Apparel Production System Analysis

Discussion Handout

Introduction to Different Production system

Apparel production system is the way of manufacturing process that converts the fabric into
garment. It is an integration of material handling, investment capacity, production processes,
personnel and equipment that helps to plan the work flow and produce a complete garment.
As with any manufactured product, there are different ways to organize the actual production
of garments, according to the type, the amount and the diversity of products to be made. The
type apparel of production system is determined by the quantity of production and the
required rate of delivery.

In simple a ‘garment production system’ is a way how fabric is being converted into garment
in a manufacturing system.

The garment production systems are a combination of production processes, materials

handling, personnel and equipment that direct workflow and produce finished garments. It is
a system that depicts how the two-dimensional fabric is transformed into a three-dimensional
garment in a manufacturing system.

The different types of production systems are distinct and require different conditions for
working. However, they should meet the two basic objectives, that is, to meet the
specification of the final product and to be cost-effective in nature. The main aim of any
production system is to achieve a minimum possible total production time. This automatically

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reduces in-process inventory and its cost. The subassembly system reduces temporary storage
time to zero by combining temporary storage time with transportation time.

Any production system has four primary factors that make up the system.

Processing time + Transportation time + Temporary storage time + Inspection time = Total
Production Time.

Processing time is the sum total of working time of all operations involved in manufacturing
a garment. Transportation time involves the time taken to transport semi finished or finished
garments from one department to another or from one operation/machine to another.
Temporary storage time is the time during which the garment/bundle is idle as it waits for the
next operation or for completion of certain parts. Inspection time is time taken for inspecting
semi finished garments for any defects during manufacturing or inspecting fully finished
garments before packing.

In the apparel industry, the most commonly used production systems are make through,
modular production and assembly line production systems.

Production systems are named according to the various factors, like- number of machine are
used to make a garment, machines layout, total number of operators or tailors involved to sew
a complete garment and number of pieces moving in a line during making a garment. As the
fashion industry evolved and demand of readymade garments are increased, the need of mass
production systems becomes the essential way to meet the market demand. Simply because
tailoring shops are not able produce the volume and supply across the world.

Evaluation of garments production systems:

The evaluation of garment production systems can be done by taking into consideration four
primary factors such as

 Processing time: It is the total working time of all the processes involved in
assembling a garment.
 Transportation time: It is the total time consumed for movement of semi finished or
finished garments from one workstation or department to another.
 Waiting time of unfinished garments: It is the idle time of a work bundle when it
waits for the next operation.
 Inspection time: It is time taken for in-process inspection of semi finished garments
or final inspection of finished garments before packing.

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Factors of garment production system:
Garment production system depends on some factors. They are:

Company affordability
Equipment that directly involved with workflow
Items of finished products
Machine or floor layout
Management philosophy
Materials handling system
Personnel training
Production processes

Principles of choosing a production system:

Fig: Principles of Apparel production system

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Types of production systems in the apparel industry:
There are three main types of apparel production system. According to different ways, they
are in below-

Production systems that are based on order quantity

Production systems that are based on customer nature
Production systems that includes on organizational choice

Production systems that are based on order quantity

° Individual production or make through system

° Batch production
° Mass production

Individual production or make through system:

It is the traditional method. In which the entire garment is assembled by one operator like a
tailor. Each product is made only once or in very small quantities. The system requires highly
skilled, experienced operator and versatile machinery. In this system tailor do the all jobs like
pattern making, fabric cutting, finally finish the garments for completing the garment order.
This system also called whole garment production system.

There are two types of whole garment production systems-

 Complete whole garment and

 Departmental whole garment.

Batch production:
It is used for larger, though fixed, quantities of identical products either for stock or to order.

Mass production:
Mass production means that large quantities of identical products are made continuously. The
high utilization of machinery and labor allows a high level of automation and specification.

Production systems that are based on customer nature

° Bespoke production
° Industrial production

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Bespoke Production:
This type of production system is including for individual clients or small group of peoples.
A garment is made according to individual size and requirements.

Advantages:

 Cost is low.

 No need of pattern.

 Use one or more number of m/cs.

 Low risk.

Disadvantages:

 Fabric wastage is high.

 More time required.

Industrial production:
Industrial production system is use for bulky production, they must follow standard
measurement chart and maintain special requirements for target consumer groups.

Advantages:

 Cost is high.

 Low fabric wastage.

 Takes less time.

Disadvantages:

 Pattern must be needed.

 Many machines are required.

 Risk is high.

Production systems that includes on organizational choice

° Manual systems
° Mechanical system

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Manual systems:
Manual system is the traditional methods of garment production. This type of production
system is effectively use for creative garment design and where the style variations are large.
In manual system the production quantities are small.

