By: Indigo8 Solutions

Literarily, ERP refers to Enterprise Resource Planning software. In general, ERP is an industry term for the broad set of activities
supported by multi-module application software that help a manufacturer or other business manage the important parts of its business,
including product planning, parts purchasing, maintaining inventories, interacting with suppliers, providing customer service, and tracking
orders. Typically, an ERP system uses or is integrated with a relational database system. In practice, ERP does not live up to its
acronym. It does not do much about planning or resource planning. 

So, why do I need to use ERP?

Remember the word "E" or enterprise. This is true ambition of ERP. It attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a
company onto a single computer system that can serve all those departments' particular needs. The integration streamlines internal
business processes and improves productivity of a company.

To be concise, ERP software offers the following benefits:

1. ERP integrates all aspects of the business processes including: manufacturing, design, customer services, financial, sales and
distribution. By integrating business processes and people anywhere in your company, you can enjoy more efficient work flow and
improved productivity. 

2. Nowadays, retailers and consumers push for lower prices, better quality and quicker delivery. ERP implementation shows your
determination to head for those direction. Confidence of your business partners and consumers will be increased.

3. ERP provides the right information to the right people at the right time anywhere in the world, enabling you to improve productivity,
enhance decision making and promote communication between coworkers, customers and vendors

4. For better ERP software, it helps to reduce or eliminate duplicate work, and automates operational tasks and provide easy access to
information. ERP, therefore, can deliver significant time savings.

5. Advanced ERP software has the ability to be customized to the extent that screens can be remodeled, fields can be edited and the
architecture modified through progressive installation processes. In addition, advanced ERP software can be operated in a secured, web-
based environment. These features provide flexibility and convenience in implementation and operation.

6. Some multi-lingual ERP software can perform automatic translation enables almost every style detail to be viewed in several
languages including English, Chinese, and etc. It improves the effectiveness of communication.

7. Manufacturing companies often find that multiple business units across the company make the same widget using different methods
and computer systems. ERP standardizes the manufacturing processes and improve quality. 

8. ERP helps business process flow more smoothly and improves the efficiency of fulfillment process. It leads to reduced invntory.
Eventually, it decreases the overall business cost.

At its simplest level, ERP provides a way to integrate all your business process. To get the most from the software, you have to get
people inside your company to adopt the work methods outlined in the software. If the people do not agree with the method and the
system has no flexibility to be customized, ERP projects will be failed. Therefore, you should choose ERP software wisely.

About the author:

Indigo8 Solutions, a garment ERP software provider offers customizable, web-based ERP solution to improve business productivity of
garment and apparel industry.

To read more articles on Textile, Fashion, Apparel, Technology, Retail and General please visitwww.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article

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Clothes Will Sew Themselves in Darpa’s Sweat-

Free Sweatshops
 BY KATIE DRUMMOND  
 
 06.08.12  |  
 
 6:30 AM  |  
 
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Soldiers, like this fellow repairing another grunt's threads, might one day live in a world where sewing
machines work without an ounce of human effort. Photo: U.S. Army
The Pentagon’s made plenty of progress towards slicker, more specialized uniforms for soldiers. Better camouflage
patterns? Check. Sweat-wicking t-shirts? Oh, heck yes. Threads that can take a pulse and monitor pee for signs of a
chemical attack?Getting there. Then there’s the Kevlar underwear.

But there’s still one big problem with soldier attire, at least as far as the military’s mad-science agency is concerned:
Someone’s gotta stitch the clothes together.
Enter the sartorial specialists at Darpa. Usually the Pentagon’s far-out researchers are more concerned with four-
legged robots and preventing pandemics than with the contents of a soldier’s closet. But they’ve doled out $1.25
million to fully automate the sewing process. The agency aspires to “complete production facilities that produce
garments with zero direct labor.” And those are a lot of garments: One 2010 estimate put the military’s annual
clothing budget at $4 billion dollars.
The company on the receiving end of Darpa’s award, SoftWear Automation Inc., has so far developed “a
conceptual” version of just the automated system that the agency’s after. The basic principle behind the company’s
innovation, according to its website, is a robotic system that relies on an extremely precise monitoring of a given
fabric’s “thread count” to move it through a sewing machine in the proper direction and at the right pace. Dr. Steve
Dickerson, the company CEO and a robotics and engineering researcher, didn’t respond to request for comment.
Along with co-authors from Georgia Tech, Dickerson elaborated on his robo-tailoring science in a 2010 paper,
presented at a robotics conference in Tokyo. As it turns out, automated garment production has, for decades, been
something of a holy grail among clothing manufacturers. But despite hundreds of millions spent on research since
the 1980s, the report laments that nearly all industrial sewing relies, archaically, on human hands.

The automation process proposed by Dickerson works something like this. First, an “overhead, pick-and-place
robot” grabs the necessary pieces of fabric and places them at the head of a sewing machine. The appliance itself
would be equipped with “machine vision” capabilities, specific enough to spot and track individual fabric threads.
That intel would “provide fabric location information” to actuators that operate the sewing machine’s needle and
thread, and “budgers” — motorized balls, underneath the sewing machine that latch onto the fabric via vacuum seal
— that move the material to and fro.

Should Dickerson’s automated sweatshop materialize, it could offer mucho savings to the military’s billion-dollar
garment production process. According to the company, automated sewing “appears to allow cutting and sewing at
costs less than in China.”

Not to mention far fewer allegations of human rights violations. An estimated 50,000 workers are employed by
contractors producing military garb, many of them earning “[wages] below the poverty line [and] the median sewing
wage in the industry,” according to a 2010 report from The American Prospect.
Of course, it could also mean the decimation of jobs worldwide, as well as dubiously constructed garments. But
we’ll let our fellow Conde Nast publicationVogue worry about that last part.
Automation to develop a complete work-cell called a Beta Unit for fully automated sewing. That includes a numerically controlled
sewing machine that tracks fabric movement by observing passing threads and under servo control moves the fabric under the
needle stitch by stitch. Complete production facilities that produce garments with zero direct labor is the ultimate goal.

The military’s annual clothing budget at $4 billion dollars and employs about 50,000 people.

The US annual import of sewn items is approximately $100 Billion per year.

The technology proposed appears to allow cutting and sewing at costs LESS THAN in China. There is only one basic innovation
required; that the metric of motion should not be meters or inches but rather thread count in the fill and warp directions. (Wovens
and leather like materials need a slightly different measure.) This leads to THREE fundamental technical issues that have largely
been solved and discussed below as well as more routine engineering development.

Software Automation website is here

The automation process proposed by Dickerson works something like this. First, an “overhead, pick-and-place robot” grabs the
necessary pieces of fabric and places them at the head of a sewing machine. The appliance itself would be equipped with “machine
vision” capabilities, specific enough to spot and track individual fabric threads. That intel would “provide fabric location
information” to actuators that operate the sewing machine’s needle and thread, and “budgers” — motorized balls, underneath the
sewing machine that latch onto the fabric via vacuum seal — that move the material to and fro.

Automated Garment Manufacturing System Using Novel Sensing and Acuation (10 pages, 2010)

Attempts to automate the sewing process of garment manufacturing have employed substitutes for human guidance of fabric into
somewhat conventional sewing machines. A new approach has been proposed and partially verified in prototype form. It consists
of several subsystems responsible for 1) gross fabric motion, 2) precision detection of the fabric location and 3) exact placement of
the needle in the fabric. Gross motion employs steerable rollers capable of moving the fabric. Fine fabric motion employs vision
sensing technology to count threads in the fabric. Exact placement employs servo controlled dogs for moving the fabric to exactly
place the needle. This paper will explain the concept and the extent of verification of its realization.

Based on the work to date, the approach proposed seems to be technically feasible, although additional work on the thread
counting vision system is needed and is underway. It also appears that the approach can be economically viable, based on other
evaluations. Obviously, a fully functioning, integrated system will demand much more work and significant funding.

The garment production process.

In our previous blog we talked about fashion design & new product development so by now you are aware of the different stages,
the garment undergoes before it moves into bulk production.  Let us also peep into the manufacturing units where these garments
are processed.
On order confirmation, buyer gives a Purchase order containing stylewise booked quantity with a colorwise and sizewise break
up, delivery date to freight forwarder and Dc date, final negotiated cost at which quantity is booked and mode of delivery.
 Flow chart of a garment manufacturing process.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/KAsJd5
Time and action plan is prepared based on delivery date. This involves a backward planning from DC date accounting for a lead
time for production (cutting, sewing, finishing, washing) based on quantity and capacity slot available at the production unit.
Then fabric lead time is estimated depending on fabric order quantity. Lead time for value addition and embroidery processes are
also taken into consideration while mapping the T&A.

Fabric consumption is calculated based on quantities booked for production by buyer. Markers are laid out based on sizewise
requirement. Marker efficiency is optimized to minimize wastages in terms of fabric and cutting costs. Consequently total fabric
consumption is deduced colorwise and bulk order is placed with fabric vendors.

The process that was followed for vendor selection for garment, the same process is followed for fabric vendor selection. Similar
samples are submitted to apparel manufacturing vendor in forms of desklooms and fabric swatches. If the buyer has nominated
the fabric vendor, then the apparel vendor directly proceeds with bulk fabric order skipping the process of vendor selection
The apparel vendor in turn sends the samples to buyer nominated lab for testing to analyse if it is meeting all requirements and is
devoid of any restricted chemicals. Fabric samples are subjected to physical and chemical tests. Lab dips are analyzed for exact
shade matching as per buyer’s requirement. Post this, bulk fabric order is placed

Trims requirement is also calculated and order is processed in similar manner after a series of approvals. Thread consumption is
worked out based on sample measurements and lab dips are submitted to ensure thread matching with bulk fabric.

Once the bulk fabric starts getting inwarded, it is washed at a pre regulated temperature and conditions. Then it is spread on to
cutting tables using automatic spreaders that piles the fabric depending on its nap. Automated cutters/laser cutter which are
preloaded with marker cut the garments.

With a pilot run of initial garments, the sewing line is set for bulk production. Garment manufacturing takes place in several
methods: assembly line, modular, batch production depending on the garment under construction. The most suitable method is
proposed by Industrial Engineering team.

Assembly line in a garment manufacturing factory.

Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/yUCVmK
Most common is assembly line where different parts of garments are sewn by different operators and finally assembled into the
final garment.
 Simulation model preview of sewing line.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/DqvprC
There are several inline and end line checks that are conducted to ensure the accuracy of measurements, processes.

Garment construction it is a rigorous process that involves a trail of operators who work on specialized machines and give shape
to the final garment..

The garments are scanned by the quality checker who checks each garment with the tech pack. In case of slightest flaw, it is
returned back to the line for rework.

Along with inhouse QC, external audits are also conducted.

 Flow chart of quality check process in a garment manufacturing unit.
Image courtesy : http://goo.gl/l7krvG
Then the garment undergoes a series of finishing procedures from thread cutting to pressing, setting into right shape.

Finally the garments are packaged as per packing instructions provided by the buyer and contained in cartons and made ready for
delivery to freight forwarder (FF) along with all the documentation.

