Types of Control Forms in Garment Industry

What is Control Forms?
Control forms are crucial documents that provide comprehensive information and guidelines for the production of a garment. It is also known as Control Templates or Tech Packs. By using control forms can enhance overall production management, minimize errors, maintain consistent quality, and improve communication among different departments in garment industry. Control forms play an important role in maintaining consistency and efficiency in garment manufacturing process.

In the process of quality control, the control at various levels of production of garments is monitored by various control forms. This helps in maintaining continuity in the quality control. Further monitoring of the production process will be controlled by documentation. The stage-by-stage documentation helps in not only achieving the expected quality but also in completion of production within the target time. These forms help regulate the standard manufacturing procedure, the quality of the apparel, and the record-keeping of the entire process. Quality control forms help garment industry leaders track the entire manufacturing process. It ensures that the product arrives on time and in one piece. It also helps target specific areas of growth for the apparel company.

Types of Control Forms in Garment Industry:
In the garment industry, there are various types of control forms, each are used for a specific purpose in the garment production process. Some of the common types of control forms are used in garment industry are:

1. Sales Tally Form:
This is made out in the production control department. It collects all sales orders to enable production control to determine the total amount needed per style and color. It gives production control the information needed for ordering raw materials and scheduling the cutting orders with respect to size and color distribution and time. It contains the information such as style, color and style listing in chart form, the date, time span (daily or weekly) and the serial number.

2. Purchase Order:
This gives a merchant the authority to ship raw materials to the industry. It is usually made out by purchasing, production control, or the departments using the materials or supplies. Some industries may use purchase requisition forms, which are made out by production control or the department using the items. The purchasing department then issues purchase orders according to the needs listed on the collations.

The purchase order for raw materials contains the following information:

The date the order is given
The authority for the order and the order number
The delivery date or dates and amounts per date
Where and how to be shipped: also any pertinent packing instructions
The firm’s name
The vendor’s style and color names and/or numbers for the raw material
The prices and terms, and the width, finish of fabric and other pertinent quality specifications for the fabric, such as pick count and tensile strength that are needed for this fabric

3. Receiving Memo:
This is made out by the receiving department and lists the specification and amounts of all raw materials and supplies that are received.

It contains the following information:

Date received
Item received: specifications and amount (the shipper’s style number or name, also the firm’s style number or name)
From whom received (carrier)
The shipper’s name
Firm’s purchase order number for the shipment
The shipper’s sales order number for the shipment
The signature of the one receiving it signifying the purchase order authorizing the shipment has been checked

4. Cutting Order:
This form is the initial work order made by production control. Large industries may have systems which comprises both cutting orders and cutting tickets. Nevertheless, there is a difference between a spreading ticket and a cutting ticket or a cutting order although in certain situations the three may be synonymous. The precise definitions are given below: A cutting order is an authorization to cut a number of garments made from one or more types of fabric and which may be cut in one or more spreads. A cutting ticket is an authorization to cut a number of garments that must be cut in two or more spreads depending on the different types of materials used. A spreading ticket is an authorization to cut one of the fabric requirements for a given number of garments on one cutting table upon which one can spread. When a garment is made of only one type of fabric and the cut ordered is made in one spread, the spreading ticket and the cutting order become synonymous.

Cutting orders should carry the following information:

The date the order is issued and the serial number of the order
Style number and/or name of the garment
General description of the garment
Listing of the types of fabrics to be cut for the garment
The mill number or name of specific fabrics to be cut
The color and size distribution (and totals per size and color)
The date these garments are required for shipment
Special remarks with reference to items such as zippers, buttons, etc.

Cutting tickets should contain the following information:

The cutting order number against which the cutting ticket is made and the cutting order date
The cutting ticket number and its date
The code numbers of the markers to be used
The color and size distribution of the amount to be cut
The number of bundles made for the sewing department
The work or pay control ticket numbers issued against the cutting ticket
The date work began on the ticket; the date the work was completed
The calculated yardage to be used
The actual yardage used
Remarks: any discrepancy between the above two yardages
The names of those who worked on the lot

If spreading tickets are used, it may be advisable to enter a piece goods listing against each spreading ticket. Spreading tickets would have essentially the same information as cutting tickets plus the cutting table number and/ or cutting table area. Spreading tickets should list the spreading, cutting and bundling times for the spread lot.

5. The Cutting Production Control Chart:
This could be made in the cutting department for the purpose of controlling cutting department activities. Besides the usual delineations for scheduled production, actual production and time, this control chart should also have provision for each cutting table, each cutting table area if long tables are used, each fixed band knife and each activity such as spread, mark, cut or bundle that takes place at each table.

