Competitive Study on Manual and Automatic Fabric Spreading and Cutting Process

Swapan Ahmed; Azizur Rahman, Md.

Competitive Study on Manual and Automatic Fabric Spreading and Cutting Process

Swapan Ahmed; Azizur Rahman, Md.

URI: http://dspace.daffodilvarsity.edu.bd:8080/handle/123456789/4571

Date: 2019-12-06

Abstract:

Spreading is the process of super imposing lengths of fabric on a spreading table, cutting table, or specially designed surface in preparation for the cutting process. Fabric loss resulting from the cutting and spreading processes is one of the key factors in determining the fabric utilization in apparel production. Amongst the three main productions process cutting, sewing, and finishing – in apparel manufacturing, a considerable amount of fabrics would be lost during the cutting and spreading process. Such loss can be prevented by following the appropriate production process. Fabric spreading is the immediate operation prior to cutting. So, the efficiency of cutting operation is largely dependent on fabric spreading. The purpose of the study is to know about the spreading and cutting methods that are followed currently in Meghna knit composite Limited, compare the different aspects of the methods which are required for defining the efficiency of the methods. In this project, the fabric spreading processes: both manual and automatic were observed. The aspects that are related to spreading process such as fabric wastage, spreading time, production cost and required manpower were analyzed. Same thing analyzed in case of cutting process. The data used in this project were collected directly from the factory premises. These data were analyzed and then comparison was done between two processes for conclusive results. It was found that in manually spreading time per ply is 46 second where it is only 36 sec required in case of automatic process. Total number of manpower required 10 person in manual process where it is only 6 person in automatic . But in automatic process 4.41% fabric is wastages happening which is higher than manual where it is only 3.53%. Duration of fabric lay cutting we found 41 minute required for cutting by manual method but it was required only 21 minutes in automatic method for cutting of same lay which save the almost half extra time of cutting duration. So experimental results shows the difference between the manual and automatic fabric spreading and cutting process in terms of the aspects mentioned above. The analyzed data proved to be different from the general phenomenon of fabric spreading and cutting. The findings of this project might be helpful for both the top management as well as the individuals related to the production floor of Meghna knit composite Ltd., by showing the current scenario of fabric cutting section in the factory and also in finding measures that can be taken for the development of spreading and cutting process.

Description:

In apparel industry, it is difficult to determine the efficiency of a production unit in a specific time period due to complexity of processes, variety and large quantity of operators. As sewing department offers a wide range of optimization possibilities on production efficiency, most of studies are related with this department. On the other hand, studies about cutting department frequently focus on cut order planning optimization, cut scheduling problem and alternative formulations for layout problem. Moreover, no particular study is observed about spreading process in literature. But, the cutting room is one of the most important departments in the factory. An improvement of 2-3% in material utilization efficiency of cutting floor can make a huge difference to bottom line profitability. Garment production involves three major operations which are: cutting, sewing, and finishing. Before performing the sewing and finishing operations, the main role of cutting process is to transform fabrics rolls into garments panels prepared for subsequent sewing operations. Spreading is the process of superimposing lengths of fabric on a spreading table, cutting table, or specially designed surface in preparation for the cutting process. Fabric loss resulting from the cutting and spreading processes is one of the key factors in determining the fabric utilization in apparel production. Amongst the three main production processes - cutting, sewing, and finishing – in apparel manufacturing, a considerable amount of fabrics would be lost during the cutting and spreading process and such loss cannot be recovered by subsequent production process. The percentages of various costs which add up to give the garment cost are as follows: raw material cost 50 %, direct labor cost 20%, indirect labor charges and factory overheads 30%. Fabric is the biggest cost driver of the garments industry, accounting to 50 to 80 percent of the garments cost, so even a small fabric saving can add a good amount to garments manufacturer pockets. The minimization of fabric wastage is crucial to the reduction of production costs.

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