pearl academy of fashion

PRODUCTION PLANNING AND CONTROL

SYSTEMS
KNITCRAFT APPARELS
INTERNATIONAL PVT
LTD.
 INTRODUCTION
Knitcraft started operations in 1985 as a fabric manufacturing company and
later entered into garment manufacturing and exports. The Company is
operating under the inspirational guidance of Mr. K.K. Khurana who firmly
believes that growth is not only about numbers but also about the ability to
satisfy customers for a continued period of time with top quality products
and timely delivery.

Mr. K.K. Khurana is assisted by his sons Sanjay Khurana & Sandeep
Khurana. Both are with technical back grounds and involved with the
process starting from product development to final shipping.

With an effective presence in USA, Canada, Europe and South Africa and
annual turnover of US $ 20 Million, the group has been growing steadily.
 INFRASTRUCTURE
The Company is a vertically integrated unit with in-house facilities knitting,
dyeing, mercerizing & embroidery.

Infrastructure Garment Manufacturing:-

Knitcraft manufactures garments in 2 facilities of 125000 sq. ft with

750 stitching machines & produces 2,50,000 pieces per month.

A third unit is being commissioned at Behrampur, Gurgaon. This

building with two production floor in 90,000 sq. ft will add another
1,50,000 pieces per month to the capacity.

Infrastructure Fabric Manufacturing:-

Knitcraft have their own fabric knitting, dyeing & processing unit of
80,000 sq. ft with 10,000 kgs daily knitting capacity with 32 versatile
knitting machines which are capable of making jerseys, stripes,
jacquards, wrappers. fleece, interlock & much more. Dyeing is
equipped with high temperature high pressure dyeing machines to dye
6,000 kg fabric per day. Mercerizing is equipped with a world class
Mercerizer to Mercerize 8,000 kg of fabric per day.Full fabric
finishing range to finish 10,000 kg per day. Sueding machine from
Lafer has been added into unit
 PRODUCTS
The company manufactures and exports almost all types of fine knit’s
garments especially Men’s Polo T-shirts, Golf-shirts, Sweat shirts,
Outerwear jackets, tees etc. The company specializes in men’s Polo
mercerized shirts and golf shirts with the performance finishes like moisture
wicking, anti stain, wrinkle free, wonder wash, anti bacterial, anti fade, low
shrinkage etc. Another area of specialization of company is the ability to
innovate micro-polyester blends with cotton which is generating tremendous
interest from prestigious buyers. The company has also managed to
successfully develop 100% polyester yarn dyed and piece dyed fabrics in
house and is the first one in India to successfully ship almost one million pcs
of Polo's in last 2 years with in house developed fabrics. Strong product
development is the major key to company’s success which leads to produce
better quality fabrics & designs looking at the interests of market.

As per records Knitcraft was largest consumer of mercerized yarn & pima yarns
in India in 2007.
BRANDS ASSOCIATED
 STRENGHTH OF IN HOUSE INFRASTRUCTURE
Knitting

Knitcraft has what it takes to be a complete enterprise to manufacture and

export high end knitted garments. To begin with, it has own state-of-the-art facility
to produce 10000 kg of knitted fabric daily on 32 latest circular knitting
machines from Fukuhara, Japan.

These machines include-

 Single jersey, fully electronic jacquard auto striper in 24 gg

 Single jersey auto striper from 16 gg to 28 gg

 Interlock auto stripers in 18 gg

 Wrapper stripers with mini jacquard in 28 gg

 Mini jacquards in 24 gg & 28 gg

 Beside above machines, the company has multiple

basic machines in S/J, Fleece, Interlock/Rib etc

 Flat knitting machines for making collars in 14 gg & 16 gg

 Dyeing & Mercerizing:-

The company has in-house Dyeing and Mercerizing capacity of 10000 kgs per day.
This is done on the latest machines including-