From FF, goods are shipped or aired depending on the mode mutually decided by buyer and vendor.

Comparison of Bar Code and RFID Systems in Managing

Garment Production Shop Floor

Question: Can you compare Bar code and RFID systems that used in shop floor management in apparel industry?
What are their advantages and disadvantages if using in shop floor management? 

To manage production floor better way targeting better output, shop floor production information is very
essential. For the purpose of line balancing, knowing hourly production and even individual operators performance
at the end of the day the common method is capturing operator wise production quantity manually. To replace
manual data tracking process with IT based technology, Bar code and RFID systems are available. Both system have
their own advantages and disadvantages. In the following I have compared both systems in different parameters.

Process flow: Main differences in data capturing to report generation are.

           Bar code: Print Bar codes --> Bundling with Bar codes --> Stick Bar codes on gum sheet by operators --> Scan
Bar codes by scanner --> Report generated

           RFID system: Writing on tags --> Bundling with tags --> Bundle tag scanning by operators --> Report
generated 

Scanning Speed: Multiple RFID tags can be scanned at a time and RFID reader scan tags from any direction within a
limited distance. Only one bar code sticker can be scanned at a time and Bar code scanner scan a Bar code from
front only. So RFID system is faster in data capturing.

Installation and running Cost: For Bar code initial cost is less compared to RFID but running cost will be high in
case of Bar code system. RFID can be reused many times where Bar codes consumed once can’t be re-used.

MIS and Reporting: In RFID you will get real time information. Real time information can be displayed on terminals
(operator console) in front of operators which is the most important part of shop floor controlling. Where in case
of Bar code you will get updated information once someone scan bar codes. Normally after each two hours
production data is scanned in bar code system.

Reporting formats depend on Bar code / RFID suppliers how they designed their package. Similar report can be
produced from both Systems. In RFID system you will get update within a fraction of seconds.

Manpower requirement:  In Bar code system factory need to employ a scanning person. On the other hand sewing
operators scan tags on their own at the time they start bundle.

Carbon Footprint: This point is also important because at present apparel industry is concerned on reducing
carbon footprint. In bar code system you will consume lot of gum sheet and sticker which increases your factory
carbon footprint. In RFID based system no use of any paper. Data is sent to the main server via wires.

Related Articles:
RFID Technology for the Garment Factory Management – An Overview

RFID Technology for the Garment Factory Management – An

Overview

12
Thee success and growth of an apparel manufacturing business depends on how well cross-department production
information is delivered, handled and executed in real time. What is required is a reliable platform to fulfill all
these aspects of business.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is the call of the hour to improve the operational flow in such a
complex environment of apparel production business. It collects and analyzes production data during the entire
production workflow on a real time basis. This specifically deals with common production problems encountered
on the shop floor.

If I talk about production, an RFID system not only obtain information about production quantities in real time
basis but also traces the efficiency of each lines, traces the performance of each sewing machine and each
workers. Most importantly it detects the source of the problem in real time. It shows who is working in which
bundle, fast resolution of bottlenecks and rapid tracing of quality issues to their source.

RFID technology is becoming a popular tool for factory management in the apparel industry. Although this service
is offered by many solution providers in various areas, the functions of those systems are quite similar to each
other. Main components of the system are RFID software, computer, data cable, RFID card, RFID scanner, RFID
reader and terminal to display information to the operator.

In real time RFID system, data is captured through scanning of RFID cards (tags) at operator terminals
(workstation). Generally, four types of tags are used in the line which can be an employee card, bundle card,
supervisor card or a job card.

Employee card: Employee cards are issued to operators and checkers. Operator uses employee card to sign on at
his/her workstation. If operator does not scan the employee card system keeps her absent for the day. One more
important thing, without scanning the employee card operator would not be able to scan bundle cards at his/her
terminal. 

Bundle card: Bundle cards carry a unique number (bundle no.) that is made in computer to represent the bundles
such as garment size, no. of pieces consist in bundle etc. Bundle cards are attached to each bundle as similar to
bundle tickets. When operators work on the bundle they scan bundle card to the terminal. One or multiple cards
are issued against each bundle depending on the production system. For example, when garment is made on
sections (preparatory sections) and assembled at the end for each sub-bundles duplicate cards are issued. In some
RFID systems, bundle card is inserted to the slot of the terminal while operator sews garment instead of scanning.

Job card: Job cards used to assign jobs at the terminals (workstation). Job cards are also used for special purposes.
Normally, each terminal (work stations) is pre-set with the operation/job that would be performed by the
operator. There may be possibility that operator had to do multiple jobs. In that situation, operators use job card
to change the operation in the terminal. Jobs cards are labeled with job (operation) name and number. Operator
scans the job card of the job that will be performed by the operator.

Supervisor card or maintenance card: This system has option to record off-standard work and lost time. To
authenticate those lost time approval by supervisors or assigned person is needed. Also when machine breakdown
is reported by operator and the issue is solved by the maintenance, they scan their card to stop the lost time
request. 

The process flow of the system has been explained in the following.

Data preparation: Data preparation consists of task such as listing of operations for the style Assigning of SAM for
each operation. Listing of employees, supervisors Listing of machine type and class. Create bundles for each cut
(lay). 

Assigning job/operation to the terminal: In the line, each operator would perform specific job. Prior to start work
on the workstation operation is assigned to the terminal (workstation). Assigning of job can be done by using job
cards or entering job number to the terminal. 

Issuing card: According to the bundling done by the cutting department, RFID cards are scanned by RFID scanner to
assign bundle number to the cards. Assigned cards are issued to the cutting department. These cards refer to the
bundle numbers created on the computer. Bundle numbers includes information such as quantity of garment, size,
color etc. Bundle cards are then attached to the bundles.

Scanning of cards at terminals: Each operator scans bundle cards (at RFID reader that fixed on their work station)
and start working on bundles. When operator finishes the bundle, he/she ties the RFID card with bundle and keeps
aside or moves to the next operator. Once operator scans the card, information related to that particular bundle
will be stored and displayed to the computer. 

Viewing report: System records all transactions made by operators and supervisors. System analyses the records
and display reports on the pre-set format. Modification of digital information can be possible by administrator. For
example, system gives report of individual operator’s efficiency. Now how system calculates efficiency? To
calculate someone’s efficiency system needs two types of information – how many minutes operator has produced
during the day and secondly how many minutes operator spent or present (sign in) at his work. First information is
calculated through total bundle scanned (total pieces) and multiplying the pieces by SAM of each pieces (for the
operation). Second information is captured from employee card scanning data – at what time they sign in at the
terminal and at what time they sign off from the terminal. 

RFID system captures all the information through RFID scanners and stores them in the database. Whatever report
one needs can be displayed retrieving data from the data source.

Garment manufacturing includes number of processes from order receiving to dispatching shipment of the finished
garments. A process flow chart helps to understand how raw materials are moved from one process to another
process until raw materials are transformed into the desired product (garments).

To be noted that a process flow chart made for the garment manufacturing processes will vary based on
manufacturing facility and product types. As some companies do whole process in single plant when others do
production jobs and other auxiliary processes are outsourced.

Based on present apparel industry, garment manufacturing processes are categorized as 

 Pre-Production Processes - Pre-production process includes sampling, sourcing of raw materials,

Approvals, PP meeting etc. Read this for further reading on pre-production processes.
 Production processes - Production processes are cutting, sewing etc.
 Post production processes - thread trimming, pressing, checking, folding and packing, shipment inspection
etc.

Instead of making a single process flow chart, I have made one chart for major processes and two separate charts
for cutting room processes and finishing processes for detailed process chart.
Chart#1. Garment manufacturing process flow chart (major processes)
Chart#2. Cutting Room Process Flow Chart
Chart#3. Finishing Process Flow Chart
1
How to Calculate SAM of a Garment?

SAM or Standard Allowed Minute is used to measure task or work content of a garment. This term is
widely used by industrial engineers and production people in the garment manufacturing industry. For
the estimation of cost of making a garment SAM value plays a very important role. In past scientists and
apparel technicians did research on how much time to be allowed to do a job when one follows
standard method during doing the job. According to the research study minute value has been defined
for each movement needed to accomplish a job. Synthetic data is available for each movements.

General Sewing Data (GSD) has defined set of codes for motion data for SAM calculation. There is also  other
methods through which one can calculate SAM of a garment without using synthetic data or GSD. In this article
both methods are explained in the following.

Method #1: Calculation of SAM Using Synthetic Data

In this method 'Predetermined Time Standard' (PTS) code are used to establish 'Standard Time' of a garment or
other sewing products. 

Step 1: Select one operation for which you want to calculate SAM.

Step 2: Study the motions of that operation. Stand by side of an operator (experienced one) and see the operator
how he is doing it. Note all movement used by the operator in doing one complete cycle of work. See carefully
again and recheck your note if all movement/motion are captured and correct. (for example motions are like - pick
up parts one hand or two hand, align part on table or machine foot, realign plies, etc.)

Step 3: List down all motion sequentially. Refer the synthetic data for TMU (Time measuring unit) values. For
synthetic data you can refer GSD (without licence use of GSD code prohibited but for personal use and study one
can refer GSD code and TMU values) or Sewing Performance Data table (SPD). Now you got TMU value for one
operation (for example say it is 400 TMU). Convert total TMU into minutes (1 TMU=0.0006 minute). This is called
as Basic Time in minutes. In this example it is 0.24 minutes.

Step 4: Standard allowed minutes (SAM) = (Basic minute + Bundle allowances + machine and personal allowances).
Add bundle allowances (10%) and machine and personal allowances (20%) to basic time. Now you got Standard
Minute value (SMV) or SAM. SAM= (0.24+0.024+0.048) = 0.31 minutes.

I like to refer you an article Secret Behind Calculation of Machine Time in SAM for better understand of SAM
calculation. 
Method #2: Calculation of SAM Through Time Study

Step 1: Select one operation for which you want to calculate SAM.

Step 2: Take one stop watch. Stand by side of the operator. Capture cycle time for that operation. (cycle time –
total time taken to do all works needed to complete one operation, i.e. time from pick up part of first piece to next
pick up of the next piece). Do time study for consecutive five cycles. Discard if found abnormal time in any cycle.
Calculate average of the 5 cycles. Time you got from time study is called cycle time. To convert this cycle time into
basic time you have to multiply cycle time with operator performance rating. [Basic Time = Cycle Time
X performance Rating]

Step 3: Performance rating. Now you have to rate the operator at what performance level he was doing the job
seeing his movement and work speed. Suppose that operator performance rating is 80%. Suppose cycle time is
0.60 minutes. Basic time = (0.60 X 80%) = 0.48 minutes

Step 4: Standard allowed minutes (SAM) = (Basic minute + Bundle allowances + machine and personal allowances).
Add bundle allowances (10%) and machine and personal allowances (20%) to basic time. Now you got Standard
Minute value (SMV) or SAM. SAM= (0.48+0.048+0.096) = 0.624 minutes.

How to Calculate Cutting SAM?