Manual systems are divided into 6 types:

Section or Processes system

Piece rate production system
Clump system
Flexible flow system
One piece flow system or Progressive bundle system
Straight-line or Synchro- system

Mechanical system:
There are 5 types of production system in the apparel industry.

Assembly line production system

Overhead production system or Unit Production System (UPS)
Selective conveyor belt system
Quick response sewing system
Modular Production Systems (MPS)

The choice of best apparel production system will depend on the product and policies of the
company and on the capacities of manpower. The main goal of all the production systems is
to decrease the total production time which leads to reduction in inventory cost. The
appropriate selection of a suitable garment production system for an industry is influenced by
the product style and policies of the industry and on the labor capacity. The cost of inventory
decides the choice of a production system in most circumstances in an apparel industry.
When material, labor, space and interest costs are high, a synchronized subassembly system,
which gives the minimum possible in-process inventory, is more suitable.

Mostly used production systems are as following-

Make through production system.

Section production system.
Progressive bundle production system.
Unit production system
Robotic production system.
Kanban manufacturing production system.
Spray on production system.
3d production system.
Modular production system.
JIT production system.

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Make through production system
It is the conventional method of production line where an operator assembles a single piece
of garment at a time by carrying out all the sewing processes necessary to assemble a
garment. After completion of assembling one garment, the operator will start assembling the
next one and so on. In this system, an operator would be provided with a bundle of cut work
pieces and would continue to assemble them based on his or her own method of work. This
type of system is efficient when a huge category of garment styles has to be produced in very
few quantities.

Make through production system refers to that production system where all the steps or
processes are done by a single operate. In that case, if half of the processes are done by
another person it will not be making through production system.

For example- A tailor cuts the fabric following the specification sheet and sews it as required
using different types of machine In that case, the production system can be attributed as make
through production system as the full production was done by a single operator.

When a tailor alone makes a complete garment, then it is called as make though systems. The
tailor even makes pattern (use ready-made pattern), cuts fabric and does finishing of the
garment. For example, tailors in the tailor shops do all jobs from cut to pack. In this system
tailors are not depended to others.

The benefits of implementing the make through system are-

Minimum working area.

Quality is ensuring.
Suitable for various styles in a single order.
Suitable for fancy item
Workers free will.
Quick throughput time
Easy to supervise

The shortcomings of the make through system are-

Low productivity
High labor cost
It necessitates an experienced operator for assembling
This system is limited to couture and sample making
Time consuming
Labor insensitive.

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Group system -Section Production System
This system is similar to the progressive bundle system. But the difference is that, instead of
one line, work is divided into sections. Machines of similar operations are clubbed together
instead of spreading over in all lines. For example, when a man’s formal shirt is being made
in a section layout – collars, cuffs and sleeves are in the preparatory sections and then send to
the assembly section. This system is popular to improve line balancing and utilization of
human resources. 

This is a development of make through production system. The only difference between these
production systems is in section production system the operators is specialized in any one
section of a garment and he/she sew only that section where in make through production
system a single operator is specialized in all the sections & sew all the components alone.

For example- In section production system the production line or the production unit is
divided into several sections such as sleeves section, front section, back section etc.

This is a development of the individual system, with the difference that the operators
specialize in one major component and sew it from beginning to end. For example, an
operator specializing in backs would assemble the back and yoke, label attaching, etc., and
performs all the operations required to finish that particular component.

In section or processes system more skilled operators are needed to sew garment part from
beginning to the end. This system includes a small influence of personnel changes and easy
style changes. Sewing room has a number of sections; to complete all the operations for every
garment component required more versatile operators. When one section ends then it is
passed on to the next section. But this system is required more time. This section produce
garments according to style. Some working steps are:

 Pre-assembling (preparation of making small parts)

 Front side making

 Back side making

 Main-assembly (closing, setting collar and sleeves,)

 Lining making

 Setting linings

 Finishing operation

The sewing room would have a number of sections, each containing multi-talented operators
capable of performing all the operations required for a specific component. The sections
shown in Figure-1 are built according to the average garment produced, and include:

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 Ω Collar preparation
Ω Sleeve preparation
Ω Front preparation
Ω Back preparation
Ω Assembling operations (closing, setting collars and sleeves, etc.)
Ω Finishing operations (buttonholes, blind-stitching, etc.)

Figure-1: Group system garment production

Advantages of Section Production System-

In this production system multi-skilled or verse tail worker in not required.

As semi skilled, training workers operators can work in this system so the
labor cost became less then make through system.
Productivity is higher compare to make through production system.
This system is effective when a large variety of garment have to produce in
reasonable quality.
In this production system specialization can be applied easily.

