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POKA YOKE APPLICATION IN
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TEXTILE INDUSTRY
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GROUP MEMBERS
ATTIYA NAZ
RIZWANA YASMEEN
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ZAIN IFFAT MALIK
SOBIA MUSHTAQ
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SUBMITTED TO: MR. AZHAR NISAR
DATE: 26th DECEMBER 2011
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TQM RESEARCH REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The research report is based on the application of poka yoke in textile industry of Pakistan.
Textile industry is huge with vast production of textile and export to many western and European
countries. The research covers the area of poka yoke which is any effort to eliminate human
errors in the system. In short, Error = Mistakes = Defects. Therefore, the removal and control of
errors eliminates defects. This is the basic principle behind the Poka Yoke or error proofing
principle.
We had done research on 3 textile companies namely Al Asif textile industries, Al Karam textile
mills and Gul Ahmad. Textile industry depends very much on human involvement at many areas
of manufacturing. Where there is human involvement, more chance of error occurence. We are
able to find out different sections in textile manufacturing where poke yoke devices are use; yet
there are many areas where there is a need to develop and apply poka yoke devices. Poka-yoke is
among the fundamental approaches used by the most competitive production systems worldwide but still seems to receive little attention by practitioners and researchers in the
manufacturing sector.

Page 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Praise to almighty Allah who gave us the courage and strength to complete this task effectively
and efficiently. We hope that this report will afford information, pleasure, and an extensive
analytical overview of the topic to the readers and they will show a deep sense of appreciation
for the effort we have put in it.
We are thankful to our teacher, MR. AZHAR NISAR, CDR (R) PN, whose remarkable talent,
valuable guidance and outstanding organizational intellect guided us throughout the process of
making this report. It was a great learning and enlightening experience for us.
We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to our parents and friends who fully
supported and encouraged us to put our utmost effort in making the report.
We also respectfully acknowledge the support and cooperation of the Mr. Asif Riaz
(Proprietor Al-Asif textile industries), Mr. Rizwan Ahmad Sultani (Manager HR
development, Al Karam) and Mr. Syed Mehdi Taqwi (Gul Ahmad) who took time out of his
busy schedule and helped us in research.

Page 3

Table of Contents
Executive summary

Acknowledgement

Aims and objective.....6

Introduction to Pakistan textile industry

Limitations

Methodology 9
Introduction to the selected companies .....11
Introduction to the topic.12
Poka yoke application in textile industry...13
Conclusion.19
Recommendations..20
Bibliography..21
Appendix A...22
Appendix B23
Appendix C (application of SPC tool)...24
Appendix D (work contribution)...25

Page 4

COURSE INSTRUCTOR REMARKS

Page 5

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Aims:
1.

The aims in carrying out the exercise of this research are:

a. A research was conducted to determine the application of Poka Yoke in

textile sector.
b. To study the environments and conditions in which Pakistanis textile
sector is operating.
C. To recommend the strategies to the Pakistanis textile sector the at how
they can become more profitable through using Poka Yoke devices.

Objectives:
2.

The objectives of this report are:

a.
To fulfill the course requirement of Total Quality Management and
understand the concept and mechanics of carrying out a research involving
policy making and strategic decision making in Pakistani textile sector.
b.
To know how data is collected, interpreted and how conclusions
are drawn using logic, reasoning and unbiased approach.
c.