12

Question: How to calculate SMV in cutting section? ... asked by Mehfuzur Rahman

                  Please tell me how I can calculate SMV for cutting department. ... asked by Ahmed Imtiaz

OCS's Answer:

Cutting SAM can be determined in the same way as you calculate stitching SAM of a garment. In cutting SAM
calculation, consider cutting room sub-processes such as spreading, marking, cutting, fusing, re-laying, re-cutting,
sorting, numbering and bundling as operations. Whether you like to determine only cutting SAM or all other
processes also will depend on you. I have explained procedures for finding SAM for all cutting processes.

Important thing, in cutting process determining SAM of a single piece has no meaning when cutter cuts parts of
multiple garments at a time. Whether cutter cuts 10 plies or 100 plies using straight knife machine cutting time
will mostly remain same. Primary variables in determining Cutting SAM are layer number in a lay, number of
markers in a lay.
To determine standard minutes for cutting jobs I suggest you to go for time study of cutting operations, instead of
using MTM2 database (synthetic data). 

Determine SMV of each cutting tasks using the method explained in how to calculate SAM of a garment 

1. Do cycle time of Jobs (time study for 5 – 10 cycles) 

2. Do performance rating ( Assess how fast or slow the operator doing the job in 1-100 scale) 

3. Calculate Basic time (Basic time = cycle time X performance rating) 

4. Add allowances (machine allowance + personal fatigue) 

5. Calculate standard minutes (SAM = Basic time + Allowance percentages)

Spreading SAM
Conduct time study and measure cycle time for fabric spreading. Convert cycle time into standard time. Spreading
time will vary depending on layer length (and/or number of markers) and type of fabric. To be specific record
spreading SAM based on lay length and fabric type. Also record number layer-man involved in layering. Once you
have standard minutes for spreading of a layer, you can easily calculate total time required for spreading a lay by
multiplying number of layers in a lay. Refer to the following table to record spreading SAM.

Table 1: Spreading SAM record sheet

Sq. Style Fabric Lay Marker No. of SAM/layer

no. No. length layer
type size man
 (meters)

#1

#2

Marker making SAM

Maker making required few minutes and compared to other cutting processes this time is negligible. In case you
need to determine marker making SAM and want to add in total cutting SAM, I am showing you how to do it. If
CAD marker is used then do cycle time of lying of the paper maker on the lay and fixing the maker with gum tape. 

For manual marking determine standard time through time study. In manual marker making time varies depending
on garment components, garment size and number of markers. Record the number of persons involved in marker
making. Refer to the following table to record marker making SAM values.

Table 2: Marker making SAM record sheet

 Sq. Style Garment Marker Total SAM/lay No. of
no. No. size size components marker
/ size man

#1

#2

Cutting SAM
Conduct time study for cutting operation. Total cutting time of a lay will depends on garment components, linear
length to be cut for garment patterns, marker size and type of fabric. Cutting time also depends on cutting
equipments. Record time study data in the following table. Study cutting time for all sizes in a lay and find average
SAM. Cover all sizes in time study. Create database of cutting SAM with different combination of cutting for future
use.

Table 2: Cutting SAM record sheet 

Sq. Styl Fabri Marke Total Lay SAM/ SAM /

no e c r size component length lay
. No. s / size (meters Garmen
type t
)

#1

#2

Fusing SAM
Set temperature and pressure of the fusing machine for a certain speed of fusing belt. You can do here reverse
calculation. Instead of time study record operator speed for placing cut components (to be fused) in a minute.
Once you get production per minute you can SAM per garment (based on number of fused components) by using
formula 1/no. of parts fused per minutes. 

Re-cutting SAM
Re-cutting is also done by other equipment such as hand scissors or band knife machine than straight knife cutting
machine. Follow same procedures of determining cutting SAM for re-cutting SAM. For re-cutting process SAM can
be presented per lay or per garment. Also consider whether all components need to re-cut or only few
components. 

For the other cutting room processes like, Sorting, ticketing and bundling determine SAM as per unit as mentioned
in the following table.

Table 4: Units for presenting SAM of cutting processes

Operations Units for cutting operation SAM

1 Spreading Calculate SAM per layer.

2 Marker making Manual marking: Calculate SAM for each marker.

CAD marker: Calculate SAM per lay (Cut)

3 Cutting Calculate SAM per marker. 

4 Fusing SAM per garment

5 Re-cutting Re-cutting SAM can be calculated based on

number of layers cutter cut.

6 Sorting Calculate SAM per marker

7 Numbering/ Numbering SAM can be calculated per garment.

ticketing For that first find SAM per component and later
multiply how many components are numbered

8 Bundling Calculate Bundling SAM per marker

In the above tables you collect SAM of different processes in different units. All these standard minutes will help
you to determine cutting room capacity or you can calculate how much capacity (standard minutes) you will be
needed for an order. 

Initially you need to collect standard time for all cuts to create a database. Once you have created a database with
different combination of lay length, marker size, garment sizes you can use SAM from your database for future
styles. 

Garment CM cost estimation using SAM or SMV

136

In the clothing manufacturing, supplier gives final manufacturing cost to buyer prior to order confirmation. For
that factory prepares cost sheet estimating costs in different cost heads. Cost heads like Fabric, Trims and Packing
materials, Labor cost and Overheads.

At costing stage, supplier only get one sample of the garment and specification of fabric and trims for the
reference. For raw material cost suppliers directly take price quote from fabric and trim suppliers. For labor cost it
is very important to estimate as near as it will be during actual production. 

The scientific method for estimating CM (Cut and make) cost of a garment involves following steps

1. Determine SAM of the garment (refer garment SAM calculation) 

2. Calculate average line efficiency and
3. Calculate direct labor cost per minute

How to calculate the minute cost of the operator?

Formula:
#1. Labor cost per minute = (Monthly salary of an operators/Total minutes available in the month) at 100%
efficiency. 

But no line can perform at 100% efficiency, so labor cost per minute increases when line efficiency goes down. So
correct way to calculate labor cost per minute is
#2. Labor cost per minute = Total salary of the labors in a month / Total SAM produced by those labors in that
month.

Example:
Operator monthly salary is INR 5000.00
Total available capacity per month (in minute) = 26 working days*8 hours/day*60=12,480 minutes

So, per minute cost of the direct labor = 5000/12480 = 0.4006 INR at 100% efficiency

Formula for the projected labor cost per pieces

CM cost = (SAM of the garment * Minute cost of the labor)/Line efficiency(%) 
(Minute cost determined from above formula#1. If you use second formula then don't divide by line efficiency)

If Sewing SAM is 15 minutes and line perform at 50% efficiency then estimated garment make cost = 15*0.40/50%
=12 INR
And Cutting SAM is 2 minutes and cutting room perform at 50% efficiency then estimated cutting cost =
2*0.40/50%=1.6 INR

So, Total estimated CM cost of the garment = (12.00+1.60) = 13.60 INR

Following above formula easily one can estimate garment CM cost and use it for the product costing.

Why do you need to consider line efficiency in CM costing?

Line output varies depending on the line efficiency. When a line performs at lower efficiency than standard (100%)
line will produce less units in a day compared to what line could make at 100% efficiency. But factory spends same
amount of money as salary whether line perform at 100% efficiency or less. So, per unit cost will increase when
line performs at lower efficiency.

Note: For the calculation of labor cost per minute, instead of average operator salary you can take cumulative of
all operators salary (monthly) and divide total amounts by total minute available to the line (total operator * total
minutes per operator per month) to have more accurate value. 

Actual Garment Production Cost – The way factory

calculates it

35

In the daily production report factory includes actual garment cost from the day of loading a style. In this article
production cost represents sewing room cost. Factories consider all direct and indirect personnel who are involved
in garment sewing and managing sewing lines in calculating garment production cost. In case, a production
manager handles 10 lines then one tenth of his daily salary is considered as cost incurred per style per day. If a
floor-in-charge runs 3 lines (considering each line run single style) then one third of his daily salary is considered  as
cost incurred in production of a style.

Following cost sharing method, daily salary of all personnel is calculated for a style. If operators work overtime and
others stay to assist them then overtime salary is also added to total daily wages. Overtime salary (hourly rate)
may differ from normal hours of work.

“Actual Garment production cost” is a component of daily production report (DPR). Actual garment cost is
represented in two ways – 

 Actual garment cost for the day and 

 Till date average cost per unit 
Formula used for the cost calculation = Total salary for the day/ Total production (in pieces).
In the following table an example of cost calculation has been shown that is normally used by garment
manufacturing factories.
(Note: All salaries and manpowers used in the above costing sheet are only for example.) 
In the above example – Production manager handles 5 lines and Floor-in-charge handles 4 lines. So, their salary is
divided by 5 and 4 respectively as a contribution to each line. If you want to use this sheet for your factory, add
manpower in the list and their actual daily wages (salary per day) according to your factory. During learning curve,
production cost per piece will be high and as learning curve ends daily production cost goes down. At this time,
actual production cost is being checked with target cost. It helps company to assess factory performance in term of
meeting garment cost.

Garment Production Cost: Actual Cost Vs Cost Per SAM

18

Home > Industrial Engineering
by Admin 08/05/2012 

One of the most important KPIs for garment manufacturing is comparison

between Actual costs Vs Cost per SAM. Factories calculate these costs and
compare on daily basis. The actual cost figure shows that how much money
factory is paying as make up to the operators. But exactly how these
measures are calculated? The different methods of calculating actual cost
and garment cost per SAM has been explained in this article.

Actual Cost per Garment

1. Actual cost -1: Formula of the actual labor cost of a garment- 
Actual cost = Total Salary to be paid/Total Units Produced.
For a line, Calculate Total salary (W) to be paid on the day including direct
manpower. Find total units produced (U) in shift time (output of the line). 

2. Actual cost -2: Second formula is Total salary to be paid /(Total minutes produced/SAM)

Though first method is used by most of factories, it is not true actual cost. Because, only output quantity is
considered in this cost calculation, where lot of works is produced in the line as WIP. There is two main reasons
why engineers prefers 1st method.

   i) It is very difficult to find how many units have been produced by individuals in a line and calculate total minutes
produced in a day.

  ii) To the factory management it does not matter how much work is laid (partially stitched) in the line. How many
units are completed is considered as production.

I will also suggest you, to use first method as because it simple to calculate and easy for understanding. This cost
goes down day by day during learning curve. Secondly every day you will get different figures based on line
output. 

Cost per SAM 

The formula used to calculate cost per SAM is Garment SAM X Cost factor. Where cost factor is per minute labor
cost to the factory at factory average efficiency. Or simply instead of cost factor you can multiply Garment SAM by
average labor salary per minute (which represent cost factor calculated at 100% efficiency). Whatever method you
use must be clear to everyone (persons who see the report) within the factory. Cost per SAM is fixed for a style.

Cost Factor: Cost factor = Labor wages per day / (shift minute * Efficiency). E.g. Factory shift time 480 minutes,
Daily operator wages INR 200.00 and factory run at 50% efficiency. Then cost factor for the factory will be 0.833.

Example: Factory Efficiency 50%, Daily wages INR 200.00 Shift time 480 minutes. See the comparison in the
following table where style A and style B's Cost per SAM and actual cost have been shown. Use above formula to
calculate figures.

