Hi! Thanks for the interesting question.
Please take note that before providing a rating; please ask for
clarification if you will need further assistance in the answers I
have provided below.
Based on the different resources I gathered, I was able to format a
procedure being used by apparel manufacturers. Of course some will do
these methods differently and the steps are not a hard and fast rule
but it will give us a proper overview of the apparel production
process.
After each and every segment, I have provided the related equipment
for that stage and a link to a list of machine and software providers.
-------------------------
DESIGN AND PRE-PRODUCTION PLANNING STAGE:
1. Design will obviously be on top of the chain of the production
process. It is more complicated than just thinking of what is a good
art work of graphic.
?Design is either completed in-house or commissioned to smaller design
companies. The first step in design is analyzing the consumer which
the company is targeting? More important is the feedback gained from
the sales of the similar products that were developed earlier, which
requires a collaboration between the retailers and the manufacturer.
Usually, prototype garments are made for internal decision making.
These tasks take considerable amount of time. The design process
usually starts while the previous year's garments are still retailed.?
?Responsiveness may be greatly enhanced by reducing the time required
for design development. Computer-aided design (CAD) systems are
recently being used for such reduction efforts. Besides reductions in
the actual design time, CAD systems also reduce the time for making
the pattern and enable electronic storage of the design which makes
later modifications and transmissions easy (Blackburn 1991).?
?Recently emerging Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) technologies are
targeting to improve communications throughout the supply chain during
the product development process.?
2. Sample Production and Order Collection
?The next step after the design in the fashion calendar is the
production of samples. At Paugal, the first samples are produced and
approved by mid February for Fall 1 season. The samples are shown to
the buyers from retailers by market representatives at major trade
shows (e.g., Las Vegas Magic Show) or at the retailer sites.?
3. Deciding on a Production Method and Location:
?A strategic question for the apparel producers at this point is where
to carry out the manufacturing operations. Some companies operate
their own facilities for manufacturing. Some others use contractors?
Whether this decision be out-sourcing or in-house production, another
important issue is the venue of the production.?
?The U.S. apparel industry: a supply chain review? by Alper Sen
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~alpersen/Papers/ApparelReview_Sen_October_2004.pdf
EQUIPMENT/SYSTEMS/SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS:
CAD Software
http://search.yahoo.com/search/dir?y=n&p=CAD&e=21325&f=0%3A2766678%3A2718086%3A8101%3A27755752%3A10796%3A21325&r=Business+and+Economy%02Business+to+Business%02Apparel%02Software
CAD Solution Providers/Consultants
http://www.capterra.com/fashion-design-and-production-software
-----------------------------------
SUPPLY CHAIN STAGE:
The supply chain segment gives us a brief overview of the overall
process on how things will start out as a manufacturing firm will
outsource the goods and even the production.
4. Fabric Selection:
?Designers or merchandisers for larger firms often work with textile
mills to create and color their own fabric patterns. If the order is
substantial, the firm will have an ?exclusive? on that particular
fabric - another competitive edge enjoyed by big firms.?
?The smaller manufacturer may obtain exclusive fabrics by buying
smaller quantities of ?grey? or ?greige? goods (unfinished fabric)
from the mill or converter.?
5. Costing and Pricing:
?After the fabric is selected, sample cuts are ordered from the mill.
The garment is produced and the manufacturer checks it for costs,
salability and profit potential. Adjustments are often made at this
point and the final version is priced for sale.?
6. Purchasing:
?Each style slated for production is numbered. A pattern maker
prepares a production pattern in the firm's sample size. When the
pattern has been tested for possible correction and is finally
satisfactory, salesmen's samples are made from duplicate yardage of
the sample cut. At this point the manufacturer must decide when and
how much fabric to order.?