Disadvantages of section production system-

As all labels of workers are involves in this production system, quality of

product may vary.
Though productivity is high, sometimes for simple operations verse tail
workers may be used unnecessary
In this system WIP increase.
As this is not bundle system there is a possibility mixing of the components
size and shade mistake.

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Whole garment production system
There are two types of whole garment production systems: (1) Complete whole garment and
(2) Departmental whole garment. In the whole garment system an individual makes the entire
garment from cutting the cloth to sewing and pressing the garment. The garment is ready for
dispatch once the operator completes the final operation. This type of system is used in few
places, which are engaged in custom-whole sale; they are normally high priced and
exclusively made for a particular customer. They are limited in number and distribution;
normally about 10–20 garments are made.

The departmental whole garment system is also used by custom wholesale manufacturers as
well as high price or better dress manufacturers. In the departmental whole garment system
one individual does all the work with the equipment allocated to a department. For example
on person does all the cutting work in cutting department, second person does all the sewing
work in sewing department, third person does the pressing and packing work. The workers in
this system may use more than one equipment to complete his/her job.

Advantages of whole garment production system-

This system is more effective when a very large variety of garments have to be
produced in extremely small quantities.
In individual piece rate system the operators will do with full involvement. To finish
more pieces, to earn more money.
Operator will be specialized in his own working area.
As the pay depends upon the complication of the operation, the operator tries to finish
the complicated operation without any difficulties.
The work in progress (WIP) is reduced, at a time one cut garment to one operator and
so the amount as inventory is reduced.

Disadvantages of whole garment production system-

Labor cost is higher due to the utilization of highly skilled laborers for the particular
job.
The operator is more concerned on the number of pieces finished rather than the
quality of work.
Productivity is less due to lack of specialization.
For long run/bulk quantity of same style is not effective in this system.

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Progressive Bundle System 
Progressive Bundle System (PBS) is also called one piece flow system or material handling
system. It is a traditional production system that widely used in garment manufacturing from
early period to still now. After complete the fabric cutting, then various components of fabric
parts are to make bundle and distributed to the sewing section. Bundle ticket is attached to cut
parts. One operator is tried to perform the same operation on all the parts in the bundle. When
one operator finish his/her work then garment bundles are move from other operator. For
sewing a garment, numbers of operators are needed. Bundles are handling by the Tied
bundles, Bags, Pocketed bags, Boxes and baskets, Bundle trucks, etc

This system exactly for the name of employees. This is the system, where the cut panels are
number and bundle as per layer and component and then assembled as per line balance. In
this production system the bundle cut panels are moved through sub assemble and main
assemble. The amount of machinery used in this production system for each operation would
be determined by the output required. In this system there is a task called operation
breakdown. That means a products sew able components and other done able operations will
be list down to carry out the work nicely. For every operation we may need individual labor f
operator.

In Progressive bundle system, each operator does different operations of a garment. All
sewing machines needed to make the garment are laid in a line. Cut parts are fed in a bundle
form. When an operator receives a bundle of cut components, she opens the bundle and does
her operation (job) for all pieces of the bundle. After completing her job she moves the
bundle to the next operator who is doing next operation. Numbers of people are involved in
sewing a single garment. Major benefits of this system are – as operators do only single or
limited operation, their performances increases. Secondly, product consistency can be
maintained garment to garment. Most of the export oriented garment manufacturers adopted
progressive bundle system as a main production system.  

Most apparel manufacturers believe that the best way to be efficient and achieve economy of
scale is by mass production. The bundle system enables manufacturers to gain economies of
scale. The bundle system, often referred to as the traditional garment production system, has
been widely used by garment manufacturers for several decades. The bundle system is a
dedicated system comprising cut parts, tied into bundles, to complete one or more sections of
an apparel product.

The bundle system of apparel production consists of garment parts needed to complete a
specific operation or garment component. Bundles of garments are assembled in the cutting
room where cut parts are matched up with corresponding parts and bundle tickets. The
bundles are moved to the sewing room and given to the garment operator who is scheduled to
complete the operation.

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PBS is a variation to the bundle system. The main characteristics of the systems are one
worker with a single skill at a single operation, no interaction between operations, piece rate
compensation, maximization of productivity of individual operators, need for extra spaces for
material storage, straight lined equipment layout, and manual material movement in large
batches. The system helps operators to make more units of garments at faster speeds, with
high productivity but with more quality problems. To stabilize the workflow, higher levels of
WIP add to production costs, not value, and lead to longer lead times. In these systems, the
difference between actual run time and total manufacturing throughput time is significant.
The success of PBS depends on how the production system is set up and used in a plant.

Advantages of Progressive bundle system-

All level of workers can perform the work.