Planned Actual Cost

Styl SA Manpo Producti Producti facto Cost/ Actua
e M wer on on r SAM l Cost

0.83
A 15 20 320 150 3 12.5 26.67

0.83
B 12 20 400 250 3 10 16.00

Do you know the actual manufacturing cost of the cotton shirt you are wearing? What the other costs added to the
retail price? How much mark-up is added by retailers? The following cost breakdown chart gives answers all of
your questions. 

Cost Heads Amount ($)

Fabric 3.00
CMT (Cut-Make-Trim) 2.00
Quota Category 1.80
FOB Price (for Complete garment) 6.80

Duty (19.8%) 1.34

Freight 0.30
Clearance and  inland transport 0.14
LPD (Landed Duty Paid) 8.58

Private Label importer price Mark-up 3.68

Wholesale Price 12.26

Retail price mark-up 18.39

 Retail Price 30.65

Source: David Birnbaum. 2005. Source-it, Global material sourcing for the clothing industry. Hypothetical case
study based on standard US costing. Retail mark-up includes R&D, design, marketing, head office costs, other
costs. 

How to Calculate Production Capacity of a Factory?

67

In Apparel Manufacturing, “Production capacity” is one of the most important criteria used for vendor selection
by the buyers. It is because; the production time of an order is directly proportional to vendor’s production
capacity. So it is very important that marketing and planning personnel should aware about the production
capacity of their production units.

Capacity of a factory is primarily expressed in terms of total machines factory have. Secondly, how much pieces the
factory produces on daily for the specific products? In general, total numbers of machines in a factory mostly
remains same for a period. But factory may produce various types of product during the season. According to the
product (style) category, machine requirement may change and daily average production in each style may vary.
So to be specific during booking orders, planner should know exactly how much capacity he or she needed to
procure the order in a given time period. 

A factory’s capacity is presented in total minutes or hours or in pieces (production per day). The method used to
calculate capacity has been explained in the following. To calculate Daily production capacity (in pieces) one needs
following information. 

1. Factory capacity in hours 

2. Product SAM 
3. Line efficiency (Average)

1. Calculation of factory capacity (in hours): Check how many machines factory has and how many hours factory
runs in a day. For example suppose, 

Total number of machines = 200 

Shift hours per day = 10 hours 
So total factory capacity (in hours) = 200*10 hours = 2000 hours 
2. Calculation of Product SAM (SAM): Make a list of product category that you manufacture and get standard
minutes (SAM) of all products you make from work study engineers. If you don’t have product SAM then calculate
the SAM. Or you can useaverage SAM of the products. Suppose you are producing shirt and its SAM is 25 minutes.

3. Factory Average Efficiency: This data is collected from industrial engineer. Or calculate it with historical data.
Suppose average line efficiency is 50%. Read the article - How to calculate efficiency of a production line or batch?

Calculation of production capacity (in pieces): Once you have above information use following formula to
calculate production capacity. 

Production capacity (in pieces) = (Capacity in hours*60/product SAM)*line efficiency 

For Example: Suppose a factory has 8 sewing lines and each line has 25 machines. Total 200 machines and working
shift is 10 hours per day. Total factory capacity per day is 2000 hours (200 machines * 10 hours). If factory is
producing only one style (Shirt) of SAM 25 minutes and used all 200 machines daily production capacity at 50% 

= (2000*60/25)*50% Pieces 
= (2000*60*50) / (25*100) Pieces 
= 2400 Pieces

[Note: Production will vary according to the line efficiency and during learning curve or in the initial days when
style is loaded to the line] 

Production (capacity) planning is normally done based on sewing capacity. Having knowledge of the capacity in
other processes (internal or external) is also very important. Otherwise planner may fail and will not be able to
meet the dead line. Other departments such as Cutting room capacity, Finishing room capacity, Washing Capacity
and capacity of the value added jobs. 

What is Line Planning?

19

Home > Production Planning

In this article, line means sewing production line or production batch. Each line contains a set of machines to
make garments for mass production and set of machines vary depending on product category.

Line planning is scheduling and allocating of orders to production lines according to product setting (product is
being made in the line) and due dates of production completion. A line plan defines when a style is going to be
loaded to the line, how many pieces to be expected (target) from the line and when order to be completed. For
example, please refer to the following Table-1, where a simple line planning has been shown in spread sheet.

During booking orders or allocating orders to the production line, planners must check what is running on the line
and how many days it will take to complete the running style.

Benefit of Line planning: It helps production manager as well as line supervisor with information such as what is
the daily production target for line. They set their line (machines and manpower) accordingly. Line plan also
provides information such as how many days style would run, what is the next style going to be loaded?

Table-1: Line Plan

Line 1 Line 2 Total

Daily Cumm Daily Cumm Daily

Date Prod. Prod. Prod. Prod. Prod.

loading #2341A, 
1-Dec Qty -3000 pieces 300 1200 300

2-Dec 200 200 300 1500 500

3-Dec 250 450 300 1800 550

4-Dec 400 850 200 2000 600

loading #Polo ,
5-Dec 400 1250 Qty -1500 pieces 400

6-Dec 400 1650 0 0 400

7-Dec 400 2050 100 100 500

8-Dec 400 2450 300 400 700

9-Dec 400 2850 350 750 750

10-Dec 150 3000 350 1100 500

loading #432K, 
11-Dec Qty -5500 pieces 400 1500 400

loading #YK45, 
12-Dec 100 100 Qty -4500 pieces 100

13-Dec 250 350 200 200 450

14-Dec 500 850 250 450 750

 15-Dec 500 1350 400 850 900

16-Dec 500 1850 400 1250 900

17-Dec 500 2350 400 1650 900

18-Dec 500 2850 400 2050 900

19-Dec 500 3350 400 2450 900

20-Dec 500 3850 400 2850 900

21-Dec 500 4350 400 3250 900

22-Dec 500 4850 400 3650 900

23-Dec 150 5000 400 4050 550

 Daily Prod. – Daily production or line output

Cumm Prod. – Cumulative production of the style till date 

I always write for garment industry professionals. And this one is not an exception. There is a tendency in young
professionals to move out from day job and start something their own.

Having work experience in garment industry, we primarily look for business opportunities within this industry.
Keeping this thing in mind, I have shared some small business ideas that are related to garment as product and
some business ideas are services for the garment industry. 

Each business can be started in small scale. If you are on the same board you may be interested to hear something
on small business ideas those are garment industry based.

1. Small Factory Set up: You can set up a small garment factory with your own tailoring or manufacturing
experience. You have to hire few tailors. Make garments and sale finished garments to retailers or whole sellers in
your city. You may select products such as school uniforms, ladies kurtis, salwar-kamiz, men’s shirt or make ladies
blouses. 

Also Read: Business Plan for Garment Manufacturing Start-ups

2. Sub-contracting Business: Set up a small factory and do sub-contracting work (job-work) for export
houses and domestic brands. In buying seasons export houses book orders in excess quantity than their own
production capacity. To complete those order on time they look for sub-contractors or job-workers. In this
business you don’t need to handle buyers, don’t need to purchase materials. You have to just collect cuttings from
exporters and stitch garments. 
3. Garment Wholesale Business: You can start garment whole sale business in your spare time. Source
garments from manufacturing hubs and distribute those garments to shops in small cities. As you purchase goods
in bulk quantity and from manufacturing hubs, you will have good margin in this business. 

4. Clothing Store: You can open a garment retail shop or outlet in your small town or City, in Street corner or
inside a mall in metros. 

5. Export Surplus Garments Store: Export quality (international brands) garments with low prices are on
demand now-a-days. In metros everyone wants to look trendy and wear branded clothes but they don’t want to
spend much money in Brand’s retail shops. So they look for export surplus garments. So, opening an outlet for
export rejected and surplus garments is a good and profitable business idea. If you are working or worked in past
in garment manufacturing you know that garment manufacturers make extra garments than the order quantity
they get from buyers. Sometimes whole order get rejected due quality issue or shipment delay. Purchase stock of
surplus garments from factories and sale at attractive prices. 

6. Printing and Embroidery Unit: Printing and embroidery are value added processes in garment
manufacturing. In this fashion age, to make product trendy, designer always add some colors and patches on their
designs. Hence, excluding some basic product all export orders include printing process or embroidery work or
both. To set up Print and Embroidery business factories need to invest on machines, so small manufacturer don’t
have in-house printing and embroidery machines. Thus, it can be one good business opportunity in these value
added processes. 

7. Washing Plant: Washing is required in various stages of garment manufacturing – fabric washing, various
types of garment washing. Secondly, buyers placed order for washed garment, with different types of end looks
and hand feels. Small exporters don’t have their own washing plant. You can look this option as one of the
business opportunity. 

8. Garment Buying agency: If you are working as merchandiser in an export house or buying house for few
years. You may have developed good relationship with your buyers. You have good opportunity to contact with
buyers, take order and get manufactured garments from a factory. You can even set up product development and
sampling room to attract more buyer and display wide range of products. You will be needed small team to start
garment buying house initially. Check these important points to start a buying house.

9. Consultancy Services: May be you have built your expertise and skills in some specific fields. If you have
passion to teach others and can solve real life problems daily faced by factories, buyers and auxiliary business
firms, you can start consultancy services. Though at present consultancy services are not very popular in this
industry, in future factories will look for expert guidance -in the areas like cost reduction and factory performance
improvement. 

10. Information Technology Services: Garment industry is embracing more and more IT based technology. It
may be ERP systems or other technology solutions. If you have good understanding of IT and can develop
innovative tools that can solve exporter’s problem such pattern making solutions, real time data collection,
production planning, material management or it can be anything. Your development must bring measurable
improvement in garment manufacturer’s business as a whole or in department level. 

What is Line Balancing?

Line Balancing is leveling of the workload across all operations in a line to remove bottlenecks and excess capacity,
defined by Six Sigma Material.

When you consider mass production, garments are produced in lines or set of machines instead of single machine.
A line may be assembly line, modular line or section, a line set with online finishing and packing. A line includes
multiple work stations with varied work contents. Production per hour is varied depending on work content
(standard minutes of particular task/operation), allocation of total manpower to a particular operation, operator
skill level and machine capacity. Operation with lowest production per hour is called as bottleneck operation for
that line. 

A bottleneck operation in a line determines the output of the line. That is why it is very important to increase
production of the bottleneck processes or operations. 

Line supervisors, work study officers find ways to increase production from the bottleneck operation and
implement those means one by one to level work across operations. In layman language, this is called line
balancing. 

Secondly Line balancing is essential as because, if excess capacity of sewing operators does not utilized production
cost will be high and results in waiting and absorption of fixed cost. 

Though above definition is widely accepted, I saw few factories where so called Engineers name line balancing to
something else. At the time of machine/manpower planning based on work content of each operations, they
prepare a sheet where operation wise manpower is calculated. Most of the cases calculated manpower gives
fraction of figure but in real you can’t allocate to fraction of manpower to an operation. So manpower planner
decides to which operations one machinist, to which operations two machinist or where only single machinist will
be allocated for two or three operations. Planner makes this decision based on calculated data. 

