Introduction:
Starting business in garment industry can be considered as one such good option according to present situation. But setting up a garment manufacturing business is a complex process involving different types of machineries and equipments. The exact number of machineries needed depends on the type of garments you plan to produce and the scale of your operation.
We face a common question by our visitors that “I want to start a garment manufacturing unit in small scale. Which type of and how many machinery should purchase for my factory?”. In this article I try to explain determination of machinery requirements for a garment factory.
How to Determine Machinery Requirements in Garment Industry:
Various types of machines used in the garment industry from warehouse to finishing. While executing an order for bulk production, a variety of machines is required to complete the assembling process and production. The machines should be selected based on the product category. The factors influencing the machinery requirement in garment industry are given below.
Selection of Product Type:
The requirement of machine type depends on product types and product styling. If multiple product styles are planned, then the number of units to be produced per day for each product should be decided.
Daily Production Target:
The next step is to decide the number of garment pieces to be produced monthly or daily.
Estimation of Line Efficiency:
Though one could not be aware of the line efficiency at the starting stage of set up of a garment industry, we have to consider a line efficiency level the garment factory could perform 6 months ahead to calculate the machine requirement. As most of the garment factories run at 40% efficiency, this value could be taken for the calculations.
Preparation of Operation Bulletin:
The industrial engineer will practice the operation bulletin of the product. The industrial engineer has to study the product and ensure the types of operations needed to assemble the garment, select the correct kind of sewing machines for each operations and determine the SAM of the product, number of sewing machines required for each process/operation and total machines needed per line to accomplish the production target.
Calculation of Number of Lines:
The number of lines required for the production of a particular style is given by a ratio between daily total production target and estimated production per line.
Preparation of a Matrix of Machine Mix:
Once production line number of machines for each product is considered, then preparation of a table with a list of machines for each product style has to be done as shown in Table below.
| Sl. No. | Machines | Product Wise No. of m/c Requirement | Total | |||
| Sewing Machines | Trouser (2 Lines) | Shirt (4 Lines) | Tee (8 Lines) | Polo (2 Lines) | ||
| 1 | SNLS (with thread trimmer) or | 50 | 112 | 14 | 26 | 202 |
| SNLS (without thread trimmer) | 0 | |||||
| 2 | SNLS (with edge cutter) | 12 | 12 | |||
| 3 | 3THO/L | 5 | 12 | 17 | ||
| 4 | 4TH 0/L | 32 | 32 | |||
| 5 | SNCS | 4 | 4 | |||
| 6 | FOA (Feed of the arm) | 6 | 6 | |||
| 7 | Key hole making (for trousers) | 2 | 2 | |||
| 8 | Button holing (computer controlled) | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 9 | Button sewing (computer controlled) | 6 | 6 | |||
| 10 | Bartack machine | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 11 | SNAP button attaching machine | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 12 | Flat lock (flat bed) | 24 | 6 | 30 | ||
| 13 | Flat lock (cylinder bed) | 0 | ||||
| Total no. of machines | 66 | 142 | 46 | 46 | 300 | |
Conclusion:
Determination of machinery requirements for a garment industry is a crucial step in ensuring efficient and cost-effective production processes. By carefully assessing factors such as production volume, product complexity, desired quality standards, and available budget, garment manufacturers can identify the specific machinery needed to meet their production goals. Before buying machineries, it is essential to consider the versatility, capacity, and technological advancements of machinery options, as well as the potential for automation and integration with existing systems.
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Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.