 Mercerizing machines from Dornier Germany

 High temperature & high pressure dyeing machines from Brazzoli, Italy

Micro sueding machine from Lafer, Italy

 Relax Dryer and Hydro Squeezer from Santex Switzerland

 Compactor from Tube-Tex, USA

 STATE OF THE ART PRODUCTION FACILITY
Garmenting is where the actual product takes shape and gets the right look.
Knitcraft has a state-of-the-art garment production facility in Gurgaon near India’s
capital Delhi. This facility along with another facility situated near-by boast of 750
advanced machines from international brands like Juki & Pegasus
 EMBROIDERY –THE STRENGTH OF
KNITCRAFT
Embroidery is yet another in-house forte of Knitcraft. For Computerized
embroidery Knitcraft has acquired 5 world’s best Barudan embroidery machines
comprising 82 heads in total. Knitcraft understands the importance of embroidery
on a garment since as a logo it is identity of the brand and as a design it adds value
to the garment. So every single piece embroidered on these machines made is
made to maintain the required look of the garment.

PRINTING CAPABILITIES
Knitcraft has in house panel printing with a total capacity of 3000 garment per day.
Knitcraft has capability of doing prints like Crackle, plastisol, waster based prints,
foil, flock printing etc. can be done in-house.
 SOCIAL COMPLIANCE
Knitcraft has been compliant socially as well as for CT-PAT by all major
customers like Polo Ralph Lauren, VF, Supreme Intl, Sears, Levi’s, etc.
Recently the company had been certified by WRAP for customer Jockey.

BENEFITS WITH KNITCRAFT

The vertical integration of Knitcraft offers number of benefits to their
customers like

 Faster turnaround time of proto samples, sales samples.

 Shorter lead time for bulk production.
 Better control on quality of fabrics.
 Lesser minimums for piece dyed fabrics
 Competitive costing

KEY TO SUCCESS
The main key to company’s success is strong hold on product development
& this is ensured by two ways.
1. The Research & Development teams in every department consists of
strong technical people who have strong technical & analytical skills so that
right & required product is delivered.
2. The best of quality raw material is used in manufacturing since the
company does not believe in cost cutting by compromising on the quality of
material. Knitcraft source all of their yarns from India’s premier yarn
supplier ‘Vardhman’ who is biggest quality yarn manufacturer in India

Knitcraft is proud of never ever losing a customer

FUTURE BUSINESS PLANS

Recently Knitcraft have very quickly gained experience and expertise in
making heavily embroidered & distress washed product. This has
encouraged Knitcraft to set up their own laundry unit with the initial
capacity of above 8000 pcs/day which should be operational from March’10
onwards.To Extend the capability in fabric finishing a Stenter From
Monfort, Germany being added into processing unit, which will build the
strength to finish Polyester, lycra & cotton/ polyester fabrics.
Company has plans to extend the knitting capacity by adding 5 more knitting
machines in 2010. Dyeing Capacity is being enhanced by almost 75
tons/month from March’10 onwards. For extending our services to existing
customers the Company is in process of setting up new production facility
which will be operational by March’10. This will add a capacity of almost
150,000 units per month.
 Question and Answers

Line Visualization and Evaluation

Q-1) Who is responsible in developing the samples?

A-1)It is the responsibility of the merchandiser to get the samples developed in an

apparel manufacturing unit. It is the merchandiser who is completely responsible
for the sourcing of the raw material and then converting this raw material into the
final product as per the requirements of the buyers. The buyer give their own
designs and styles both directly or through the buying houses with a tech pack
which has all details about the style and design features along with the
measurement block according to which they develop the pattern. Based on this
pattern the merchandiser starts the development of the samples. Sample
development has the following stages:

Prototype/fit Sample - On the basis of the style/design finalized and the

measurements/block, the first sample they make is the prototype or they also call it
the fit sample. Then this sample is sent to the buying house to get the approval
from the buyer.

Size set samples - Once the fit/prototype sample is approved by the buyer the next
sample made by them is the size set samples with the proper graded measurements.
This is a representative for inspection, or show evidence of it meeting the
requirements of shape, size, quality or way of being fitted, degree of precision with
which each part is adjusted and adapted, and to be in proper place.

Pre production sample

Once the size sets are also approved the pre-production samples are made which
are representations of what the actual production would look like. These samples
are again sent for approvals to the buyers from the buying house before they start
the bulk production.