In the following Figure, production per hour of two lines has been shown. Following Line chart indicates that Line B
is better balanced than Line A.
 Figure 1: Line Balancing Graph

It might be unfortunately or by your passion you have joined to garment company. Now your aim should be to
learn things around you and become a knowledgeable person. And find better opportunity for the next break.

In this article I will share, how you can learn your work faster, gather vast knowledge about garment
manufacturing, about everything around you in a short period of time. 

Don't forget that you are living in the information age. So, acquire as much information as you can. This will bring
benefits and rewards to you in future. 

Start learning. 

Learn everything that comes in front of you at work, when you walk to another department in the factory, when
you talk with people. Don't miss the opportunity to learn while you are working in the factory. Observe true fact
and gather experience.

I have seen many young and fresher employees just joined to the factory and assisting their seniors. Most of them
expect to learn everything from their so called seniors. So they do hard work all the day and learn little things over
a period. They fear to ask question to their senior. So young employees initially follow all instructions and when
they hear new things. 

Don’t limit your learning just for your current job profile. Sometimes you need to learn things out of your work
responsibilities. I mean learn about materials, processes, supply chain, quality aspects, production, merchandising,
planning, IE and any other job profiles. 

Learn from your colleagues and seniors: There is no better place than a factory to learn garment manufacturing.
You will experience newer problems every day. You will learn newer requirement from buyers. You will learn about
various systems. By watching or hearing you could not learn everything. You will learn best by doing. So, don't shy
and fear to ask your seniors when you see new things, hear a new term.

Learn by doing: Don't fear to do hard work and long hours working. Give time and effort as much as it demands
from you. 

Learn from Google: Eight years ago I had limited access to net and there was limited information related to
garment industry in the website. Now things had changed. There are flood of free information in the web. If you
are fortunate you will get computer in your desk with net connection. Don't just sit with the questions in your
mind. Find the answer as early as possible. Open you computer, type your question (words) in Google, I bet you
will get something that would explain your question. Read it and learn new thing daily.

Functions of Production Planning and Control (PPC)

Department in Apparel Manufacturing

60

Production planning and Control department is one of the important department for the apparel manufacturing
company. In the context of the apparel manufacturing primary roles of the Production Planning and Control (PPC)
department has been listed below. Each functions has been explained briefly just overview about the task.  To
know details about the task read related articles.

Job or Task Scheduling: Preparation of time and action calendar for each order from order receiving to shipment.
The job schedule contains list of tasks to be processed for the styles. Against each tasks planner mentions when to
start a task and what is dead line for that task. Name of responsible person (department) for the job is being listed.
For example, scheduling planned cut date (PCD), line loading date etc. 

Material Resource Planning (Inventory): Preparation of Material requirement sheet according to sample product
and buyer specification sheet. Consumption of material (fabric, thread, button, and twill tape) is calculated and
estimated cost of each material.

Loading production: Planner defines which style to be loaded to the production line and how much quantity to be
loaded.
Process selection & planning: Processes needed to complete an order vary style to style. According to the order
(customer) requirement PPC department select processes for the orders. Sometime extra processes are eliminated
to reduce cost of production.

Facility location: Where a company has multiple factories (facilities) for production and factories are set for
specific product, planner need to identify which facility will be most suitable for new orders. Sometimes there may
be a capacity shortage in a factory, in that case planner need to decide which facility will selected for that orders.

Estimating quantity and costs of production: Planner estimate daily production (units) according to the styles
work content. With the estimated production figure, production runs and manpower involvement planner also
estimate production cost per pieces.  

Capacity planning: PPC department plays a major role during order booking. They decide (suggest) how much
order they should accept according to their production capacity. Allocating of total capacity or deciding how much
capacity to be used for an order out of total factory capacity. Regularly updating factories current capacity
(production capacity). To know more read the article - How to calculate production capacity of a factory

Line planning: Preparing detailed line planning with daily production target for the production line. Most cases line
planning is made after discussing with production team and Industrial engineers. Read - What is Line Planning?

Follow up and execution: Whatever plan is made is executed by PPC department. PPC department keeps close
look whether everything is progressing according the plan. Chasing other department heads on daily basis to keep
plan on track. They update order wise completed tasks on the Time & action Calendar.  When they found
something is going to be late they expedite and create an alarm about the delay. 

How to Calculate Raw Material Cost for Garments?

36

Material cost is the major cost component of a garment manufacturing costs. A correct cost calculation method
will give you better projection of garment cost for a style. In this article how to calculate direct materials cost have
been explained in details. Raw materials required for making a garment is sourced from suppliers. Main materials
are like fabric, labels, sewing thread, hang tags, trims etc. So to have correct material cost you must have price
knowledge of each item. 
 Steps used for material costing estimation are –

 Preparation of material requirement sheet

 Material price listing
 Preparation of material cost sheet

Prepare material requirement sheet

List down all items required and calculate consumption per unit for all materials to be used in garments.

For an example, let you are going calculate material cost for a polo shirt. To make polo you need knitted fabric –
Single jersey/pique, cuff and collar rib. Sourcing of knitted fabric can be done three ways

-          You can directly purchased dyed fabric or

-          You can source yarn, knit fabric and process the knitted fabric as per your requirement or

-          Purchase dyed yarn and knit.

Let you will purchase yarn and get knitting and dyeing processes done by job workers. To go through this process
collect the pricing list of different types of yarn (or at least for the yarn that you will purchase for your product),
knitting cost, knitting loss%, dyeing cost per kg and process loss% from suppliers.

Material Price listing 

Collect material price quote for all the material you need to purchase from different vendors. Prepare database for
the current market price of raw materials.

For example here is one Price List

Yarn: The costs for different yarns are –

20s Combed – Rs.105/kg

30s Combed – Rs. 115/kg

50s Combed – Rs.140-145/kg

2/60s Combed – Rs.200/Kg

2/60s dyed yarn – Rs.420/Kg dark shade

Knitting cost:

For Single Jersey – Rs.15/kg

For Rib                 - Rs.18/kg

For Interlock        - Rs. 30-35/kg

Knitting loss: 2%

Dyeing cost: Rs. 80/kg for dark shades

Process loss (Dyeing): 6%

Fabric cost: Ready to use fabric cost is calculated using basic calculation as shown in the following table. Cost of
the knits fabric is represented in price per Kg.

Shell Fabric Collar/Cuff

Fabric Description 2/60s single jersey 2/60s rib

Yarn cost (Rs.) 200.00 200.00

Knitting cost (Rs.) 18.00 20.00

Knitting loss (2%) 4.36 4.40

Processing cost (Dyeing) 80.00 80.00

(Rs.)

Processing loss (6%) (Rs.) 18.14 18.26

Cost per Kg  Rs. 320.50 Rs. 322.66

  

Fabric Consumption: Next step is to find requirement of fabric for the polo. Suppose for this polo shirt you need
shell fabric 0.32 Kg and Ribs for cuff and collar 0.080 Kg. Readhow to calculate fabric consumption for a knitted
garment to know fabric consumption calculation.

Prepare material Cost Sheet 

Once you find fabric cost and fabric consumption prepare material cost sheet including all other material required
to make a garment ready for sale. An example of material cost sheet has been shown below.
 Items Consump UOM Rate Amount Remar
tion * (Rs.) (Rs.) ks

1 2/60s single 0.32 KGs 320.5 102.56

jersey

2 Cuff and 0.08 KGs 322.6 25.81

collar ribs 6

3 Sewing 159 Meter 4 appro

thread s x.

4 Buttons 3 Gross 2 appro

x.

5 Main label 1 Unit 1 appro

x.

6 Care label 1 Unit 1 appro

x.

7 Hang Tags 1 Unit 3 appro

x.

8 Price Tags 1 Unit 2 appro

x.

9 Poly bags 1 Unit 1 appro

x.

10 Kimble 1 Unit 0.5 appro

x.

 Total Cost 142.87

*UOM - Unit of measure 

So, Total fabric cost is Rs. 128.37 and including other material costs total cost of the material for making this Polo
Rs. 142.87

Now for each item merchants generally purchased extra quantity of inventory (from 2% to 7%) as buffer. This
excess cost due to extra purchase of material is added into the garment costing.  
The garments costing mainly depend on the item and there are also involved too many issues such as latest fabric price, fabric consumption,

latest accessories price, latest cutting and making charges (CM), freight etc. However, I try my best to give you an idea about the costing of

knit garments. Example if you want to make the real costing for a 100% cotton short sleeve Polo shirt in 240 GSM in pique fabrics, You need

to know exact size specs (Measurement of garments) and fabric weight in GSM. 

If half chest required 61 CM, Sleeve Length (CB) – 23.5 CM, Body length – 77 CM

The garments total width is (61 cm X 2 parts + 8 cm allowance) = 130 CM

The garments total length is (77 cm body length + 23.5 sleeve length + 10 cm allowance) = 110.5 CM

The formula is “Total body width X Total body length X 12 pieces X Fabric weight (GSM) divided 10000000”. That means fabric required 130

cm (Total width) X 110.5 cm (Total length) X 12 pieces X 240 gsm (Fabric weight) X 10000000 = 4.137 KGS/DZ

Fabrics consumption 4.137 kgs + 0.7 kgs for cuff and collar = 4.837 kgs + 20% knitting 

Wastage = 5.80 kgs fabrics required for 12 pcs garments.

Final costing is as below –

Fabric 4.80 X $5.62 (Fabric price per kg) = $32.596 / DZ + Accessories - $4.00 / DZ + CM - $4.00 / DZ = Total $40.596/dz

That means $3.383/pc actual costing.

How to Make Production Plan Without SAM Value? [Q&A]

17

Question: In Bangladesh Apparels industry most of the factories don't calculate SAM. So, Is there any better way to
make Production Plan without SAM calculation? ... asked by Bappi Datta

Mass manufacturing in garment industry is growing in very

fast pace and at the same time technology and supporting departments are getting in place. But the real fact is -
still most of the garment manufacturing companies don’t have industrial engineering set up. It is not only
Bangladesh, even in India and other garment exporting countries, there are many companies those are managed
without engineers.

Last week I have posted an article ‘Role of SAM value in Production planning and control’ and this post is based on
that question. Yes, there is a way to perform production planning tasks without garment SAM value. In this article I
will show you the method.

The alternative way is calculating machine productivity to estimate line capacity as well as your factory capacity. To
measure machine productivity of a line you don’t need any engineer. If one know the procedure and formula of
calculating productivity of the production floor, can find machine productivity easily. Later this productivity data
would be considered as base of production planning. 

Method of calculating Machine productivity:

Machine productivity is defined as number of units produced per machine in a given time period. From the daily
production and machine used to produce those garments you can measure machine productivity per day. Formula
used to calculated machine productivity of a line 

Machine productivity = (Total production of a line in a day / No. of machines in the line) pieces per day per
machine 

For example, suppose a line of 35 machines has produced 280 pieces per day (8 hours shift day). Machine
productivity of the line 

= 280/35 pieces per machine per 8 hours day 

= 8 pieces per machine per 8 hours day

Finding daily line output data and machine numbers would not be a difficult job to anyone. Just for your
information - style to style productivity will vary depending on work content of the style. So, you can prepare a
database of the machine productivity for the previously produced styles. You can use historical data while required
and update your machine productivity after each style gets over.