Production is much higher than section production system.
The individual components are checked by the operators themselves. So the quality
becomes good.
The components are moved as a bundle form. So there is less possibilities of mixing,
size, shade.
Gradually specialization and rhythm of work in each productivity
In this system WIP is high, but this system is stable, gives the output at a constant
rate.
This production system may allow better utilization of specialized garment production
machines, as output from one special purpose automated garment machine may be
able to supply several garment machine operators for the next operation.
Small garment bundles will allow faster throughput until and unless there are any
bottlenecks or long lead times within operations.

Disadvantages of PBS of garment production-

The PBS is cost-efficient for individual garment operations. As the garment operators
perform the operation on a daily basis it allows them to increase their speed and
productivity, and as a result they are not willing to learn a new garment operation
because it reduces their efficiency and earnings.
Operators working in a PBS of garment production are independent of other operators
and the final product.
Absenteeism, machine failure, and slow processing are also some major bottlenecks
in this system.
WIP is seen in large quantities in this production system, which leads to longer lead
times.
Poor quality of garments is seen in bundles, which were hidden because of large
inventories in the work process.
Leads to extra handling and difficulty in controlling inventory in the garment
industry.

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 Line balancing becomes difficult most of the time.
Proper planning is requires for each batch and for each style, which takes a lot of
time.
Improper planning leads to poor labor turnover, poor quality and less production.
Variety of styles of lesser quantity is not effective in this system.

Overhead Production System (UPS -Unit Production system)

For apparel manufacturing, advance mechanical system like overhead production system or
unit production system (UPS) is use widely. In this system a single garment is transferred
automatically via a computer-controlled overhead handling system to finish the sequence of
each operation.

This system is fully automated system and a modern invention is computerized system. In
this system SMV is balance automatically. The operation procedure of this system is there are
carries for loading and transferring cut panels from one operator to another.

It mainly carries the ct panels by an automatic hanger system. In this system the cut panels
are added by an operator and the hanger transfer the cut panel to the operator as required.

As the system is fully automated, there is no bottle neck or WIP. In this system everything is
recorded and reported automatically.

In overhead production system, garment components are clamped in a hanger and the hanger
moves on an overhead rail. In the hanger components of a single piece is clapped. So this is
also one kind of single-piece-flow system.

Unit production system or UPS is a response to competitive pressure because of consumer

demands and increasing global competition. This system requires an automated overhead
transporter system to move individual units from one operation to another instead of human
handling of materials in the bundle system.

Though this production system has been in use for several years, major progress was made
when computers were utilized for production planning, production controlling and regulating
the work flow in the production line.

The important features of this production system are:

 It is mainly concerned with a single garment and not bundles.

 As per the predetermined sequence of processes, the cut garment pieces are
transported automatically from one work station to another.

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  The work stations are so constructed such that the cut components are
accessible as near as possible to the operator to reduce the time taken for
taking the component and position the same for sewing.

The operational principles of a unit production system (UPS) are as follows:

 All the cut panels for one garment are loaded into a carrier at a workstation specially
designed for this specific job. The carrier is divided into several sections, each having
a quick-release clumplike system to avoid falling out of cut panels during
transportation through the system.
 When a particular batch of cut panels of the garments has been fixed into carriers,
they are fed past an electronic device. This device counts and records the number of
the carrier and addresses it to its first destination.
 The loaded carriers are then moved onto the main powered line, which is circulated
between the rows of machines continually. Each workstation is connected to the
mainline by means of junctions, which open automatically if the work on a particular
carrier is addressed to that particular work station.
 The carrier is moving toward the left side of the operator and waits along with the
other carriers in the work station. When the operator has completed the particular
work on one carrier, he or she has to press a push button, which is positioned at the
side of the sewing machine, to activate a mechanism that transports the carrier back to
the main line so that another carrier will be fed automatically to take its place.
 A data collection system records when the carrier left the station and then it is
addressed to its next destination.

Figure -3: Work station and carrier arrangement in the UPS system

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Comparison between the PBS and the UPS:
In garment manufacturing companies various types of sewing systems are installed. The
owner of an apparel manufacturing unit buys these systems depending on the production
volume, product variety, and the cost involved in buying and maintaining these machines.
Among them the PBS is the mostly installed sewing system to date. In this system, the
bundles of cut pieces are moved manually on the feeding line by the helpers. The operators
drag the bundles on their own, finish their required operation, and move forward to the next
operator. With advancement in technology, mechanical material transport systems are bought
in. An overhead transport system, UPS, is the one that transports cut pieces hanged in hangers
(one hanger for one piece) by an automated system. It reduces manual transport and handling
and has many other benefits over the PBS.

Advantages of UPS-

Bundle holding is completely eliminated.