?A Beginner's Guide to Apparel Manufacturing? (Part 3) Edited and
Revised By Randall C. Harris
http://www.sffi.org/beginnerguide3.htm
EQUIPMENT/SYSTEMS/SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS:
Warehousing Services
http://www.apparelsearch.com/warehouse.htm
Supply Chain Management Software Consultants
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Manufacturing/Supply_Chain_Management/
Logistics Consultants
http://dmoz.org/Business/Transportation_and_Logistics/Distribution_and_Logistics/Logistics/
-----------------------------------
PRODUCTION PROCESS STAGE:
7. Fabric Spreading and Cutting:
?Once the pattern has been created, the fabric must be spread and cut.
Many layers of material may be spread on the cutting table, depending
on the quantity being produced and the type of material. Workers known
as markers must determine the best arrangement or layout of the
pattern pieces to minimize waste.?
8. Sewing Stage:
?Once the material has been cut, it is ready to be sewn together into
a shirt, knapsack, dress, or other product. Most sewing is done by
sewing machine operators, who are classified by the type of machine
and product on which they work. The most basic division is between
sewing machine operators who produce clothing and those who produce
nongarment items such as towels, sheets, and curtains.?
9. Quality Inspection:
?When sewing operations have been completed, workers remove loose
threads, basting stitching, and lint from the finished product.
Although final inspection of the product is usually done at this time,
inspectors are found in all stages of the production process.?
10. Pressing:
?Pressers ensure that finished products are free of wrinkles. Some
pressers specialize in a particular garment part; others do the final
pressing before the product is shipped to the store. Pressing may be
done by hand, but it is more likely to be performed by
specially-designed, steam pressing machines that are much more
productive than hand pressing.?
Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/ooh9899/45.htm
Updated Version (Less Description of the Process)
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos233.htm
EQUIPMENT/SYSTEMS/SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS:
Apparel Manufacturing and Product Lifecycle Management Systems
http://www.capterra.com/apparel-management-software
Fabric Cutters
http://dmoz.org/Business/Textiles_and_Nonwovens/Textiles/Machinery_and_Equipment/Cutting_Room/
Apparel (Industrial) Sewing Machines
http://dmoz.org/Business/Textiles_and_Nonwovens/Textiles/Machinery_and_Equipment/Industrial_Sewing_Machines/
Pressing machines
http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=pressing&all=no&cs=UTF-8&cat=Business%2FTextiles_and_Nonwovens%2FTextiles%2FMachinery_and_Equipment
-----------------------------
DISTRIBUTION STAGE:
11. Distribution to Retailers:
?Assembled garments are labeled, packaged and usually shipped to a
warehouse. The garments are then shipped to the retailers'
warehouses?Manufacturers are assuming responsibility in many
functions, once considered to be part of retailers' services. Among
them are labeling products with retailer's price tags, preparing them
on hangers and shipping them directly to stores.?
12. Retailers:
?Mass merchandisers, department stores and specialty stores are the
major outlets for apparel.?
?The buyer's decisions are controlled by a budget set by the
merchandise managers... A buyer's budget is usually updated each
season based on his/her performance and consumer trends in the apparel
line he/she is buying.?
?When a vendor delivers a batch of garments, the shipment can go to a
central warehouse or distribution center first and then be broken down
and re-shipped to individual stores.?
?A buyer sometimes moves an item from one store to another store; when
this occurs, a direct transshipment between the two stores may not
always occur.?
13. Pricing:
?Apparel retailers usually employ cost based pricing techniques for
the initial prices for their merchandise. Typically, the initial price
is the cost of the product plus a percentage mark-on. This mark-on
percentage is such that the revenue obtained from the sales will be
adequate to cover all expenses incurred in the business plus a
reasonable profit?
?The U.S. apparel industry: a supply chain review? by Alper Sen
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/~alpersen/Papers/ApparelReview_Sen_October_2004.pdf
EQUIPMENT/SYSTEMS/SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS:
Labels and Tags
http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Apparel/Labels__Patches__and_Badges/
Directory of Retail Solutions Providers
http://www.retailsystems.com/Index.cfm?PageName=RetailITDirectory
Search terms used:
Overview apparel design production manufacturing process
?supply chain? software
CAD systems
Import-export systems
Industrial sewing fabric cutters cutting
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