How to use productivity data in Production Planning:

To explain this I need to repeat few things that have been explained in earlier article. That I don't like. Using
productivity figure you can measure following things those come under production planning functions

Factory capacity Calculation:

Suppose machine productivity of your factory for ladies blouse is 6 pieces per machine per 8 hours shift and you
have total 400 machines in your factory. So daily production capacity of your factory for ladies blouse would be
equal to 400*6 pieces or 2400 piece per day (8 hours shift).
Factory capacity calculation formula of a given product

Factory capacity  (in pieces) = (Machine productivity * No. of running machines in your factory)  

Other planning related tasks those can be performed using factory capacity and line capacity figures are as
following -

 Lead time calculation

 Order booking  
 Order scheduling
 Cost per piece
You can also measure line capacity using labor productivity data. But machine number in a factory is more stable
than manpower (labor). I would prefer to suggest you to use machine productivity in measuring your factory
capacity in term of how many pieces factory can produce in a certain time period.

Would love to hear how you do planning where garment SAM is not measured. 

How to Make Line Loading Plan for Garment Production?

22

Home > Production Planning

In “Line loading plan” planner decides on which date a style to be loaded and how many lines to be considered for
the style to meet the production completion date. Line loading plan is an important task for a production planner.
Planner needs to do backward and forward planning based on lead time. In this article I will explain how to make
line loading plan and what things are important during making a loading plan. Explanation is given step by step in
the following with examples. There is lot of mathematical calculation. So, I will suggest you to use spreed sheet  for
the making the plan.

Step 1: Make a list of current orders with details such as order no., order quantity, style description, and
production completion date. Refer to the Table-1. Suppose order has been received on the month March and
production completion date on May from 4th to 21st.
Table- 1: Order list

Order No. Garment Order Production

Description Quantity completion date

 (pieces)

OCS101 Dress 2000 10th May

OCS102 Blouse 3000 12th May

OCS103 Trouser 5000 15th May

GAP104 Long sleeve Tee 3000 17th May  

GAP105 Skirt 3000 21st May

GAP106 Dress 1500 21st  May

GAP107 Long sleeve Tee 10000 10th May

GAP108 Skirt 1200 04th May

Total 28,000

Step 2: Suppose a factory has 5 production lines. Calculate available capacity of the line using capacity calculation
formula considering absenteeism (10%) and line efficiency %. You should have knowledge about line wise
production efficiency to calculate actual capacity of a line. Or calculate it prior to line loading plan.

Available capacity in hours = {(No. of operators/machines x working days in a month x daily work hours x 60) –
absenteeism %} x Efficiency %

Line wise available capacity has been shown in the Table-2. It is considered that each line is equipped with 25-32
machines (operators), factory’s normal shift time is 8 hours (480 minutes) and line efficiency is in the range of 39%
to 55%.  

Table- 2: Available capacity calculation

Line No. of Minutes/Day Line Absenteeism Capacity

No. Operator Efficiency % available
 (Daily working
Hrs. X 60)

Line 30 480 40% 10%

1 5184.0

Line 28 480 50% 10%

2 6048.0

Line 32 480 55% 10%

3 7603.2

Line 32 480 45% 10%

4 6220.8

Line 25 480 39% 10%

5 4212.0

Step 3: Next, calculate required capacity for each order (style) in minutes and in days. Assume that above 8 styles
to be run in 5 lines and styles will be loaded only in single line. Consider that all lines blank and you have no issue
with starting date. In this stage you have to also decide which line to be chosen for the styles. Allocate order to the
line according to product category and line set up (machines laid).  In Table-3 line number has been mentioned
against the order number. Use the following formula for the calculation.

Capacity required in minutes = Order Quantity X Style SMV 

Capacity required in days = Capacity required in minutes / Capacity available per day.

Refer to the table-3 for calculated minutes and days required for each style.

Table-3: Required capacity calculation

Order Loade Order Styl Capacity Capacity Capacity

No. d to Quantit e Required availabl Require
Line y SMV (Minutes e per d (Days)
No. ) day

OCS101 Line-1 2000 28 56000 5184 11

OCS102 Line-2 3000 25 75000 6048 12

OCS103 Line-3 5000 20 100000 7603.2 13

 GAP10 Line-4 3000 10
4 30000 6220.8 5

GAP10 Line-5 3000 18

5 54000 4212 13

GAP10 Line-1 1500 28

6 42000 5184 8

GAP10 Line-4 10000 10

7 100000 6220.8 16

GAP10 Line-5 1200 18

8 21600 4212 5

Step 4: Now do backward calculation to find the date for style loading. Days needed to complete production on
due date, Sundays and holidays must be excluded in day count. And add one to two days initially for line setting
according to style requirement.  If required, you can add buffer for one to two days. To make it easy in calculating
the loading dates considering above points use spreadsheet based planning board. For example refer to the
following image-1. I have made loading plan on the planning board for theses styles. Light blue colored columns
represent Sunday (weekly off days).  Finally make another table (Table-4) representing loading date against orders.

Image-1: Planning Board

Table-4: Order loading date

Order Garment Loade Productio Capacit Loadin Commen

No. Descriptio d to n y g date ts
 n Line # completio Require
n date d (Days)

OCS10 Dress Line-1 10th May 26thApr

1 11 il

OCS10 Blouse Line-2 12th May 27thApr

2 12 il

OCS10 Trouser Line-3 15th May 28thApr

3 13 il

GAP10 Long Line-4 17th May  

4 sleeve 11thMa
Tee 5 y

GAP10 Skirt Line-5 21st May

5 13 5th May

GAP10 Dress Line-1 21st  May 11thMa

6 8 y

GAP10 Long Line-4 10th May

7 sleeve 21stApr
Tee 16 il

GAP10 Skirt Line-5 04th May 28thApr

8 5 il

Step 5: Once you gone through this article, practice this with some of your real styles. I wish you can make it. If you
feel you need further assistance then write us. 

How many days a factory needs to make 5,000 Polo Shirts?

11

Home > Production Planning

To find the answer of the above questions you must have following information
1. SAM of the Polo Shirt (i.e. 16 minutes)
2. How many machines will be used to make the order (i.e. 20 machines)
3. Daily working hours (i.e. 8 hours)
4. Line efficiency (i.e. 100%)

To make 5000 polo shirts-

Capacity required = 5000 X 16 minute = 80,000 minutes = 1333 Hours

Available Capacity/Day = 20 X 8 hours = 160 Hours

Assumes that line works at 100% efficiency.

So, Days required (theoretical) to produce 5000 polo shirts = 1333 / 160 = 8.3 days (9 days)

If factory run at 50% efficiency then = 9 X100%/50% = 18 days

For planning add one more day as in practical one day will be lost for loading and line setting.

If you production is calculated at 50% efficiency then you need 19 days to complete the above order.

Production Planning of Different Styles with Different

Quantities

Question: How to do production planning of different styles with different quantities? For example, how to do lay-
planning for sewing , no of operations, no. of machines and no of operators required for a style? ... asked by
Muruganantham.

OCS's Answer:

Production planning involves capacity planning of sewing processes and allocation of resources according to
production demand in the specified time frame. You need to do planning for each styles due to product variation
and variation of order quantity. Number of total operations, manpower and machine requirement vary based on
the style. And if your order quantity increases you need to plan for extra manpower to finish the order in same
time frame.   

Production planning of a style in various processes has been shown below.

Lay planning
Lay planning will depend on size ratio in an order and total number of color ways in a style. For example, When
your order consist of 300 units in size ratio S:M:L::1:1:1 (100:100:100), you can plan for a single lay of 100 layers of
3 size marker. If the size ratio is S:M:L::1:2:1 (75:150:75) then you have to plan for two lays. One for size Small and
Large 75 layers in one lay. Second one for Medium size double marker with 75 layers.  

No. of Operations
Numbers of operation of a style will depend on garment constructions. To know exactly how many operations are
there analyse the garment. For example, a man's shirt contains about 40 operations. Read Operation Breakdown
and SAM of the Full Sleeve Formal Men’s Shirt.

No. of Machines required

Number machines you need to plan for a style will depends on parameters such as daily production target, daily
shift hours, Garment SMV and line efficiency. To know total machine requirement first calculate operation wise
machine requirement. Read detailed explanation machine requirement calculation.

No. of sewing operators required

Total no. of sewing operators will be same as the number of sewing machines when you work on progressive
bundle production system. But still you need plan and allocate operation wise skilled operators.

How to calculate Machine requirement for garment to be

made in an assembly line?

13

Follow the following steps to estimate how many machines and what types of machines you need to make your
garment in an assembly line. The primary information you need to calculate number of machines are -

A. Daily production target – it means how many pieces you want to stitch per day. 

B. Number of hours in a shift – How many hours you plan to work each day

C. SMV of each operation – Standard minutes for each operation 

D. Present efficiency of the factory (in case you don’t aware about present
factory efficiency, use 50% efficiency). Efficiency is required because production will depends on
how efficientlyworkers may do their job. 
Step 1: Operation breakdown – Select a garment for which you want to calculate machine requirement. Analysis
the operations required to sew the garment and list down operations in a spread sheet in a sequence. For
example, see operation break down of a Crew neck Tee in following table.

Step 2: Identify machine type – Observe what stitch class has been used in the operations and according to those
select machines against each operation. 

Step 3: SMV of each operation – write down SMV or standard minutes at right column of machine type. SMV is the
most important part for calculating machine requirement. You can use SAM of each operation from your database.
If you don’t have database for standard minutes then calculate it. Read the article how to calculate SAM of a
garment.

Step 4: Calculate Theoretical machine requirement – Set your production target for the day (8 hours shift).
Example- 400 pieces per line. Use present efficiency level of the factory. And now,  calculate machine requirement
using the following formula. It is called as calculated machine number. Because formula gives you fraction of
machine but in real you can’t able to use fraction of machine. 

               = (Target quantity in pieces* individual operation SMV)/(8 hrs*60 minutes*desired efficiency)

               = (A*C)/(B*60*D)
              
Step 5: Physical machine requirement – Now simply round off the machine number. Or you can club operations
those use similar machine class. To do operation "Serge margin" half machine is required and the operation "sew
side seam with label" required 1.4 machines. So can use first 4TOL machine to do the second job. Hence you can
reduce the machine number and increase machine utilization.

Example: Operation bulletin for Tee Shirt (Crew Neck)

 Production Shift hours = 8 Plan on  Efficiency

target/day hours
=50%
 (8 hours) =400 or 480 minutes
pieces

Opr. Description Machine SMV No. of Round-

No. Calculate off 
Type d M/c Machin
e No.