To form the basis for further study and research in the subject area

Page 6

THE PAKISTAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

The textile industry is one of the most important sectors of Pakistan. It contributes significantly
to the country's GDP, exports as well as employment. It is, in fact, the backbone of the Pakistani
economy.
Established capacity
The textile industry of Pakistan has a total established spinning capacity of 1550 million kgs of
yarn, weaving capacity of 4368 million square metres of fabric and finishing capacity of 4000
million square metres. The industry has a production capacity of 670 million units of garments,
400 million units of knitwear and 53 million kgs of towels.
The industry has a total of 1221 units engaged in ginning and 442 units engaged in spinning.
There are around 124 large units that undertake weaving and 425 small units. There are around
20600 power looms in operation in the industry. The industry also houses around 10 large
finishing units and 625 small units.
Pakistan's textile industry has about 50 large and 2500 small garment manufacturing units.
Moreover, it also houses around 600 knitwear-producing units and 400 towel-producing units.
Contribution to exports: According to recent figures, the Pakistan textile industry contributes
more than 60% to the country's total exports, which amounts to around 5.2 billion US dollars.
The industry contributes around 46% to the total output produced in the country. In Asia,
Pakistan is the 8th largest exporter of textile products.
Contribution to GDP and employment: The contribution of this industry to the total GDP is
8.5%. It provides employment to 38% of the work force in the country, which amounts to a
figure of 15 million. However, the proportion of skilled labor is very less as compared to that of
unskilled labor.
Organizations in the industry: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association is the chief organization
that determines the rules and regulations in the Pakistan textile industry.
Opportunities available: The world demand for textiles is rising at around 2.5%, due to which
there is a greater opportunity for rise in exports from Pakistan.

Page 7

LIMITATIONS

Textile industry in Pakistan is unaware of the term Poka Yoke

We found it complex to make concerned people understand the topic.
The interviewee might have interpreted our questions in a different way which makes it
difficult for us to get the answers we want.
Arranging visits for the companies also put limit as we had to visit atleast three
organizations related to our research industry.
The size of the sample was a concern as Pakistans textile industry is very large and
sample of three companies limits the complete analysis.
Reliability of data is another constraint on our research. Data quality can be compromised
via a number of potential routes, e.g., leading questions, unrepresentative samples, biased
interviewers etc.
Some information might have not been disclosed.

Page 8

METHODOLOGY
METHODOLOGY
Methodology includes how you will gather the information for the research.
We have used different methodologies for our research. Sources of
information and different research tools are used. The purpose here is to
describe the research procedure, overall research design, the sampling
procedure, the data collection and analysis procedure.
RESEARCH PROCEDURE
Some historical data is available in the form of inspection reports and
research reports. However, the subject, being of strategic nature, required
the descriptive or exploratory research to search the effects of the existing
policies and its implications in textile sector.
FORMULATION OF HYPOTHESIS
As the research is exploratory, no formal hypothesis have been formed or
tested in this study.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

We have gathered the maximum possible information and knowledge

through an exploratory research. The information is gathered by the use of

Personal Interviews
Questionnaire
Internet

SAMPLING

Sample of three textile companies is taken as representative of whole textile

industry (population). The sample companies are Al-Asif textiles, Gul Ahmad
Textiles and Al Karam textiles. The benefit of sampling is the lower cost, data
collection is faster, and since the data set is smaller it is possible to improve
the accuracy and quality of the data.
a.

Universe: In this study the universe is limited to top and Middle

management of different textile companies and other personnel
related to administration, Planning and maintenance of different
units.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Page 9

Two sources of information were used:

1) Primary data
2) Secondary data
PRIMARY DATA:

In primary data we have used interviews and questionnaires and onsite

visit of the manufacturing process.
1) INTERVIEWS: We interviewed the concerned people in companies to
explore and get information we needed. Personal interviews were
taken from all these companies as it is very flexible and can used to
collect large amount of information.
2) QUESTIONNAIRE: We compiled some questions in the form of
questionnaire so that we get the required information which would
help in carrying out the research.
3) ONSITE VISIT: We made onsite visit of the manufacturing plant to get
insight into the process to see what in actual is happening and for
making recommendations (if needed).
SECONDARY DATA:

Our research also comprise of secondary information

gathered through internet.
FIELD WORK
The interviews were conducted between 25 th Oct to 1st Nov and during the
morning and afternoon time between 11:00 to 2:00 oclock.
ORGANIZATION OF DATA
Research design, sample design and field work are under taken solely to
obtain the data, which when tabulated and analyzed will yield desired
information to draw inferences, conclusions, recommendations and
decisions. The frame work for the tabulation and analysis of data was
established through following steps:
a.
Interview schedule was prepared to obtain desired information from
the respondents. The questions were designed in a manner that candid
opinions and professional experience of the respondents would be the
natural outcome.
b.
Policy documents and historical data to examine the past and present
environments.