The time involved in pickup and delivery is reduce to minimum
Output is automatically recorded and its eliminate the register.
There is no need of line balancing.
This step is time and cost saving.

Automatically move the garment parts from one work place to other work place.

Use one hanger that contains more clips to hang all the parts of garment.

Hanging carrier can be moving in both manual and computerized way.

Time consuming and little work-in-progress.

Number of machine can be adjusted.

Increase productivity and improve quality.

Reduced labor cost.

Bundle handling system is completely eliminated.
Time involved in the pickup and drop is reduced to a minimum.
Output is automatically recorded, eliminates the operator to register the work.
Computerized systems in this UPS automatically balance the work between two work
stations.
Up to 40 styles can be produced simultaneously on one system.

Disadvantages of UPS-

These systems need high investment.

The payment period for the return of investment takes long time.

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 Proper planning is required.
One piece flow.

High investment required.

Need proper planning.

Handling equipments are highly expensive.

Special training required for labor.

UPS requires high investments where the payback period is long.
Planning needs to be effective every time.
Sometimes the orderly and controlled flow of work via computerized control of the
whole production process becomes difficult to measure.

Robotic production system

This system takes the advantages of all the production systems and eliminates all the
disadvantages of all the systems. This system is operated completely by the help of robotic
machineries. These robots may have artificially intelligent. To operate this system we will be
needed highly skilled and technically sound operators/ technologist.

This system takes a huge investment but can give the production 24/7 without any rest. So the
productivity and profitability increase drastically/enormously. This system runs a project
smoothly with the help f highly skilled and verse tail production planner, industrial engineer,
production developer. Each operation may be done by completely different robots. There is
no WIP and bottle neck in this system.

Advantages of this production system-

Productivity is high
Operation cost is low
This system increase profit.
There is no WIP and bottle neck.
This system runs restless.
Extremely time saving
Reduce working defect and increase quality.

Disadvantages of this production system-

Skilled worker is required.

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 Setup cost is high.

Spray on production system

This is a unique production system where the product is developed directly n the wears body
or on the dress pomp or mold. In this system there is n need of cutting or sewing, no need of
procuring, raw fabric and storing it.

This system needs no measurement chart or technical specification sheet that point’s different
measurement of the body pats. It may require technical specification sheet which contents
different information on clothing material attach with the garment and the garment form size.

For this system we will be needed specific dress form. The raw of the final product is caned
under high pressure n which a spray nozzle is attached. The raw material stone in the can is in
liquid form where liquid solution is produced by mixing several fiber particles with different
types of binding agent fixing agent and colorant. The final product is washable, regenerative,
and flexible and verse tail.

3d production system
This is one of the most advanced production system in the world. In this system there is n
need of storing, cutting, numbering, bundling, sewing and finishing and also no need of
operator. Only single technical person/operator can run 100’s of achiness and these machine
will do the rest. This machine is known 3d printing machine. This machine takes the input
solid or liquid, natural or polymer resign and gives the output of final product. This machine
can run 24/7. In this system the tack-pack sheet will be in sorted in the cloud operating
system. A single operating system will control 100’s of machine.

Modular Production System

In modular production system, group of sewing operators are work together to meet their goal
effectively. Usually 4-15 labors are work in one group. Every members of sewing team helps
to each other to make a high quality garment. For getting quick production this system is
more effective. Multi skilled operators are needed to do this operation. The sewing line layout
is set in U –shaped. In modular production system work-in-progress (WIP) is less.

A group of people who are working together to achieve and individual goal effectively and
efficiently while at the same accomplishing goal of the team and company. In this system line
layout is similar to O shape or U shape with garment progression.

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Each operator is assigned at least one operation. In this system WIP is reduce drastically. The
first and the last operation are assigned uniquely to the first and last operator.

In ‘Modular production system’ sewing operators work as a team. Neither they sew complete
garment nor do they sew only single operation. Multi skilled operators form a group and each
of the team members do multiple operations. In modular system, operators help each other to
finish the garment quickly and team is fully responsible for quality and production. In
modular, always team performance is measured instead of individual operator performance.
This system is very successful where quick response is needed. 

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The modular system of production is basically obtained from the Japanese auto
manufacturing and is regarded as one way to meet the flexibility in demands required in the
apparel industry. The modular system, although dates back to the 1980s, is one of the newest
production systems in the apparel industry. This system is also called a team or cellular
system. Pressure from increased market segmentation and the need for shortened production
development cycles and greater operating flexibility, plus intense competition in standardized
product lines from low-wage countries, have forced apparel manufacturers to experiment
with this new production system. Modules use a cross-training technique, which requires
multi skilled workers and a small set of machines to produce a finished garment. The key
principle here is operator/worker involvement and team work, which requires important
changes in the industry’s human resource (HR) department. In this system the workers are
responsible for quality. The main features of the modular system are groups of workers with
multiple skills in one module, group piece rate or hourly rate compensation, U-shaped
module, and single piece hand offs; this system is called Group Technology or cellular
manufacturing. Less material handling drastically reduces inventory levels and throughput
time, which saves the cost of inventory and material handling.