Garment testing samples GTS

Sometimes the buyers ask for certain tests to be done on the fabric like rubbing
test, color fastness test, pilling test, printing test, seam slipping test and asks for a
report from them on the tests on the samples from the export house. They perform
those tests which are asked by the buyer mostly on the actual fabric and sometimes
on a close substitute fabric.

Top of production (TOP)

Once the bulk production has started the export house picks up few samples
randomly (jumping samples) and send to the buyer through the buying house for
reference.

 If the sample is not approved then the buyer sends a comment sheet which is
studied by the merchandiser and the sampling coordinator based on which
all the amendments are done and a new sample is developed.

Q-2) After the sample is developed, who is involved in evaluating the sample?

A-2) The sample evaluation is done at three stages i.e.

a) Factory
b) Buying House
c) Buyer
The evaluation of sample starts within the factory itself. Once the sample is made
by the operator it is first evaluated by the sampling supervisor and if he approves
the sample then it is forwarded to the merchandiser for further evaluation. The
merchandiser matches the sample with the tech pack given by the buyer and makes
the amendments if needed. After this the sample is sent to the buying house i.e.
Triburg where the sample is cross checked with the tech pack and with all the lab
test reports. If it seems ok to the buying house then this sample is sent to the buyer
where the buyer evaluates it according to his requirements and if he wants some
changes then he informs the buying house regarding the change and the buying
house further informs the merchandiser of the export house to make such changes
and again the same process of sample evaluation is repeated.

This whole process is very much concerned with the approval of sample. The
sample is evaluated on each and every stage so that the buyer’s approval can be
received in the first go because if the buyer rejects the sample then the entire
process has to be repeated due to which there will be a lot of wastage of time.

Q-3) What is the role of the manufacturer in sample evaluation?

A-3)In sample evaluation the manufacturer plays a very major role. Basically the
evaluation of sample is done so that the sample is made as per the buyers tech pack
in order to get the buyers approval in the first go. It is during this sample
evaluation where the manufacturer’s role comes i.e. if during sample evaluation if
any changes are required then those changes can be made then and their only. This
is basically done to reduce the wastage of time which will be involved in
development of the same sample again. The role of manufacturer in sample
evaluation is very important in every stage of sampling management i.e.

 Proto Sample – In this sample the manufacturer checks the design and the
aesthetics of the garment as per the latest trends and forecast.
 Fit Sample – In this the buyer checks the fit of the garment on dummies and
on live models. So in order to avoid rejections in these samples the
manufacturer asks the buyer about what type of dummies are being used by
them so that the manufacturer can check the fir in the factory itself on the
 same dummies. This is basically done to avoid the difference between the
measurement used by the buyers and the manufacturer.
 Size Set Sample – Many times the size set are not required by the buyer.
Sometimes they can ask for such samples. Basically these samples are
representation of one same design in different sizes. Many times the buyer
may ask for jump size sets. The role of manufacturer is to ask the buyer that
what kind of size set are required by them i.e. US, UK or European. Once
the buyer tells the size segments then the manufacturer develops the samples
in that size segments.

 Pre Production Sample – This sample is also known as sealer sample. This
shows that the sample has been approved by the buyer and now it is ready to
go in for the production. In this the role of manufacturer is to get signed the
sealer sample so that in any future problems or disagreements he can show
the sealer sample to the buyer and resolve the issue.
 Garment Test Sample – These samples have to be tested for all the quality
measures like shrinkage, pilling, color bleeding, crocking etc. These tests
have to be done in an ISO certified lab. In case if these samples after testing
show a negative result then it is the duty of the manufacturer to overcome
the loop holes due to which the results were negative.

 Top of Production samples – The samples represents how the actual

production will look alike. Basically this sample is taken out from first 10-
15 pieces of the production. At this stage the manufacturer has to be very
careful because at this stage rejection of the garment cannot be afforded.

Q-4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting a manufacturer

involved in the sample evaluation?

A-4) Advantages of involving a manufacturer in sample evaluation:

 Manufacturer can advise the buyer on the feasibility of the garment.