1 Make Neck SNLS 0.55 0.9 1

Rib &
Runstitch
 2 Join shoulders 4TOL 0.45 0.8 1

3 Insert Neck SNLS 0.45 0.8 1

Rib

4 Serge Margin 4TOL 0.31 0.5 1

5 Top stitch on 3TFL 0.34 0.6 1

Neck rib

6 Attach Sleeve 4TOL 0.78 1.3 1

7 sew side seam 4TOL 0.84 1.4 1

with labels

8 Hem sleeves 3TFL 0.68 1.1 1

9 Bottom Hem 3TFL 0.56 0.9 1

TOTAL 4.96 8.27 9

Machine requirement Summary:

Single Needle Lock Stitch (SNLS): 2 No.

Four thread Over lock machine (4TOL): 4 No.

Three thread Flat lock machine (3TFL): 3 No.

How to calculate operator efficiency at work?

33

In apparel manufacturing, skills and expertise of a sewing operator is being presented in “Efficiency” term. An
operator with higher efficiency produces more garments than an operator with lower efficiency in the same time
frame. When operators work with higher efficiency, manufacturing cost of the factory goes down.

Secondly, factory capacity is estimated according to the operator efficiency or line efficiency. Hence, efficiency is
one of the mostly used performance measuring tools. So how do you calculate operator efficiency in factory? To
calculate operator efficiency you will be needed standard minutes (SAM) of the garment and operations your
operator is making. Use following formula and calculate operator efficiency.
Efficiency calculation formula: 
Efficiency (%) = [Total minute produced by an operator/Total minute attended by him *100] 

Where, 
Total minutes produced = Total pieces made by an operator X SAM of the operation [minutes] 
Total minutes attended = Total hours worked on the machine X 60 [minutes] 

Example: An operator was doing an operation of SAM 0.50 minutes. In an 8 hours shift day he produces 400
pieces. So according to the efficiency calculating formula, that operator’s overall efficiency
= (400 x 0.50) / (8 X 60)*100% 
= 200/480*100% 
= 41.67% 

On-Standard Operator Efficiency: 

Operator efficiency can be expressed in more specific ways, like ‘On-Standard Efficiency’ instead ‘over-all
efficiency’. An operator may be attending all hours in a shift but if he has not been given on-standard work to do in
all hours, he will not be able to produce minutes as per his capability and skill level. In this case, to know operator’s
on-standard efficiency following formula is used.

Operator on-standard efficiency (%) = Total minute produced /Total on-standard minute attended *100% 

Where, 
Total minutes produced = Total pieces made by an operator X SAM of the operation [minutes] 
Total on-standard minute attended = (Total hours worked – Loss time) x 60 [minutes] 

Example: An operator was doing an operation of SAM 0.50 minutes. In an 8 hours shift day he produces 400
pieces. Operator was idle ‘waiting for work’ for 30 minutes and his machine broke down for 15 minutes in hours
shift. So according to the efficiency calculating formula, that operator’s on-standard efficiency
= (400 x 0.50) / {480 – (30 +15)}*100% 
= 200/435*100% 
= 45.98% 
The above example clarifies that if an operator sits idle during shift hours his overall efficiency will go down.

Machineries used for Garment Sewing in Mass Production

33

Most of the clothes we wear are sewn by sewing machines. There are several types of sewing machines used to
make our clothes. When garment making was industrialized, scientists developed industrial power driven sewing
machines to meet the needs of mass production. Semi-automatic and fully automatic machines were developed in
different stages. Machines are classified depending of seam types, number of needle used, stitch classes, table bed
etc. In the following list most of the machine those are used in garment making. 

 Single/multi needle industrial lockstitch sewing machine with or without trimmer

 Blind stitch machine/Chain stitching machine.
 Flat lock machine (cylinder bed and flat bed)
 Over lock machine (3 threads/4 threads and 5 threads)
 Single/double needle chain stitch machine
 Zigzag flat bed sewing machine.
 Button stitch sewing machine.
 Button hole sewing machine
 Feed of Arm sewing machine
 Label/elastic inserting machine
 Bar tacking machine.
 Hemstitch machine.
 Pin tucking machine.
 Smocking machine / Automatic multi needle shirring machine
 Collar and cuff turning and blocking machine and pressing machine
 Shoulder pad-attaching machine

How to calculate efficiency of a production batch or line?

55

Like individual operator efficiency, efficiency of a production line or batch or section is important for a factory.
Daily line efficiency shows the line performance. To calculate efficiency of a line for a day, you will  need following
data (information) from the line supervisor or line recorder.

1. Number of operators – how many operators worked in the line in a day

2. Working hours (Regular and overtime hours) – how many hours each of the operators worked or how many
hours the line run in a day
3. Production in pieces – How many pieces are produced or total line output at the end of the day
4. Garment SAM – What is exact standard minute of the style (garment)

Once you have above data you have to calculate following using above information -
 a. Total minutes produced by the line: To get total produced minutes multiply production pieces by SAM
 b. Total minutes attended by the all operators in the line: Multiply number of operators by daily working hours
and convert total hours into total minutes (multiplying by 60).

Now, calculate line efficiency using following formula:

Line efficiency (in percentage) = Total minutes produced by the line *100 /total minutes attended by all
operators

For example, refer following table. Data calculation formula has been given on the header row of the table.

Total Line 
No. of  Working  Total Efficiency
Operator  line output  Garment  minutes  Minute (%)
hours (production) SAM attended  produced (F/E*100
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E=A*B*60) (F=C*D) )

48 8 160 44.25 23040 7080 30.73

48 11 240 44.25 31680 10620 33.52

34 8 300 25 16320 7500 45.96

35 11 400 25 23100 10000 43.29

35 11 329 25 23100 8225 35.61

34 8 230 25 16320 5750 35.23

34 8 200 35 16320 7000 42.89

35 11 311 35 23100 10885 47.12

34 11 340 35 22440 11900 53.03

The Concept of Operator's Performance Rating

18

Definition of Performance Rating: 

Rating is a subjective comparison of any condition or activity to a benchmark, based upon our experience. While
the mechanics of time study record the time a task did take, applying a rating will determine the time a task should
take.

What is 100% performance or Normal Performance?

The concept of 100% performance is a critical element of time study and performance measures. Normal
performance is the rate of output which qualified workers will achieves without over-exertion over the working
day sifts provided they know and adhere to the specified method and provided they are motivated to apply
themselves to the work. This performance is denoted as 100% on standard rating and performance scales.

A slower is performance rate, which will produce fewer pieces per hour, is recorded as a percentage below 100%.
A faster performance rate that produces more pieces per hour is recorded as greater than 100%.

Characteristic of 100% Performance or Normal operator

 Fluid motions without hesitation

 No false starts or duplications
 Consistent, coordinated, effective rhythm
 No wasted actions or work
 Attention centered on the task

How to get accurate rating?

To improve accuracy in rating an operator, observer must -

 Has knowledge of the operation and the specified method or standard operating procedures for that task.
 Concentrates on operator motions
 Is alert to fumbles, hesitations, and other lost motions- these are seldom or absent in 100% performance.
 Eliminates or ignores interruption or events not in the operator’s control.
 Avoids a corrupting bias when observing fast and slow operators in succession
 Knows that increasing the number of cycles observed increases accuracy

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New Barcode Scanners from Datalogic, Motorola Solutions, Honeywell, and Intermec

Barcode Scanners from Datalogic

Datalogic Gryphon I GM4400- Datalogic Gryphon I GD 4400- Datalogic PowerScan 7000 Datalogic PowerScan PD8500
HC 2D B

Barcode Scanners from Motorola

Motorola DS3500-ER Motorola DS3508-ER Motorola DS3578 Motorola DS4208-HC Motorola DS4208

Motorola DS6878-DL Motorola DS6878-HC Motorola LS2208 Motorola LS3008 Motorola LS3408-ER

   

Motorola LS3408-FZ Motorola MC3190-Z

Motorola MT2000

Barcode Scanners from Honeywell

 Honeywell Voyager 1202g
3820 Cordless Linear Image Honeywell Genesis 7580
Honeywell 4800dr
Scanner

Honeywell VoyagerBT 9535 Honeywell Vuquest 3310g Honeywell Xenon 1900 Honeywell Xenon 1902

Barcode Scanners from Intermec

Intermec SG10T
Intermec SG20HC
Intermec SG20

Other Barcode Scanners from Motorola / Symbol, Intermec, Datalogic & More

Featured Wireless Computers

Featured
Barcode
Scanners

Intermec SR60 Datalogic Powerscan PD8300 Symbol LS3408

Tethered Long-range Industrial Tethered Industrial Scanning Tethered Industrial Scanning

Application Scanning
 1D Laser 1D Laser 1D Laser
Scan Type

Scan bar codes near or far with the The PD8300 is Datalogic's premium The Symbol LS3408 is a rugged
Quick Take industrial strength Intermec SR60. This rugged scanner. PuzzleSolver™ barcode scanner capable of operating in
scanner is ideal for scanning hard to technology means that you will get harsh conditions such as in warehouses
reach barcodes that are often found in accurate scans even if the barcode is and outdoors. Scan close or long
warehouse environments. dirty or damaged. distances with this versatile scanner.

Intermec SR60 Datalogic Powerscan PD8300 Symbol LS3408

Laser Scanners Vs. Digital Imagers, find out the difference and benefits of each
technology, download the white paper on the right hand side.

More Barcode Scanners

 Motorola / Symbol LS2208
Performance features at an affordable price.
 Motorola / Symbol LS4278
Bluetooth™- enabled cordless laser handheld scanner
 Intermec SF51
Designed to be worn on the waist, wrist, or chest
 Datalogic Gryphon
Desk handheld scanner supports 1D, 2D and most postal codes.
 Datalogic QuickScan Mobile
Cordless handheld device for general purpose retail and more
 Hand Held Products IT4600
A 2D imager for a broad range of applications

Handheld Mobile Computers

Barcoding Inc. offers a wide selection of Mobile Computers with scanning capabilites used for Automated Data Collection. If you are
looking for more functionality than a Barcode Scanner can provide, take a look at our Mobile Computers.
 Motorola / Symbol MC9090
Rugged mobile computer for warehouse applications.
 Motorola / Symbol MC70
Sleek mobile computer for field service and mobile applications.
 Motorola / Symbol VC5090
Vehicle/fixed mount mobile computer with half or full screen.
 Datalogic Kyman
Rugged mobile computer for warehouse applications.
 Intermec CN3e
Mobile handheld computer with integrated GPS.
 Intermec CK61
Rugged mobile computer for warehouse applications.
 See More Mobile Computers
Similar Products: 
Symbol LS2208, Datalogic PowerScan 8000, Intermec SR60, Popular Bar Code Scanners

XPO™ Tradeshow Order Management

 More Orders, More Accuracy — All Flawlessly Run

XPO™ by Barcoding is a comprehensive program that enables you to take real-time orders
right in the booth. Show management and exhibitors can view order data instantly. No more data
entry post-event; no more struggling to read handwriting or scratched out orders. No more
wondering if the totals at the show are meeting goals. With XPO™ exhibitors are more efficient
and accurate in their order-taking, and show management can claim a flawless and profitable
event.