6. Cutting Projection Tally:
This is a device that may be used to update the sewing department as to the exact time the sewing department will receive each style every week.

This form should normally carry the following information:

The day, date and hour each style cut is ready for the sewing department
The amount, number of colors and number of work bundles in each cut
The cutting order number, cutting ticket number and move ticket number of the cut (or job order numbers)
The date each cut is required for shipment
The date of the projection

This form would usually have two copies: one for the cutting department and one for the sewing department; in certain situations, it may be advisable to give a third copy to production control.

7. Recut or Swatch Ticket:
This would initiate in the cutting apartment whenever garment panels that are damaged and cannot be used have to be cut again. The same ticket may be used for cutting sample swatches for sales. Each ticket should contain the date of the recut, the style number and/or name of the fabric, the color, the inventory piece number, the yardage used, the garment section(s) recut, the bundle number of the garment and the cutting ticket number.

8. Bundle Ticket:
This control form originates in either the cutting department or the payroll department. It is generally used for pay control as well as production control purpose. The bundle ticket can be used for unit flow as well as bundle flow production systems. The exact form of the ticket will depend on the production system used. In sectionalised production systems, the bundle ticket should be perforated in sections equal in number to the total number of subassembly and assembly lines used to produce the product. Each section should have subsections perforated, equal in number to the number of jobs in the subassembly line covered by the ticket section. Each of these individual subsections will be detached from the main body of the subsection by the operator after he or she completes the job on the bundle. The main body of the subsection is the division that is returned to pay control by the production supervisor after all the jobs in the section have been completed.

Each of these divisions should contain the following information:

The serial number of the entire bun-die ticket
The name of the subsection (such as sleeve, collar, front, etc.)
The style name or number
The cutting ticket number (or spreading ticket or more ticket number)
The date of the compilation of the bundle in the cutting section
The size, amount and color of the bundle
The name of each process in the section and the number of the operator who has carried out the job against the respective job name.

9. Move Ticket:
This ticket would originate in the cutting department. It can be dispensed with under certain production systems. It controls all the bundle tickets issued against a cutting or spreading ticket. For example, assume a lot of 150 dozen in 6 colors, 3 sizes, has been cut on a given cutting ticket which controlled three different spreads: one of body fabric, one of lining, the other of trimming fabric. The move ticket lists the bundles made and the bundle ticket numbers assigned to this cutting ticket.

The move ticket should contain the following information:

The cutting ticket number (and spreading ticket numbers)
The listing of bundle ticket numbers assigned
The move ticket number
The amount, color and size of each bundle
The date the move ticket was compiled
The cutting order number
The style name or number
The completion date for the move ticket

A move ticket should actually be a style or job order control device. If it is a job order control device, it may list more than one style when the production system and sequence are alike for the style listed on the mover ticket.

Job order forms should contain the following information:

The job order number
The date the job order was made
The date the job order is required for delivery
The listing of move tickets against this job order

Each of these move ticket listings should give the style name or number of each move ticket, the move ticket number, the cutting number of the move ticket, the total number of bundles on each move ticket, the total amount per size and color, the grand total per move ticket, customer’s name (or code name or number) for when this order was made and the sales order numbers against which this job order was made.

10. Sewing Department Project Tally:
This could initiate in the sewing department after a cutting department projection has been received. The form informs the pressing department as to the exact time the pressing department will receive each style (and the amount) during the next week. This form should generally contain the following information:

The date and hour each style or job order to be sewed will be ready for off-pressing (or finishing)
The amount, colors, size and bundle distribution of each style
The cutting order number, cutting ticket number and move ticket number (or job order number) of each bundle
The date each bundle, style, move ticket or job order is required for shipment
The date the projection is made and the time span the projection covers; a 3-copy distribution would usually send one copy to production control, one to the sewing department and one to the pressing department

11. Pressing Projection Tally:
This originates in the pressing projection and would usually duplicate most of the information listed in the sewing projection. A 3-copy distribution of this form would send one copy to production control, one to pressing and one to the packing and shipping department.

12. Packing and Shipping Projection:
This would initiate in the shipping department after the pressing projection is received and it would list the following information:

The day and date of each shipment scheduled to be made in the coming week, the customer’s name and the shipment destination
The style, color and size distribution of each shipment
The sales order number against which the shipment is made
The cutting order (or cutting ticket number) against which the shipment is made
The date and time projection is made within the time span the projection covers

13. Shipping Memo:
This is the form made out for each shipment when the shipment is made. It lists the contents of each shipment and gives the distribution of each shipping container (cartons, cases, etc.). A packing memo would be a form used to list the contents shipped in one container. As to whether one or both of these two forms are used will depend on the shipping system used. Each form, however, will contain the name, initials, or number of the clerk who packs the shipping container(s) as well as the style, color and size distribution in each container, the date the shipment was made, the carrier, the sales order number of the shipment and the customer’s purchase order number for the shipment if there is such number.