 The manufacturer can also advise on styling and embellishments which he is
capable of providing to the buyer.
 To keep a good reputation in front of the buyer.
 To avoid the cost involved in making the sample again
 To reduce the time and manpower which will be involved in making sample
again if not approved by the buyer
 In case any changes are required during evaluation of samples it can be
checked, changed and manipulated at that very moment without any hassles.
 To reduce the risk of rejection.

Disadvantages of involving a manufacturer in sample evaluation:

 May lead to negotiations with the buyer regarding price and changes in the
garment incase the garment is not feasible.
 The buyer may have to compromise on various issues like for example if
the buyer requires a particular embellishment like a crochet lace then the
manufacture may keep his point stating the increase in lead time or increase
in the price.
 It might become a time consuming process because the buyer and the
manufacture may have a different point of view for a particular design and
this may include a lot of time.

Q-5 How important is it in getting manufacturer’s input in sample evaluation?

A-5 A manufacturer’s input is very vital in sample evaluation. It is the

manufacturer who will tell that whether he is capable of manufacturing such a
design, is the production of such a design feasible on large scale, are the
embellishments which are being used on the garment feasible for large
productions etc. Another input which the manufacturer will provide is that he
may negotiate with the buyer on costing of manufacturing the garment
depending on the complexity of the garment and may also ask for extra lead
time with which the buyer may not completely agree and may have to
compromise on some of his requirements. So in totality it is a better option to
 involve the manufacturer while sample evaluation so that at later stages issues
causing conflict do not arise.

Overview of Supplier’s involvement in Product Development

Process
Q-1) What are the goals of getting external businesses such as apparel
manufactures or fabric mills into the product development process?

A-1) It is because one cannot just produce one set of garments all year around. You
need new fabrics, newer products to keep your business grow and keep making
profits in the industry. Sticking to one product can make your growth stagnant.
For such a business it is very important to bring in innovations and creativity at
regular intervals as per the trends so that whatever is being manufactured is up to
date and is as per the liking of the customer. This will always help a business to
grow and maintain a market for its products i.e. there will always be a customer
who is willing to buy such a product. So with involvement of the external
manufacturers or fabric mills new styles can be developed looking into new
fabrics, silhouette’s, design etc.

Q-2) What was the criteria of selecting these parties?

A-2) Following are some necessary points kept in mind for selection:

a) Commitment of time – one of the major criteria of selection is the time

commitment as every exporter has a schedule to follow as per the lead time
 so if the goods from external parties are not received on time then the entire
order processing may suffer.
b) Credit – One of the major factor which the manufacturer keeps in mind
while selecting these external parties is the credit period. In present scenario
suppliers giving more credit period for payment are preferred because there
are many other costs involved in the manufacturing business which cannot
be compromised over these supplier payments.
c) Pricing – Pricing is another factor on the basis of which these external
parties are selected. The party giving best price i.e. lowest price and the best
quality is always preferred by the manufacturer because the manufacturer
wants to cut his costs through these means and earn more profit.
d) Quality – Another important factor is the quality. The manufacturer does
not compromise on the quality of a product he buys. The one who provides a
better quality product is always the first preference of the manufacturer.

Q-4) What does it take for a company to create a successful business relationship?

A-4) The important first step in creating a connection with your work
colleagues/partners is to understand each other’s differences. This allows the
individuals to change their positions to that of compromise and negotiation.
Communication is one of the most important part in a relationship. If business
colleagues understand each other’s situation, working together is smooth and
comfortable then it is easy to do business. The objectives of the supply chain and
the performance measurements need to be understood in order to build the most
effective supply chain. The cost of transportation would be of supplier. For knits, if
it has gone for dyeing and printing, like for 1000 kgs it should not take more than
15 days. Suppliers company should have good reputation in terms of delivering the
goods and the main policy of this company is that if supplier fails to meet the
delivery date then 50% of the payment is to be paid by supplier and same goes for
this export house if they do not pay the 75% after the goods have come in-house
then they have to pay 50% of the total amount more.

