and fine-
tune products more easily
for faster approval in the
pre-production process,to
industrialize patterns faster for
a smoother assembly process,
and to position and grade
logos and graphics in 2D and
3D simultaneously.
Karl Mayer’s HKS 2-SE machine operates in a machine gauge of E 36 to produce
the lingerie fabric for the one-piecebra
USA: Google files patent for its ‘gesture control system’ in garments
This interactive textile can
process the touch-input to
generate touch data that is
useable to initiate functionality
at various remotedevices
–smartphones, tablets,
smartwatches, eyewear,
and far beyond – that are
wirelessly coupled withthe
interactivetextile.
The concept of Project
Jacquard is simple enough
–weaving touch-sensitive
components into fabrics
using conventional textile
manufacturing processes. It
took 10 months of intensive
research by engineers at
Google to design custom
yarn that could withstand the
pulling and heating of the
weaving process.They had
to develop touch-sensitive
threads that could detect the
oogle has filed a patentGapplication with the US
Patent & Trademark Office for
one of its latest inventions
which relates to an all-new
‘gesture control system’
designed specifically to work
with future smart garments like
an office or ski jacket, sporting
cap or jersey,shirts,purses
and other bits of clothing
able to recognize touch-
based gestures,under Project
Jacquard,a Google’s platform
for embedding sensors and
feedback devices in fabrics
and clothing.
According to Google, an
interactive textile includes
a grid of conductive thread
woven into the interactive
textile to form a capacitive
touchsensor that is configured
to detecttouch-input.
swipes, strokes, and taps of
multiple fingers at once, and
that could be woven into a
patch by a loom and even
settle on a means of producing
them atscale.
The invention is focused on
interactive textiles and the
gestures that could be used
to assist consumers interact
with devices that arecurrently
in their purse, jacket or jean
pocket.The user will only
have to tap their garment
in a particular manner and
the smartphone would react
immediately saving the user
time scrambling to pull out
their device just to execute a
single function.
By partnering with Levi’s,
Google was able to produce
a denim jacket called ‘Levi’s
Commuter Trucker Jacket’ in
a year in the form of a Project
Jacquard garment to be sold
in stores from 2017. Google’s
technology is infused in the
form of a cuff strap,which, once
strapped firmly to the jacket,
can be used by the wearer to
swipe across or tap to perform
actions like pinning a location
to Google Maps,answering
a phone call,or dismissing
textmessage.
Paul Dillinger,Vice President– Global Product Innovation,
Levi’s averred,“We committed
to introducing a product this
year and we’re excited to have
working production samples
that developers can use to help
buildour initial prototypes.
This is invisible technology and
discrete, intuitive gestures that
have the potential to change
our relationship withclothing.”
USA: Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM scores high in WhichPLM evaluation
creative design for CAM
in the evaluation, giving
homage to its integration
with industry-leading
software AccuMark® pattern
design, marker making,
grading and production
planning software.
Additionally, the overall
rating for YuniquePLM was
Gerber Technology has
announced that WhichPLM,
an independent digital
magazine dedicated to
product development for
the fashion industry which
evaluates supplier software,
has completed an evaluation
on itsYuniquePLM®,
product lifecycle
management software.
The evaluation conducted
analysed distinct criteria
including supplier
competencies and industry
knowledge, PLM solution
technical benchmark,
roadmap and development,
executive vision and
customer feedback.
YuniquePLM garnered two
4-star ratings in creative
design for CAD and
3 out of 5 stars, which is
clearly above average for
the industry. The starrating
is calculated by averaging
more than 40 individual
technical competencies.
Complementing the solution
and its score, Mark Harrop,
CEO – WhichPLM averred,
“Gerber Technology and its
YuniquePLM solution scored
well, meeting or exceeding
the industry average in
most process areas. But
WhichPLM was most excited
by the work that Gerber are
currently undertaking in
connecting the extended
supply-chain and delivering
value from a total digital
solution perspective.”
The overall rating for YuniquePLM was 3 out of 5 stars, which is clearly above average for the industry
USA: Tukatech launches Enterprise Edition of TUKA3D system
adopt virtual sample-making
programs like TUKA3D that
just don’t have the capital.
I’ve always believed that
companies of all sizes should
have the same access to
advanced technology. Since
I have seen the industry in
California transform due to
affordability and availability of
TUKAcad, I can only imagine
ukatech Inc.has launchedTthe Enterprise Edition
of its TUKA3D system for
virtual product development.
This edition will include the
same high-functioning 3D
development capabilities but
at a more affordable price.
TUKA3D EE (Enterprise
Edition) will not only
integrate modules of
TUKA3D for virtual product
development, TUKAcloud
for digital collaboration,
but also TUKAdesign EE
(Enterprise Edition), which
is used to prepare the2D
pattern for 3D development,
as well as make adjustments
in patterns. Similar to any
TUKA system, unlimited
training, implementation, and
consulting are also included
for the first year withTUKA3D
EE subscription.
