GRADUATION

PROJECT

PROCESS RE-ENGINEERING

Documented By:
AKANKSHA GUPTA(BFT/15/270)
OBJECTIVE:

To reduce material handling of sewing floor and improve workstation designs.

This phase included:

 Enhancing operator’s efficiency by providing the suitable work-aids for several sewing
operations;
 Introducing proper output pins and thus giving sewing lines a neat and sorted look, by
removing heaps of garments on the machine table; and
 Redesigning of workstations based on ergonomics principles.
 To reduce material handling of sewing floor and improve workstation designs.

The findings of the observation study highlighted significantly high off standard time in the
sewing section. It was found that the major reason of low level of operator efficiency was poorly
designed workstations. The workstations lacked the basics of ergonomics and 5S principles.
There were several non-value added activities and wasted movements in which an operator was
engaged during the major portion of the hour, which was ultimately reducing his efficiency.
Sewing task primarily involves three elements; pick up, sew and disposition. A scientifically
designed layout is defined as minimum reach for picking up and dispose of components. This
includes that every component and tools must be kept within the operator’s reach. It was observed
that several operators were wasting time on unnecessary movements and removing those could
enhance the output. This necessitated analyzing the individual sewing process and re-designing the
workstations.

The major components of a sewing workstation include:

 Machine Table
 Operator Chair
 Input Bin
 Output Bin
 Illumination

On doing the Work Study for various workstations, it was observed that the above mentioned
problems are purely due to lack of work aides & guides, and poor material handling within
workstations. A great scope of re-designing the workstations was observed so as to ease material
handling, eliminate unnecessary operator movements, and ultimately increase operator
efficiency.

Major critical areas were observed, where the material handling and arrangement were poor and
solutions explored.
 2. Project Implementation
Workstation redesign
(4.2.2.1.a) OPERATION - COLLAR PREPARARTION:
The operation which was critically observed was Neck band attach to Collar. This operation has
mainly 3 small parts; top collar, fusible neck band and non-fusible neck band. Presently, all the 3
bundles were open and spread on the sewing machine, which cluttered the workplace and made
3 separate heaps on the table. Due to this, the parts often got mixed and the operator had to
waste a lot of time to find the corresponding parts. The appearance of the workstation was also
very bad:

Fig: Collar Prep Operation

While observing the operation carefully, following were the recordings:

TOTAL CYCLE TIME OBSERVED 37.96

CAPACITY PER HOUR (PIECES) 95

 It was observed that the current capacity of operator was limited and there was a scope of
eliminating occasional elements and confusion for the operation. A collar specific work aid was
designed, which would have 3 cabinets to accommodate the corresponding parts and will give
more working space to the operator. This would also give a cleaner and more sorted look to the
workstation.
Following work aid would be used as an input bin:

10”

SMALL
COMPARTMENT FOR
12 STAND

BIG COMPARTMENT
FOR TOP COLLAR
PART

Fig: 16. Proposed Collar Stand

(4.2.2.1.b) PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS:

On doing the GSD comparison between before and after adoption of proposed operation
method, following were the projected savings in seconds and rupees with respect to extra
minutes generated:

Operation: Collar band attach

Before After
GSD Value = 843.2 TMU GSD Value = 797.2 TMU

SAM = 0.42 Min. SAM = 0.40 Min.

Allowance = 20% Allowance = 20%

Bundle Time = 0.067 Min. Bundle Time = 0 Min.

SMV = 0.57 Min. SMV = 0.48 Min.

Capacity @ 100% per hour = 105 pc Capacity @ 100% per hour = 125 pc

Capacity @ 50% per hour = 52 pc Capacity @ 50% per hour = 62 pc

Improvement = 19.2%
Capacity increased @ 50% per day = 80 pc
Time saved per cycle = 0.09 Min.
Cost per minute = Rs.6
Extra minutes generated per day = 38.4 Min.
Savings per day = Rs.230
Savings per month = Rs.5,760
Savings per year = Rs.69,120

The total extra minutes generated per annum on this workstation are 0.09 and savings per
annum is = Rs.69, 120
 1. (4.2.2.2.a) OPERATION - CUFF PREPARARTION:

Cuff preparation is another critical workstation where a lot of avoidable off standard time was
observed. As the cuff prepare operation requires two small parts – fusible upper cuff and under
cuff, the two parts create a lot of confusion on the sewing table as they are not kept and stacked
properly. The two bundles are merely kept on the machine table and often get mixed with one
another. This results in wasting a lot of time by the operator as he has to find the two
corresponding parts of the same number sequence. The cluttered workstation makes it even
more difficult for him to sew efficiently as majority of his working is occupied by scattered
bundles.