Features of a modular production system-

Unconstrained to work with the operators.

In one workstation, the workers/operators should be able to perform the operations in
different sewing machines in a highly skilled manner.
In this modular production system, in-line inspection locations are constructed into
the production line so that the inspector could be able to return the defective garment
panel to the concerned operator through the system.
Productivity is high in this production system since the operator handles the garment
only once for several operations, instead of handling it for every operation.
Only a few garments will be processed in the particular production line as the
throughput time is less in this system.
A modular production system module could have up to eight work stations positioned
around the transport system.

Advantages of a modular garment production system-

Flexibility is high.

Low wastages.

Employee absence will be low.

Produce high quality garment.

Fashioned garments with quick response.

Order with low volume and frequent changes.

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 Company with mutual trust between management and operators.
Reduced absenteeism
Reduced repetitive motion ailments
Operator ownership of the production process is high
Empowered employees
Improved quality of product

Disadvantages of a modular garment production system-

Equipment price is high.

Employee training investment is high.

Training time and cost is increased.

It requires considerable changes in management philosophy.

Operators cannot develop the rhythm and pace of high performance.

Specialized equipment is poorly utilized

Individual effort is difficult to recognized within the group

Team members are depends on each other that affects on production.

A high capital investment in equipment
High investment in initial training
High cost incurred in continued training

JIT production system

Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing, also known as just-in-time production or the Toyota
Production System (TPS) is a methodology aimed primarily at reducing times within
production system as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. Its origin and
development was in Japan, largely in the 1960s and 1970s and particularly at Toyota.

Alternative terms for JIT manufacturing have been used. Motorola's choice was short-cycle
manufacturing (SCM). IBM's was continuous-flow manufacturing (CFM), and demand-flow
manufacturing (DFM), a term handed down from consultant John Constanza at his Institute
of Technology in Colorado. Still another alternative was mentioned by Goddard, who said
that "Toyota Production System is often mistakenly referred to as the 'Kanban System'", and
pointed out that kanban is but one element of TPS, as well as JIT production.

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But the wide use of the term JIT manufacturing throughout the 1980s faded fast in the 1990s,
as the new term lean manufacturing became establishedas "a more recent name for JIT". As
just one testament to the commonality of the two terms, Toyota production system (TPS) has
been and is widely used as a synonym for both JIT and lean manufacturing

Just-in-time (JIT) is a production model in which items are created to meet demand, not
created in surplus or in advance of need. The purpose of JIT production is to avoid the waste
associated with overproduction, waiting and excess inventory, three of the seven waste
categories defined in the Toyota Production System (known in North America as the lean
production model).

JIT was firstly developed within Toyota manufacturing plants by Taiichi Ohno, during the
beginning of the 70s. The oil embargo probably triggered his theory, the program was
intended to avoid wastes, reduce inventories and increase production efficiency in order to
maintain Toyota’s competitive edge. Besides he believed that customers should be satisfied
with maximum quality in the shortest time.

JIT production system is known as TPS (Toyota production system). This a mythology aimed
primarily and reducing flow time with in production system as well as response time from
suppliers and to customer. JIT manufacturing system was first implement in Toyota auto
mobile industry. Seeing its benefits and advantages others industries like apparel industry has
adapted this system.

JIT manufacturing system has some tools or elements that help to run this system smoothly.
These elements/tools are:

1. MRP I
2. MRP II
3. KAIZEN
4. KANBAN
5. Self inspection
6. Push and pull system
7. People
8. Planed layout
9. Research etc.

In this system each and every raw material should be locally manufactured otherwise it will
be quit impossible to run this system in our country o anywhere in the world.

The JIT concept was described by Henry Ford in his 1923 book, My Life and Work:

We have found in buying materials that it is not worthwhile to buy for other than immediate
needs. We buy only enough to fit into the plan of production, taking into consideration the
state of transportation at the time. If transportation were perfect and an even flow of materials

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could be assured, it would not be necessary to carry any stock whatsoever. The carloads of
raw materials would arrive on schedule and in the planned order and amounts, and go from
the railway cars into production. That would save a great deal of money, for it would give a
very rapid turnover and thus decrease the amount of money tied up in materials.

If we highlight JIT then….

 IT philosophy means getting the right quantity of goods at the right place and the right
time.

 JIT exceeds the concept of inventory reduction.