Ram Sareen, Founder and
CEO,Tukatech Inc.averred,
“We know there are
companies who wantto
what will happen to the
apparel industry globally
with more attainable 3D
product development and
collaboration technology,”
while adding that the
company hasdozens
of vendors, brands, and
retailers worldwide who
have reported great results
with the implementation
Japan: First-ever laundry sorting and folding ‘bot’ is here!
that it knows the correct way
to fold it.
During a demonstration at
the show, Laundroid took
about 10 minutes to pick
out one garment, identify it
and fold it. Themanufacturer
states that some garments
will take longer. The folded
laundry is then placed onto
one of several shelves that
are about halfway up the
Laundroid machine. The
laundry can also be sorted
based on the type ofgarment
or according to articles of
family members.
Pre-orders for Laundroid will
begin in March 2017 and be
okyo-based SevenTDreamers has developed
Laundroid – the world’s first
laundry sorting and folding
robot which will go on sale
next year, announced the
manufacturer at the Ceatec
Electronics Show held near
Tokyo,Japan.
Laundroid is of the size of
a large refrigerator and has
a pull-out drawer near its
base where unsorted clothes
can be thrown in. A robot
inside the device picks up
each item of clothing and
analyses image with artificial
intelligence to figure out
what kind of clothing it is, so
restricted to Japan only.The
first units will be delivered
later in the year and wider
availability of a commercial
version is planned for
2018,said Shin Sakane,
President and CEO of Seven
Dreamers, while adding that
although initial sales will be
concentrated on Japan, the
company expects to sell a
limited number in USA too.
TUKA3D Enterprise Edition includes the same high-functioning 3D development capabilities but at a more affordable price
Laundroid is of the size of a large refrigerator and has a pull-out drawer near its base where unsorted clothes can be thrown in
of TUKA3D in their product
development process.
There has even been a case
where ‘going virtual’ allowed a
vendor of Tukatech to reduce
product development time
from 90 days to only 7 days.
Another increased theirfirst-sample acceptance rate
from about 93 per cent to
99.8 per cent.
A promising and successful future equipped with required knowledge and perspectives is what one expects from technical and commercial job training courses, which would also create an ideal condition for a successful future by providing the know-how of thetextile value chain. Groz-Beckert is one such name that offers its customers and partners an all-round support and knowledge about the entire textile value chain through its numerous, comprehensive training programmes, covering the complete gamut of textile production and joining methods...
Groz-BeckertAcademyShaping the future along textile valuechain
arking a globalM presence in over 150countries, Groz-Beckert combines
numerous competencies in knitting,
weaving, felting, tufting, and sewing
through the Groz-Beckert Academy,
Germany. The practice-focused
training courses offered by the
institute aims at sharing the know-
how,communicating experience, and
making expertise accessible through
Technology and Development
Centre (TEZ). The centre is equipped
with machines and technology
related to production, whether for
process experiments or prototypes,
and special series production.
TEZ thus facilitates maximum
hands-on practical training for every
single course.
The training courses are
segregated into three categories
– basic, advanced and special,
thereby creating the foundation
for shaping the future of the
textile industry. Basic training
courses render a general overview
of the textile value chain and
of the current business fields of
Groz-Beckert; advanced training
courses are aimed to enhance
and extend the knowledge of the
basics with specialist know-how in
certain areas of technology; whereas
special training courses are aimed to
equip one with expert knowledge
in certain special areas of the textile
value chain.
The courses offered in
Groz-Beckert training academythus helps to enhance the knowledge
of entrepreneurial and managerial-
level professionals in the textile
value chain. The academy also
offers discounts for group trainings
(for those enrolling together).
Additionally, it also has the facility
of company-specific custom-based
courses wherein Groz-Beckert
Academy arranges special courses
customized in line with clients’
needs and requirements to train the
managerial staff.
Details of some ofthe courses offered by Groz-Beckert:
BASIC COURSE
Course Name:Technical Textiles
Duration: 4-5hours
Languages: German/English/Chinese
Price: Euro 250
Frequency: Twice ayear
(English/German)
On request (Chinese)
This course gives a general
overview of technical textiles such
as basics of structure, production
and function of technical textiles.
The syllabus of this course includes
definition of technical textiles, fields
of application and functions of
technical textiles, processes forthe
production of technical textiles and
particularities on joining technical
textiles sector.
Course Name: Manual Flat Knitting and
Fault Analysis – I
Duration: 1 day (7 hours)
Languages: German/English/Chinese
Price: Euro 450
Frequency: Sixtimes a year(English/German)
On request (Chinese)
This first phase of the course provides
a general overview of warp knitting
technologies and resulting fault
analysis. The content basics of
knitting technology and fault
analysis include history of knitting
and knitting machines, introduction
to machine and needle technology,
basic types of fabric structures,
areas of application and products,
machine design, technical features
and functions of knitting machines.
Practical exercises will also be
undertaken on the manual flat
knitting machine.
Course Name: Theory of Fabric Structures
Duration: 4 days (7 hours/day)
Languages: German/English/
Spanish/Chinese
Price: Euro 1,800
Frequency: Once ayear(German/English/Spanish)
On request (Spanish)
A special knowledge of the theory
of fabric structures can be gained by
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