The condition of workstation before bin installation was as follows:

Poorly arranged cuff parts on

sewing table

Fig: 17. Cuff Operation

Another cuff preparation w/s

where cluttering lead to parts
mix-up and ultimately a lot of
time was wasted searching for
the corresponding part.

Fig: Cuff Operation

 While observing the operation carefully, following were the recordings:

TOTAL CYCLE TIME OBSERVED 29.30

CAPACITY PER HOUR (PIECES) 123

The avoidable occasional element which was observed in the operation was the cuff panel fell
from the sewing table of operator, due to which she wasted around 8 seconds in picking up that
part and again putting it in the right place. This occasional element of falling garment panels from
the operator’s table or lap is very common in the factory as there is no proper workstation
design.
These extra lost seconds can be saved by providing proper input and output bin at the
workstation so that operator can easily pick small cuff parts and can dispose them securely after
completing the operation. This would increase her productivity as well.
We proposed following workstation appearance for easy material handling:

Small Bin for

Input

Curved Bin for

secure & easy
pickup

Fig: Proposed Bins for Cuff Operation

(4.2.2.2.b) PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS:

On doing the GSD comparison between before and after adoption of proposed operation
method, following were the projected savings in seconds and rupees with respect to extra
minutes generated:

Operation: Cuff Preparation

Before After
GSD Value = 655 TMU GSD Value = 624 TMU

SAM = 0.33 Min. SAM = 0.31 Min.

Allowance = 20% Allowance = 20%

Bundle Time = 0.067 Min. Bundle Time = 0 Min.

SMV = 0.46 Min. SMV = 0.37 Min.

Capacity @ 100% per hour = 130 pc Capacity @ 100% per hour = 162 pc

Capacity @ 50% per hour = 65 pc Capacity @ 50% per hour = 81 pc

Improvement = 24.62%
Capacity increased @ 50% per day = 128 pc
Time saved per cycle = 0.09 Min.
Cost per minute = Rs. 6
Extra minutes generated per day = 47.36 Min.
Savings per day = Rs. 284
Savings per month = Rs. 7,104
Savings per year = Rs. 85,248

The total extra minutes generated per annum on this workstation are 0.09 and savings per
annum is = Rs.85, 248.
 2. (4.2.2.3.a) OPERATION – BACK MOON PATCH ATTACHMENT TO YOKE:

The third operation which was critically examined was back moon panel/label attach to yoke.
Every shirt has a yoke operation where either additional panel or the brand/size label is directly
attached on it. The operation has one big part – yoke, and one small part – moon panel/label. The
traditional method which was being used in the factory was keeping the yoke panel scattered on
the left side of sewing table and small moon panel on the right or under the machine. The poor
arrangement of parts created the same problem, i.e. parts mix-up. The workstation looked messy
and unorganized.

The condition of workstation was as follows:

Small Back moon

panels

Operator working
area being
hampered by
scattered bundles

Poorly arranged
yoke panels

Fig: D-patch attach to Yoke

While observing the operation carefully, following were the recordings:

TOTAL CYCLE TIME 33.91

CAPACITY PER HOUR (PIECES) 106

The occasional element observed in the operation was the operator had to look for back moon
part of the corresponding size as it got misplaced and mixed on sewing table. This wasted around
12 seconds in a bundle. This could have been avoided if the operator was given a better designed
workplace which safely accommodates both small and big parts in a proper segregated manner.
The proposed workstation design was as follows:

Fig:. Proposed Bins

Input bin designed
6”
for yoke cake

4” 21”

Fig: Proposed Bins

Input bin designed

for small parts like
back moon panel or
labels.
12”

Fig: Proposed Bins

The input bin of yoke can serve as an input for the whole cake rather than small bundles. on to
the next operator. This will also eliminate the bundle creation time in the preceding operation
and the whole cake will be fed to this operator.
(4.2.2.3.b) PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS:

On doing the GSD comparison between before and after adoption of proposed operation
method, following were the projected savings in seconds and rupees with respect to extra
minutes generated:

Operation: Moon patch attach to yoke

Before After
GSD Value = 729.7 TMU GSD Value = 686.7 TMU

SAM = 0.36 Min. SAM = 0.34 Min.