Page 10

INTRODUCTION TO THE SELECTED COMPANIES

AL ASIF TEXTILES:
An Al-Asif textile industry is amongst the pioneers of home-textile-products producers in
Pakistan having started operations in the year 1972. Since its interception it has continued to
grow with processes integrating almost all stages of the supply chain from dyed, printed and
dyed yarn to finished packed made-ups. Entered on the track with a vision and new dimensions
having passion for excellence, drive for continuous improvement, dedication to better quality
management commitment to keep abreast of all times. Factory comprising 215 looms,
wrapping(04), cone-winding(18), circular-knitting(04), embroidery(03), stitching(300) including
special machines.
Manufacturing depth offers 100% cotton terry-towels, bathrobes, kitchen-towels, aprons, fittedsheets, jacquard, velour, bathmats, dusters, gloves etc.
Modern technology is applied from spinning of yarn to special, latest stitching machines, product
procurement systems, to ensure the finest appealing embroidered end products, where every step
process is carefully monitored mechanically and manually under the supervision of foreign
qualified technical team.
Quality control is profound belief with Al-Asif textile industries. On the basis of which it is
continuously capturing shares from European, Scandinavian, American, Australian plus clients
from Venezuela, Russia, middle-east and others.
GULAHMED TEXTILES:
Gul Ahmed began trading in textiles in the early 1900s. Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd. was
incorporated as a private limited company, in the year 1953. In 1972 it was subsequently listed
on the Karachi Stock Exchange. Since then the company has been making rapid progress and is
one of the best composite textile houses in the world. The mill is presently a composite unit with
an installed capacity of 130,296 spindles, 223 wide width air jet looms, and a state of the art
processing and finishing unit.
AL KARAM TEXTILES:
Page 11

Al-Karam group was founded in March 1986 with a vision to be a provider of innovative textile
solutions worldwide. Al-Karam is a manufacturer and supplier of distinguished fabric for
apparel, home and industrial markets with clients all over the world. Al-Karam Textile is one of
the leading exporters, suppliers & manufacturers of home textile, terry towel, and other variety
of towels. Al-Karam Textile, the manufacturers, exporters and suppliers of quality towels at
competitive rates, has created the largest base for supplying home Textile, terry towels and other
variety of towels to gigantic group of importers & wholesalers all around the world. Al-Karam
follows total quality management principle, which is replicated, in wide range of products.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

POKAYOKE is a Japanese term that means "fail-safing" or "mistake-proofing". A poka-yoke is any
mechanism that helps an equipment operator to avoid mistakes. Its purpose is to eliminate product defects
by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur.
The concept was formalized, and the term adopted, by Shigeo Shingo as part of the Toyota Production
System. Poka-yoke is a technique for avoiding simple human error in the workplace. Also known

as mistake-proofing, goof-proofing, and fail-safe work methods, poka-yoke is simply a system

designed to prevent inadvertent errors made by workers performing a process. The idea is to take
over repetitive tasks that rely on memory or vigilance and guard against any lapses in focus.
Dr. Shigeo Shingo, a renowned authority on quality control and efficiency, originally developed
the mistake-proofing idea. Realizing its value as an effective quality control technique, he
formalized its use in Japanese manufacturing as the poka-yoke system.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS:

elimination of set-up errors and improved quality

decreased set-up times with associated reduction in production time and improved
production capacity
simplified and improved housekeeping
increased safety
lower costs
lower skill requirements
increased production flexibility
improved operator attitudes.