 JIT is an all-encompassing philosophy found on eliminating waste.

 Waste is anything that does not add value.

A broad JIT view is one that encompasses the entire organization.

Objective of JIT:

Produce only the products the customer wants.

Produce products only at the rate that the customer wants them.

Produce with perfect quality.

Produce with minimum lead time.

Produce products with only those features the customer wants.

Produce with no waste of labor, material or equipment –every movement must have a
purpose so that there is zero idle inventory.

Produce with methods that allow for the development of people.

Benefits touted as results of JIT implementation include:

Reductions in down time.

Reductions in inventory.

Reductions in scrap and re-work.

Reductions in workspace.

Increased inventory turns.

Increased labor utilization.

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 Increased equipment utilization.

Improved service to customers.

Advantages of JIT production system-

Lower stock holding means a reduction in storage space which saves rent and
insurance costs.
As stock is only obtained when it is needed, less working capital is tied up in stock.
Less likelihood of stock perishing, becoming obsolete or out of date.
Less time spent on checking and re-working production as the emphasis is on getting
the work right first time.

Disadvantages of JIT production system-

There is little room for mistakes as minimal stock is kept for re-working faulty
product.
Production is highly reliant on suppliers and if stock is not delivered on time, the
whole production schedule can be delayed
There is no spare finished product available to meet unexpected orders, because all
products is made to meet actual orders.
A need for complex, specialist stock systems.

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Some other production system-

Quick response sewing system

Quick response sewing system specially use for small lot order. Every work station will
assemble with 4-5 machines. Operators are completed their all the operations in that station
before it is moved to other work station. If there is a bottleneck in one section, the overload is
automatically moved to other stations where operator capacity is available. All the garment
parts are hanged on the hanging clamp that attached to the trolley. It is a computer controlled
and overhead trolley system.

Selective conveyor belt system

It is the very common mechanical equipment handling system. In conveyor system
automatically feed the materials or working containers to one operator to other. This system
is more popular in material handling and apparel manufacturing industries. For saving the
time and quick production this system is more effective.

A typical conveyor system is mainly three types-

 Main conveyor

 Top belt

 Lower belt

One Piece Flow System

Instead of making a bundle of multiple pieces, bundle is made with all components of a
single piece. Sewing machines in One-piece-flow system can be laid in a straight line or
modular line. Main difference is that, operator will receive one piece from back and move
one piece to his next operator after completing his work. Benefits of One-piece-Flow system
are less through put time, Less WIP in the line. 

Piece Rate Production System

Piece rate system also one of the most popular production system in small and unorganized
factories. Though people called it piece rate system, actually it is not a production system.
Whatever Production system is used as mentioned above, when operators are paid according
their works (how many pieces produced), is named as piece rate system.

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KANBAN manufacturing tool production system
Kanban (看板) (signboard or billboard in Japanese) is a scheduling system for lean
manufacturing and just-in-time manufacturing (JIT).Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at
Toyota, developed kanban to improve manufacturing efficiency. Kanban is one method to
achieve JIT.The system takes its name from the cards that track production within a factory.
For many in the automotive sector, kanban is known as the "Toyota nameplate system" and
as such the term is not used by some other automakers.

Kanban became an effective tool to support running a production system as a whole, and an
excellent way to promote improvement. Problem areas are highlighted by measuring lead
time and cycle time of the full process and process steps. One of the main benefits of kanban
is to establish an upper limit to work in process inventory to avoid overcapacity. Other
systems with similar effect are for example CONWIP. A systematic study of various
configurations of kanban systems, of which CONWIP is an important special case, can be
found in Tayur (1993), among other papers.

A goal of the kanban system is to limit the buildup of excess inventory at any point in
production. Limits on the number of items waiting at supply points are established and then
reduced as inefficiencies are identified and removed. Whenever a limit is exceeded, this
points to an inefficiency that should be addressed.

This is a scheduling system for lean manufacturing and JIT manufacturing system.

KANBAN is also known as inventory control system. It is sometimes attributed as supply

chain management system.

TAICHIOHNO and industrial engineer at Toyota mobile industry develop KANBAN to

improve manufacturing efficiency.

This system is similar to CONWIP (controlling work in progress)

KANBAN manufacturing system reduces 20% process time for applying properly,
KANBAN has been divided into several types, among them two types are widely used.

There are two types of Kanban. Such as-

P KANBAN - Production
T KANBAN – transport

The Origins of Kanban

As with Just in Time manufacturing the idea behind kanbans comes very much from Toyota
and their observation of a supermarket (Piggly Wiggly) operated in the US. The supermarket

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would only replenish what was taken by the customers from the shelves; this meant that
shelves never overflowed with excess stock or ran empty. This pull was transferred from the
customers all the way back to the various suppliers.