Allowance = 20% Allowance = 20%

Bundle Time = 0.067 Min. Bundle Time = 0 Min.

SMV = 0.50 Min. SMV = 0.41 Min.

Capacity @ 100% per hour = 120 pc Capacity @ 100% per hour = 146 pc

Capacity @ 50% per hour = 60 pc Capacity @ 50% per hour = 73 pc

Improvement = 21.67%
Capacity increased @ 50% per day = 104 pc
Time saved per cycle = 0.09 Min.
Cost per minute = Rs.6
Extra minutes generated per day = 42.64 Min.
Savings per day = Rs.255
Savings per month = Rs.6,396
Savings per year = Rs.76,752

The total extra minutes generated per cycle on this workstation is 0.09 min and savings per
annum is = Rs.76, 752, increasing the capacity by 13p pcs/hr.
 3. (4.2.2.4.a) OPERATION – DART MAKING ON BACK PANEL:

The operation which was observed and critically examined was dart making on the back panel.
Here, the problem with the operator was not only the unorganized workstation but also the extra
cycle time which she was taking. Due to lack of space on table for long back panel, the operator
was involved in folding the panel three times after completing the operation and then disposing it
aside. This was increasing the cycle time for her as well as the next operator as she would have to
again open those folds so as to stitch the panel. These folded completed back panels were also
obstructing her working area.
The condition before improvising the workstation was:

Current panel
obstruction with
completed ones

Completed panels
folded and kept
on the table
Fig: Back Dart Operation

Further, on doing the time study of existing setup, it was found that the total cycle/pc (including
the bundle opening and closing) is 60 seconds which makes her capacity to only 60 pieces per
hour. Her capacity can be significantly increased by designing proper work aides for her which are
specific to her operation.
 While observing the operation carefully, following were the recordings:

TOTAL CYCLE TIME 60.0

CAPACITY PER HOUR (PIECES) 60

As observed in the table, the operator is not engaged in any occasional activity which decreasing
her productivity. However, the operator is wasting around 4-5 seconds per piece in folding the
panel and then placing it on the table. This can be avoided by providing her a proper dispose
area. In this operation, as the length of panel is big, bins will not be useful. Therefore, an output
rod can be attached to the workstation which will have a folding provision for when not in use.
The proposed workstation is as follows:

Foldable Rod for

completed long
back panels

Fig: Proposed Rod for Output

(4.2.2.4.b) PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS:

On doing the GSD comparison between before and after adoption of proposed operation
method, following were the projected savings in seconds and rupees with respect to extra
minutes generated:

Operation: Back Dart Stitch

Before After
GSD Value = 1264.5 TMU GSD Value = 1165.5 TMU

SAM = 0.63 Min. SAM = 0.58 Min.

Allowance = 20% Allowance = 20%

Bundle Time = 0 Min. Bundle Time = 0 Min.

SMV = 0.76 Min. SMV = 0.70 Min.

Capacity @ 100% per hour = 79 pc Capacity @ 100% per hour = 86 pc

Capacity @ 50% per hour = 40 pc Capacity @ 50% per hour = 43 pc

Improvement = 8.86%
Capacity increased @ 50% per day = 24 pc
Time saved per cycle = 0.06 Min.
Cost per minute = Rs.6
Extra minutes generated per day = 16.8 Min.
Savings per day = Rs.100
Savings per month = Rs.2,520
Savings per year = Rs.30,240

The total extra minutes generated per annum on this workstation are 0.06 and savings per
annum is = Rs.30,240 increasing the capacity by 3p pcs/hr.