TYPES OF POKA-YOKES:

CONTROL POKA YOKE: The control poka-yoke does not allow a process to begin or
continue after an error has occurred.
WARNING POKA YOKE: It provides some type of warning when an error occurs.

Page 12

POKA YOKE APPLICATION IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Textile industry of Pakistan is embraced with large competitors operating competently. Many
innovations enhanced the industrys performance but still require improvement in different
aspects of manufacturing which are ignored by the textile companies and imposes hidden cost.
In general, there are five Poka Yoke principles to operate in textile:
1. Elimination. The objective is to eliminate the possibility of errors. The best example for this
method is the redesigning of the process or product so that the task of Poka Yoke is no longer
necessary.
2. Replacement. The objective is to substitute a more reliable process for the existing one. Using
robotics or automation is the best example of this Poka Yoke principle.
3. Facilitation. Means making the work easier to perform such as color coding, combining steps,
etc.
4. Detection. The objective is to detect the error before further processing. Developing computer
software which notifies a worker when a wrong input is made is a typical example for this type
of Poka Yoke.
5. Mitigation. Minimizing the effect of the error. An example would be utilizing fuses for
overload fuses.
In general, common manufacturing errors are such as, omitted processing, processing error,
errors setting up work pieces, missing parts, wrong parts, processing wrong work pieces, wrong
operation, adjustment errors, equipment not set-up properly and tools and jigs improperly
prepared. These common errors can be eliminated through the use of Poka Yoke.

Page 13

Errors are inevitable in any garment process, but that if appropriate poka-yokes are
implemented, then mistakes can be caught quickly and prevented from resulting in defects. By
eliminating defects at the source, the cost of mistakes within a company is reduced.

Textile manufacturing involves following steps:

SPINNING
(FORMING THREAD FROM COTTON)

WEAVING
(MAKE FABRIC FROM THREAD)

BLEACHING
(CONVERTING GRAIGE FABRIC INTO WHITE)

DYING

FINISH FOLDING DEPARTMENT

CUTTING DEPARTMENT

STITCHING
Page 14
CHECKING
PACKING

In the textile field, activities start from the spinning of cotton as well as man-made fibers and
extend to weaving, processing and finishing of all types of cotton and blended fabrics, bed linen,
home furnishings, garment manufacturing,

APPLICATION OF POKA YOKE IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY

After observing the manufacturing process of 3 companies, we were able to identify different
poka yoke devices being used in their system in order to avoid human error. The research also
revealed the areas where there is a profound need of using these devices. Following is the detail
discussion of processes in textile manufacturing and the use of poka yoke devices.
Spinning, weaving and bleaching departments are 90% automated, so there is less human
involvement. But it still requires some poka yoke application.
SPINNING:
The process starts with making thread from the cotton. Cotton comes in as a raw material in the
textile manufacturing. It takes 7 to 8 processes to separate the dust from the cotton. The only
thing to take care of is that the sliver (thread) do not break.
All three companies make sure that the spinning has been done perfectly.
WEAVING:
Making fabric from the thread. Problem which usually occur are the needle breakage in looms,
thread breakage, oil leakage, warp and weft defect and contamination occurs.
Al-Asif textile mills experiences a lot of warp and weft problems. Acceptable range of
defects is 5 per 100 meters of a fabric. Among these 5 defects, 4 are mainly due to the
operators negligence and 1 for the machine error. Once this defect occurs, it is rectified
by the worker. To further avoid the defects, operators are briefed. Operators full attention
is needed to supervise the work of the machine, to ensure that machine is working
properly. This is not possible all the time.
Thread breakup: Preventive approach is used by all companies in circular knitting.
Circular knitting is an automatic machine where the thread breakup is identified by the

Page 15

devices which are operated through computers. As computer identifies the thread
breakup, machine stops functioning. Following image is of circular knitting machine.