Q-7) What types of information are shared with the business partner?
A-7) All the information related to order and production are shared with the
business partner. This information includes:

a) Production Capacity – The manufacturer tells the production capacity to the

buyer which assures the buyer that the manufacturer is capable of producing
the quantities expected by him.
b) Lead Time – Lead Time is another information which a manufacturer and
buyer share so that it becomes clear for both of them how to execute their
further decisions like for manufacturer it will be – How to carry out
production so that he delivers the product on the shipment date? and for
buyer it would be like How he needs to distribute his goods in the market?
c) Shipment Date – The shipment date is another type of information which is
shared which is important from the manufacturer’s point of view according
to which he has to carry out the production.
d) Garment Tech-Pack – A tech pack is another thing which is shared between
them based on which many negotiations take place on design, trims, pricing,
fabric etc.
e) Packaging – Packaging is a major information which is shared between the
two as different buyers have different packaging requirements, so the
manufacturer must have a clear understanding of what kind of packaging the
buyer is expecting.
f) Payment Terms – Payment terms is an important factor which is shared. The
payment for a specific order is based on the discussions of buyer and the
manufacturer for eg: a buyer and a manufacturer may agree on payment
terms like 25% on order placement and remaining 75% after the order is
received by the buyer.

Q-8) What are the mutual benefits for you and your suppliers?

A-8) Mutual Benefits for a healthy business:

1.Trust: Trust is a two way street that must be cultivated at all times. Trust
becomes important when times get tough.
2.Fairness and Honesty: Fair and honest partners will always win out in the long
run. Any short term gain realized by lying, cheating or taking advantage of a
partner will tarnish the long term relationship and destroy trust.

3.Mutual Benefit: Relationships need to provide benefits to both parties

4.Respect: Relationships are built on mutual respect. If you don’t respect a vendor
or supplier than the relationship will be doomed to fail.

If a business between vendor and supply do not share such values then it may
become very difficult for both the parties to carry out business in a healthy manner.
Many obstacles may spoil the relations between them as they have different
opinions towards the work.

Q-9) What types of network exist between you and the external companies in your
supply chain?

A-9) The network consists of 4 levels through which a manufacturer’s supply chain
works. The manufacturer can work according to his own requirements and
convenience following any level.

a) Zero Level – In this no middleman is involved and the raw material supplier
directly supplies the raw material to the factory.
b) First Level – A distributor is involved in the supply chain.
c) Second Level – In this the distributor as well as the wholesaler is involved in
the supply chain.
d) Third Level – In this level there are 5 people involved in the supply chain
 i.e. starting from manufacturer, distributor, stockiest, wholesaler, retailer.

Q10) What similarities between parties are you looking for when establishing
relationships?

A-10) Some of the similarities which will be looked upon are mentioned below:

1. Passion towards work – One of the similarity is that the external party must be
passionate towards work i.e. efficient and active towards the work.

2. Willingness to work together – The external parties must have a willingness to

work on healthy partnership basis.

3. Trust – One of the major concern is the trust. If there is trust then the business
can be done in an efficient way without any hassles which will result in better
returns in the business.

4. Good communication skills – Communication skills is another factor to be

looked upon. Good communication indirectly speaks about the background and the
profile of the company.

5. Creative and Innovative – The external parties must be creative and innovative
in the type of product they are supplying because in the modern day world changes
and innovations are very much welcomed by the consumer and no consumer wants
to buy a product with same designs and the concepts.

6. Experience – One must be experienced in the field of business as experience

really matters when the business is being done on a large scale. If one is
experienced then this experience act as a help to another when one is stuck on
some critical issue.

Q-11) What are the obstacles in establishing relationships?

A-11) Whenever it comes to a business, it is very important that you form
relationships. You will need to create and keep relationships that will help you
periodically throughout the life of your business. Building and keeping business
relationships will help you succeed but damaging relationships or leaving poor and
broken business relationships can hurt your business and your reputation.
Remember that while trust is important in a relationship, you both have to give a
little when you make the decision to work together. You cannot demand trust from
someone when you have none to give of your own. There are ways to protect
yourself, such as with contracts and legal agreements.