Just in Time was implemented and designed at Toyota by Taiichi Ohno who took over 15
years to perfect their system. During the 1970’s many western visitors would bring back
Kanban cards and want to implement the systems within their own manufacturing facilities;
often with little real understanding of how they worked. It was not until the 1980’s that
Kanban control really started to be understood in the West.

Push Production vs. Pull Production

The main focus of JIT is to pull production through the process as the customer actually takes
what they want. The ideal flow being a single part manufactured as required; although this is
not always possible with many processes without significant redesign or investment. This is
very different to what most companies have traditionally done.

Traditionally production processes are scheduled, raw materials ordered, and then
manufactured to create stock based on a forecast of what the customer is expected to order.
This is push production and is driven very much by the materials being fed into the start of
the process and all processes being controlled through a schedule or MRP. This typically
produces products in large quantities or batches and ties up a huge amount of your capital in
stock and Work in Progress (WIP).

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Pull production however works in reverse, when a customer takes a product from the end of
your production process a signal is then sent back down the line to trigger the production of
the next part. Just as a supermarket will fill the empty shelf each preceding process in the
flow will request the parts that it needs from its preceding process. This process is controlled
through the use of a Kanban.

How Does Kanban Pull Production Work?

In its simplest format a kanban is just a signal back to the proceeding operation to make the
next part. So for a simple process that has single piece flow it would operate just as the

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simple diagram below:

Of course production is rarely as simple as this. Many processes just could not manufacture 1
product at a time economically and quick enough even with rapid change over’s. We also
have many production lines making multiple products for the customer. All of these things
complicate things and require a little more thought to be put into designing the system.

However no matter what system you use the following rules for Kanban should always be
followed:

Kanban Rules

The later process collects product from the earlier process

The later process informs the earlier process what to produce

The earlier process only produces what the later process needs

No products are moved or produced without Kanban authority

No defects are passed to the later process

Decreasing the size or number of kanbans within the system will increase the systems
sensitivity to changes or problems. This is often the best way to highlight issues within the
process and to drive improvements.

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Implementing a Kanban System Means That:

Earlier processes never push production onto later processes

Nothing is ever made without Kanban authority
Nothing is made if there are no Kanbans
You have to be able to identify defects as close to the source as possible
You cannot operate with large batches or lots of plan changes
Where possible demand should be smoothed

Ideal Environment for Kanban Implementation

The following are the ideal conditions required for the use of Kanban. The further you are
from these conditions the harder it will be to implement and the larger the safety margin you
will want to build into the system to prevent problems:

Regular demand from the customer; if your customer demand is highly irregular
and difficult to predict it can be hard to hold Kanban stocks in the traditional
supermarket style. You may end up holding larger than necessary stock and work in
progress levels without some careful thought about organizing your system.
Low product variation; if you make many hundreds or even thousands of different
products then you will not want to hold stocks of them all as this could easily increase
the amount that you hold. You will want to reduce this burden by ensuring that there
are many commonly used parts between products and that you make the product
unique as late in the process as possible.
Clear flow; facilities that are organized in a silo style with all similar processing
being done in one location are hard to control with a kanban system; although not
impossible by any means. A better arrangement is one in which all processes are
organized together to provide a flow line or cell.
Small dedicated machines; many companies will invest in large all singing all
dancing machines that will service all products that they make. Often these machines
will drive the use of large batches and will be a bottleneck for the facility. Far better if
smaller dedicated machines are used within product flow lines.
Quick changeovers; many machines and processes can take a long time to set up to
run a new product or variant. This again drives large batches and can create
significant bottlenecks within your production. The use of Single Minute Exchange of
Die (SMED) techniques can make a significant impact in this area.

Repeatable and reliable processes; if machines are prone to breaking down and
processes are not repeatable then it will be hard to control any form of production
system let alone Kanban. The use of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), 5S,
operator driven quality improvements, and standardized operations will help you to
put in place the foundations that are required.

Reliable suppliers; your suppliers are a vital part of your process and you will need
to ensure that they are able to support the kanban processes that you wish to
implement reliably.

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Not having these conditions does not mean that you cannot implement Kanban and Just in
Time. It just means that you will have to put a little more thought into how your systems are
designed and how they will work. Irregular demand and large variations in products for
instance can require you to use CONWIP systems rather than the more usually seen cards or
bin systems. While unreliable machines will require you to have a larger safety factor in the
quantities that you use within your system.

Often when you are starting out with JIT and Kanban you will start with large Kanban
quantities and slowly reduce the amount of stock over time in a planned fashion to highlight
and remove problems. Lowering the inventory levels will uncover the many issues that are
there.

---Wait for the Next Handout---

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