Al-Karam and Gul-Ahmad both come across with contamination. Contamination (fly
yarn) is observed as appearance of colors on the fabric. Contaminants are undesirable
materials that cause color appearance on the fabric. Contamination problems can occur in
many forms when treating textiles. Silicone is one of the most common forms of
contamination found on textiles. It emerges after the making of a fabric which cannot be
removed once it has occurred.The portion of fabric which is contaminated is sold as a BGrade product which hits the profitability of the company.
RECOMMENDATION:

Contamination is occurred in weaving process; they should take effective measures to

either stop it or reduce it. They should install contamination detectors to detect it in
earlier stages so that the problem should not pass to the next stage.

Once a contaminant is mixed with the good cotton it is impossible to remove it in further
processes except winding. In winding the contamination is not visible by the naked eyes but can
be detected by the optical clearing sensors and which will be removed along with the some yarn
as waste material. The loss of yarn and production cost matter a lot in this. So it is beneficial to
remove the contamination before going into further processes, which means in the blow room
department itself when the cotton is in open condition.
Page 16

BLEACHING AND DYING:

Al-Asif textile has outsourced the dying of its textile due to less space and limited
workers in the company.
Al Karam has a well equipped bleaching department. The output of the weaving process
is the graige fabric which is bleached to make it white. Bleaching is necessary to avoid
the color variation during dying. It takes 8-9 hours to bleach the fabric and dry. Quality
aspect in bleaching is to take care of the bleaching time. Due to the urgency of shipment,
this time may be reduced. Time reduction causes shade variation in the fabric when it is
dried. Company uses no such device to eliminate shade variation which ultimately
increases internal failure cost. The reason for shade variation is the wet area on fabric
which remains wet due to the early wrap ups of the bleaching and dying process.
FINISH FOLDING DEPARTMENT:
1st article inspection [appendix B] is held to check the feel, color, design and width. Fabric is
passed on to the rolling machine. Holes, misprint and crease line are sort out by the workers. All
is done by the operators which raise the chance of rolling the fabric with defects in it.
EMBROIDERY:
Companies are using 1st approach of poka yoke in embroidery section where the thread breakup
is detected by andon. Andon is a red light bulb which lightens whenever the thread breaks. As it
lightens, machine stops at spot indicating about the particular section where the problem has
occurred.

Andon
board

The machines instead of requiring an operator to stand over them constantly observing them to
ensure nothing went wrong were instill with intelligence so that they stopped when something
occurred out of the ordinary. This meant that the operators instead of having to continually
Page 17

monitor the machines would only have to interfere with them on an exception basis, thus the
operators could monitor several machines rather than just one; making it cost effective for the
company.
It may also be an array of lights found on a single board that signals a team leader of where an
abnormality is found. The diagram below shows an andon light turning red when a defect is detected.
Andon
board

Andon
turning red
after
detecting
defect

STITCHING:
1- Inline inspection is held at 4 levels during stitching. Quality auditors check the stitching
3-4 times a day. They check for SPA (stitch per inch) and the correct labels. In stitching
stage various defects occurs like double stitch, loose stitch, overlap fabric etc.
CHECKING:
Production quality check is done. Al Karam and Gul Ahmad have assigned process # to the
workers who are checking each piece. Worker will put his respective numbers in the form of
sticker on the checked pieces so that if any problem occurs at later stage, it is easy to find out
where the problem has occurred and who is involved in making error.
PACKING:
It is very important part of any manufacturing business. In textile sector, quality auditors raise
the inspection to check the type of packing is appropriate or not, inspect the containers to provide
safe space for the finish products.

Page 18

CONCLUSION
Poka yoke is an interesting concept which has much importance in manufacturing. Poka yoke
helps the companies to reduce their failue cost and try to achieve zero defect. Textile indusry of
Pakistan relys heavily on inspection at different levels of manufacturing. This heavy reliance on
inspection raises the appraisal cost. It can be reduced by using poka yoke devices which help
prevent the errors from occuring. Not major breakthrough is done in this regard except few like
introducing andon and automatic looms etc. By putting attention on the areas which are ignored
currently, textile industry can expand further.

