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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