14. Invoice or Bill:
This initiates in the accounting department after the charge or shipping memo is received. This usually contains all the information on the shipping memo plus the price of each item and the total amount due for the shipment. A 2-copy distribution would send one copy to the customer and the other copy to the accounting department.

15. Production Control Ledger Cards:
These forms are used by production to control purchasing, production and inventory activities. Two basic forms may be used to control all these activities.

a) Production Control Card I: It may be called as planning or purchasing control card for each style and color, if a style is made in six colors, six cards would be used to control the planning for this style.

Each card or form would contain the following information:

Style number or name, color, fabric description, fabric width, yards per dozen or unit.
The purchase record section – this section of the record contains the date of each purchase of fabric in this color, the purchase order number, the mill to which the purchase was issued, the yardage ordered, the price, the terms, the sales value of the fabric ordered and the amount of garments that can be cut from this purchase order.
The sales record section – this section of the card lists the size distribution sold daily of this style and color. It also lists the total amount sold and the amount to be sold for which fabric is purchased and available.
Receiving record – this section lists the date cloth for this style and color has been received. It also lists the receiving memo number, purchase order number, mill name of each cloth shipment received, the yardage received, the yardage cut, the cutting ticket number of each cut, and the cutting order number of each cut.
The cutting order record – this section lists the date and number of each cutting order, the size distribution of each cutting order and the receiving memo number of the cloth to be used for each cutting order. This Production Control Card I acts as a raw material inventory record as well as a purchase control.

b) Production Control Card II: It is the finished garment inventory control for each style and color. Each card or form would contain the following information:

Style number or name, color, fabric description, fabric width, yards per dozen or unit.
The cutting ticket record – this section contains the date each cutting ticket was completed, the cutting order number, the amount cut per size, time total amount cut and the yardage used.
The finished garment record – this section consists of three subsections: ‘shipped garments’, ‘on call or waiting garments’ and ‘stock sell garments’. ‘On call or waiting garments’ are garments made against specific sales orders.

These garments are waiting to be shipped on specific dates listed on the sales order or they are waiting to be shipped as called for by the customer. Each subsection has daily listings for time size distribution for the style, and the total amount shipped, on call, or in stock. A common date line is used for all three subsections. These two production control forms, raw material inventory and finished garment inventory, may be incorporated into one control form for controlling the complete inventory on the basic raw material used in the garment. This may be done to save form space; duplicate date or total amount columns may be eliminated. Posting time is also saved in such situations.

16. Equipment Maintenance Record:
This is a form on which a record is kept of the maintenance and repair work done on production equipment such as cutting, spreading, sewing and pressing machines. This record enables one to determine when it has become economically feasible to replace the machine.

The record should contain the following information:

Maker, model number and serial number
Date of acquisition and cost
Date and man hours spent on each repair and down-time adjustment
The parts replaced in each repair and the cost
Sum of operating hours between repairs and adjustment
Summary of operating speeds and condition
Summary of types of operation
The operator (or operators); remarks section for cause of breakdown

17. Equipment Inventory Record:
This record lists each machine by maker, model number and serial number, date of acquisition, cost and relative performance value. In many firms, forms 17 and 18 can be combined as one for some of the representative forms listed in this section.

18. Receiving Quality Control Sheet:
This lists the quality specifications to be measured when fabric or other raw material is received. It lists those specifications that must be measured as soon as the fabric is received and checked off against the supplier’s shipping memo sent with the fabric.

19. Laboratory Quality Control Sheet:
This lists the quality specifications of raw material which must be measured in a testing laboratory.

20. Rejection Memo:
This is another quality control document forwarded by the receiving department to purchasing, listing materials rejected with reasons for the same.

Conclusion:
In the garment industry, control forms are used to record and manage important information related to the production and quality control processes. Having these various types of control forms helps streamline the garment production process, ensuring clear communication, consistency, and adherence to quality standards throughout the entire garment manufacturing process.

References:

Apparel Manufacturing Technology by T. Karthik, P. Ganesan, and D. Gopalakrishnan
Practice of Garments Merchandising and Management by Engr. Md. Faruk Hosen
Akter Hossain, “Quality Control in Garment Manufacturing – An Overview” https://textilelearner.net/quality-control-in-garment-manufacturing/ (Accessed 23 Jul 2023).
What to Know about Quality Control Forms in Apparel Industry (https://apparelproductionny.com)

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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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