Page 19

RECOMMENDATIONS
Warp and weft errors are due to the machine which leaves any thread during weaving.
There must be a use of broken pick automatic stop units, which stops as it leaves any
thread.
Anti-contamination gadgets fitted to the blow room line are helpful in early detection of
large contaminants, thereby preventing them being appear in later processes.
The blow room these days are equipped with systems for detection, separation and
measurement of foreign material
Color sensors are also helpful in early detection of contamination which alarms the
operators about the error.
As company has to prepare the order earlier due to the urgency of the shipment, shade
variation occurs. To avoid shade variation put a scale on the dryer which let know the
degree of wetness of fabric. When an acceptable level of dryness is achieved during
drying, the process can be stopped
Before proceeding to the rolling process, they should install a machines containing meter
which ranks the problem from 1 to 10 like fabrics holes, miss print and crease lines etc. if
any of this problem occurs the meter beeps which indicates some kind of defects
according to the ranks installed in machine. The number 10 points indicates ok to
proceed, so if number 10 appears on the meter the process proceed to the next stage.

Page 20

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DATE

TIME

www.sixsigma.com
www.absoluteastronomy.com

18th Oct 2011

9:43 pm

www.eNotes.com

21st Oct 2011

6:59 pm

www.gembetsu.com

3rd Nov 2011

9:45 pm

www.leanman.hubpages

3rd Nov 2011

10:13 pm

www.indiantextilejournal.com

24th Dec 2011

20:00pm

www.iin.com.pk

25th Dec 2011

16:46pm

www.scribd.com/doc/33126899/The-Pakistan-Textile-Industry

Page 21

APPENDIX A

QUESTIONNAIRE
Introduction to the topic
Q1) What type of errors occur in textile manufacturing?
Q2) What are the major causes of these errors?
Q3) To what extent you think that human/ operator are responsible for these error?
Q4) What measure you took for the rectification of the errors?
Q5) Purpose of poka yoke is to eliminate human error, but poka yoke is applied to
a very small scale in the textile industry. It means repeated errors. Why textile
companies rely on trainees rather than introducing poka yoke devices?

Page 22

APPENDIX B

First article inspection

First Article Inspection is one of the primary methods for the "inspection and testing of vendor
components." The testing of a pre-production sample is considered essential in the process of approving
an order or contract; the first article inspection should determine if the product meets acceptance
requirements and quality control requirements. Customers who perform such inspections are
recommended to identify this in the contract, and to use specific forms to document the results.

Page 23

APPENDIX C
APPLICATION OF SPC TOOL

ERRORS

FREQUENCY

% frequency

Cumulative
frequency

Contamination

19

45.24%

45.24%

Thread breakage

12

28.57%

73.81%

Oil leakage

14.3%

88.11%

Misprints

11.9%

100%

Total

42

100%

Page 24

PARETO CHART
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
contamination thread breakage

oil leakage

misprints

APPENDIX D
Responsibility & Work Contribution among the Group Members:
I Attiya Naz was responsible for arranging the visit. Also responsible for editing of the report.
Collective effort is done in conducting interview from key individuals.
Rizwana Yasmeen , Zain Iffat Malik and Sobia Mushtaq were responsible for internet searching to get
the information regarding Poka Yoke application in Textile industry.
In compiling the report, following effort was made:

GROUP MEMBERS
ATTIYA NAZ

RIZWANA YASMEEN

CONTRIBUTION OF WORK
Acknowledgement,
executive
summary,
Compilation of report, application of poka yoke
in textile industry, recommendations
Introduction to textile industry, introduction to
the companies, recommendations, aims and
objective, methodology

Page 25

ZAIN IFFAT MALIK

Conclusion, application of poka yoke in textile

industry, slides

SOBIA MUSHTAQ

Methodology, limitations, slides

Page 26