Pre-Production Meeting (PPM) in Apparel Industry

What is Pre-production Meeting (PPM)?
When garment factory confirm a new order, general manager (GM) arrange a meeting in the elementary stage of the production that’s called pre-production meeting (PPM). It is also known as PP meeting in garment industry. A pre-production meeting (PPM) is held among staff in the garment industry to discuss the style, trims, construction etc. if there are further clarifications, an external PPM is held with the QC, merchandiser, and buyer. After all the size set samples are approved by the buyers and all raw materials are organized in the stores, then the bulk production of the garment style can be started. A preproduction meeting should be organized by the merchandiser prior to bulk production with the production manager and other department heads to plan the production process to evade any delays in target time.

In this PP meeting some important persons from the buyer and suppliers side are attained to take valuable decision. Besides, in this meeting, merchandiser will detail the quality requirement and other needs from the buyer for the particular style. The other department heads will discuss the possible practical difficulties that they may face during the bulk production. This pre production meeting is the most essential to increase the defect free production in the garment industry. They are discussing different production related matters that are directly involved in garment production. After approve the PP sample generally PP meeting should organize on an average 2 weeks. If this is not happened then the buying agent and supplier negotiate and fixed their possible date.

Flow Chart of Pre-production Meeting:

Here,
MRP = Manufacturing Ready Package
FKR = Factory Key Representative
WIP = Work in Process

Purposes or Importance of PP Meeting in Garment Industry:
Pre Production meeting is mainly arranged to make concern everyone who gets involved in garment manufacturing. If bulk production is started without PP meeting, then the chances of mistakes in production are more. For this mistake factory do not represent the actual requirements of buyer. To remove this mistake PP meeting helps about the things:

• Make concern everyone about production process.
• This meeting helps to clear any misconception about product and any other issues.
• Help to build up a strong relationship between buyer agent and factory people.
• Group discussion helps to improve production.

Methods of Pre-production Meeting in Apparel Industry:
Pre-production meeting methods in the apparel industry are below.

PP meeting places and Persons to be present for this meeting:
PP meeting commonly occupied in apparel factory or in buying house and some time in both places. PPM processes not totally different from one place to another. Small differences can be seen these are in below:

PP meeting in apparel factory:
To bring out all the info about production process PP meeting is most essential for supplier’s factory. Because only buyer’s official documents, requirements, specifications, and sample comment may not be enough to understand everything properly. Whereas, maximum production related peoples are less educated therefore, buyers are always concern about that and take every single steps to get high quality and defects free garment. If suppliers factory is not follow the buyer’s requirements then customer might ask for discount or cancellation.

Persons to be present for this meeting:

1. General Manager.
2. Buying QC
3. Factory manager.
4. Production manager.
5. Quality control manager.
6. Merchandiser
7. Maintenance mechanic
8. Pattern master.
9. Sample maker
10. Cutting master
11. Sewing in-charge
12. Finishing in-charge

PP meeting in buying house:
Before starting bulk production buying house arrange internal PP Meeting to take production file from the factory QC. If they have any kind of misconceptions about production, about sample, about technical issue then apparel merchandiser try to clarify this with their team.

Persons to be present for this meeting:

1. Buying merchandiser.
2. Buying QC who is going to take care of the file.
3. Buying technical team.

Necessary Documentation for PP Meeting:
Before oblation of pre-production planning, merchandiser should responsible to prepare necessary documents. If any documents will not possible to arrange before starting the PP meeting, merchandiser must inform the factory top management and all the people who are attained in this meeting and also inform the buying agent.

1. Buyer’s name
2. Description
3. Order no.
4. Order quantity
5. Style no.
6. Target
7. Starting Date
8. Finishing Date
9. Ex factory
10. Trim card or Production swatch board
11. Bulk shade approval board
12. Production file

To prepare a production file following items must be needed:

• Approved base fabric hanger.
• Approved lab dips.
• Approved print / Embroidery.
• Approved sample.
• Approved trims.
• Print / Embroidery Art work.
• Sample comment.
• Size and quality breakdown / PO Sheet
• Style details.
• Test report.
• Wash care sheet.
• Wash panel.

Matter of the Discussion in Pre-production (PP) Meeting:

1. Production schedule.
2. Pattern review.
3. Size set sample review.
4. Inventory of raw materials.
5. Testing detail about fabric
6. Cutting detail
7. Accessories inventory.
8. Sewing and stitching info
9. Line layout design.
10. Machine layout
11. Operator per line and name
12. Skilled operator in each machine
13. Q.C. application
14. Finalizing and selection skilled operators
15. Q.C. selection, names and card number etc
16. Embroidery review
17. Wet processing review
18. Print special attachment review.
19. Finishing and packing process.
20. Others

During the pre-production meeting, buying QC check all the attachments and consider it, if the both parties are satisfied then they are agree to start their production and sign a agreement paper for production. After the confirmation of bulk production, the entire PP meeting records and information’s are carefully filed up the both party and the factory manager should must be share important information among all the key employees, who are directly involved in quality and production for getting mistake free garment and to complete successful shipment also.

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Jahanara Rony

Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.

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