Key Features 
XPO™ by Barcoding is your solution for tradeshow order management. 

 orders placed instantly with rugged wireless handheld computers

 data accurately captured on attendees and orders (including pre-orders)
 full visibility into show performance with robust reporting
 high level of customer service including extensive pre-show planning and on-site training
 allows your representatives to focus on selling and the customer experience

Work-In-Process
Track your inventory through the manufacturing process
Work-In-Process Applications

A “Work-in-Process” solution will monitor each step, station, and process throughout the entire manufacturing process, from the
delivery of raw goods to the shipment of the final manufactured product. This critical inventory management application will also
allow you to analyze each segment of the manufacturing process to help guarantee that you have the right parts on-hand, at the
right station, at the right time, to keep your manufacturing line constantly operational.

See also

  Success story: How Vibro-Meter installed a Work-In-Process Solution.

A Typical Work-In-Process Solution

By combining handheld computers, either barcode and/or RFID readers, the right software, and a wireless infrastructure,
Barcoding’s work-in-process solution allows you to track and trace, by the parts and ingredients used in the manufacturing process,
to ensure the inventory you have on hand is the inventory you need. By connecting to your existing wireless infrastructure (or
installing a new one if you don’t have one), your work-in-process application will operate in real-time. This gives your managers the
ability to monitor your facilities inventory and track each part of the manufacturing process from the arrival of raw material to the
shipment of your final product.

Work-In-Process System Components

Microscan in-line fixed barcode reader

Microscan ’s line of in-line fixed barcode readers easily integrates in a rugged warehouse environment. Scanning between 300 and
2000 scans per second, these devices can easily handle even the most high paced manufacturing environments.

Symbol LS3408

Symbol MC9000

Symbol LS 3408
 The Symbol LS3408ER reads bar codes from as far away as 45 feet (14.6 meters) and as close as 5 inches (13 cm) to give you the
kind of versatility that's necessary for today's work-in-process applications. The rugged housing, sealed to IP65 standards,
withstands repeated drops of up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) to concrete, ensuring limited downtime. In fact, the Symbol LS3408ER
maintained its reliability when subjected to multiple drops in a specialized tumble test conducted in the widely recognized Symbol
Industrial Design Labs.

Symbol MC9000 Series

Delivering superior data capture and exchange, the MC9000 series enables faster decision making about the movement of
materials and resources in your manufacturing environment. The MC9000 gives you unsurpassed choices of scanning, imaging,
and input options to meet your work-in-process requirements. WLAN connectivity supports onsite data exchange, while USB and
serial connections support batch & offsite data collection.

Labels & Ribbons

The choice of barcode labels and ribbons depends upon your requirements. A polypropylene label with resin ribbon will work for
most manufacturing applications, however consulting with a professional Barcoding Inc. representative will guarantee the right
combination of labels and ribbons for your situation.

Package Tracking Software

Track Packages Internally

Within your facility you can track the delivery of packages, parcels, mail, luggage and valuable documents, and electronically
capture a proof of delivery signature. Package Tracking is one of the most requested applications from the Barcoding,
Inc. website. Large mailrooms and shipping/receiving docks use our package tracking systems to increase accuracy and reliabilty.

Improve Efficiency with a Package Tracking Solution

As shipping companies such as Fed Ex, UPS, and DHL continue to drive down the cost of express shipping, it has become
increasingly important for companies to continue the efficiency in the "last mile," and make sure that a package delivered to a
company overnight reaches the recipient on time. Large mailrooms and shipping/receiving docks use our package tracking systems
to ensure packages arrive on time.

Package Tracking Software

 IntelliTrack Package Track
IntelliTrack Package Track is an easy-to-use system for tracking the receipt of packages, mail,
or luggage from a mailroom or loading dock to the recipient's location. Packages that have a
FedEx, UPS, or any other barcode label are easily received into the system using a handheld
terminal with barcode scanner. Packages are then delivered to the recipient, scanned, and a
signature is captured on the handheld device to document proof of delivery.

More about Intellitrack Package Track

Typical Package Tracking Solution
Software

IntelliTrack Package Track 

collects proof of delivery 
signatures

IntelliTrack Package Track

Barcoding Inc.'s Package Tracking Solutions combine everything you need to start automating your package delivery system. Off-
the-Shelf software joins a Microsoft Access database on the PC, and a Windows Mobile based handheld computer with an
integrated barcode scanner using imager technology. The software will allow you to scan in packages as they are received using the
existing barcodes, assign packages to the recipient, collect a signature upon delivery, and generate daily reports.

Features:

 Generate reports for internal package tracking.

 Record time and date stamp for receipt and delivery.
 Capture electronic signatures.
 Automatically email final receipts upon delivery.

Benefits:

 Reduce time from mailroom to recipient.

 Reduce time spent looking for lost packages.
 Increase efficiency in the mailroom.

Hardware

Motorola MC9090 / Symbol MC9090

This mobile barcode scanner is well suited for scan intensive applications and the availablity of RFID
configurations means this device can do most anything you need it to. When it comes to mobile computing
inside the four walls, you will be happy you chose the Symbol MC9090.

Motorola is one of the leading manufacturers of industrial mobile computers. Their focus on imaging
technology and shipping & receiving applications make their units an ideal fit for Package Tracking
solutions.

Crystal Group Uses RFID Tags to Track Garment

Production
The Hong Kong knitwear company has installed RFID interrogators at 8,000 sewing stations in three of its plants, so that it can record the
number of garments made by each worker.
By Claire Swedberg
Tags: Apparel, Asset Tracking, Manufacturing, Operations, Retail, Supply Chain

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Dec 07, 2007—Hong Kong knitwear company Crystal Group is

employing passive 13.56 MHz RFID tags to track garments as they are
manufactured. The company maintains 15 manufacturing sites in Sri
Lanka, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia that produce
more than 90 million garments each year. Crystal Group's clients
include GAP, Old Navy, Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Marks and Spencer and
Ann Taylor. Three of the manufacturer's sites currently
use RFID technology to track the number of products workers
manufacture during their shifts. 

Because of the large volume of products it makes, Crystal Group

emphasizes speed and quality in the production process. To
accomplish this goal, the company closely monitors work-in-progress
from sewing newly cut fabric to shipping completed garments, as well
as the planning of workloads and payroll for the company's many
sewers. 

Quek Kar Loon

Until now, the company has relied solely on a bar-code-based system

to track its plants' production process. At the start of a shift,
employees use a bar-code scanner installed at their sewing station
to read the bar-code number printed on their ID card. They then scan
the bar code printed on a paper form accompanying each bundle of
items they sew. The company utilizes this data to assist in calculating
work hours, and to track the productivity of a specific point on the
manufacturing line. The bar-coding system, however, has several
shortcomings: The bar-coded forms are often difficult to read, can
become crumpled in the garment and frequently do not scan properly. 

The company wanted a faster and more accurate scanning process, as

well as a system that could be integrated into its own back-end
management system. Therefore, over the past three years, Crystal
Group has been gradually implementing an RFID solution provided by
Malaysian IT solutions and technologies company GPRO Technologies.
The firm is now using GPRO's Shopfloor Data Tracking (SDT) system
with RFID interrogators installed at every sewing station in some of its
facilities. GPRO custom-built and provided all the hardware,
including RFID-enabled ID cards and garment labels, label printer-
encoders and interrogators, which comply with the ISO
15693 RFID standard. 

In mid 2004, the clothing manufacturer first tested the system at one
factory in China. Since that time, it has begun rolling out the system at
several of its largest facilities—two in the Dongguan region of China
and one in Hanoi, Vietnam. Crystal Group has
installed RFID interrogators at about 8,000 sewing stations in the three
plants. Within the next few months, says Quek Kar Loon, GPRO's CEO
and cofounder, the company plans to add readers to another 4,500
stations at other manufacturing sites. 

With the new system, employees begin their shift by using their
station's RFID interrogator to read the unique number of
the passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag embedded in their ID card. Each
employee's card number is linked to that person's name and place of
employment in Crystal Group's back-end system.
- See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?
3788#sthash.pw9kx8hF.dpuf

Every garment or bundle of garments is also identified by

the passive 13.56 MHz RFID tag embedded in a plastic label attached
to each item or bundle. Some garments arrive individually, hanging
from hooks attached to a conveyor system; others are part of a bundle
of items; and some travel on rollers that move the product down the
assembly line. During the sewing process, workers use their
station's RFIDinterrogator to read each tagged item or bundle and
record the pieces they sew. 

Data from the readers is sent via a wide-area network (WAN)

connection to Crystal's back-end enterprise resource planning (ERP)
and payroll system. The information is also transmitted to a password-
protected Internet server hosted by GPRO. 

Employees can check their progress on their RFID terminals by

pressing a "Sending Messages" button to receive a summary of their
total production quantity, efficiency and earnings for a particular shift. 

The garment RFID labels and employee ID cards are printed with a

serial number on the front and encoded in the factory's cutting
section, where fabric is cut and prepared for sewing. Old tags can be
recycled—that is, re-encoded and reused, attached to a bundle or
individual garment hook, then sent back into production. 
The SDT system also provides customized reports containing
production data. Factory managers can use these reports to identify
and resolve problems occurring on the floor, and to oversee quantities
flowing from one production operation to another, with an eye toward
minimizing pileups. The SDT presents the data in a dashboard-style
format displayed on a computer screen. 

The factories recouped the cost of their RFID investment within a year

of deployment, Loon says, due to improvements in workflow. The cost
of a system such as this is based on the number of RFID stations, he
adds, though he declines to provide a specific price. According to
Loon, Crystal Group intends to fully roll out RFID at all of its factories
by 2008. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?
3788/2#sthash.Jp3GARbZ.dpuf

RFID Delivers Unexpected Benefits at American Apparel

A major reduction in employee theft, fewer processes errors and lower employee turnover add to the company's return on investment in RFID.
By Mark Roberti
Tags: Apparel, Asset Tracking, Inventory / Warehouse Management, IT/Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Operations, Retail, Security
and Access Control, Supply Chain

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Oct 05, 2011—American Apparel, a vertically integrated clothing

manufacturer and retailer based in Los Angeles, has already
deployed radio frequency identification at more than 50 of its 285
stores, and expects the rollout to total 100 stores by year's end. The
company reports that the system has not only delivered the improved
inventory accuracy levels it had sought, but has also provided some
unexpected benefits, including a significant decline in employee theft.
These additional benefits are contributing to advantages that offset
the cost of borrowing money in order to pay for the solution's
installation at each location, thereby creating immediate benefits for
the company. 

"Like many retailers, internal theft and process issues account for
about 60 percent of our shrink," says Stacey Shulman, American
Apparel's VP of technology. "RFID, it turns out, affects internal shrink
in a profound way. We measure everything, and have accountability of
every item. Every item counts, and when we change that culture,
employees start treating product better. Internal theft does go down,
and process errors go down." 

Stacey Shulman, American Apparel's VP of technology

Examples of process errors that contribute to shrinkage, Shulman

says, include receiving errors, moving goods to the sales floor without
first creating the proper documentation, receiving items but not
moving them to the sales floor, and transferring the wrong products
between stores. "RFID allows us to capture these exceptions daily," she
states, "so they can be corrected." 

Within the stores that have deployed the RFID system, internal

shrinkage has declined by an average of 55 percent, Shulman says—
and, at some stores, by as much as 75 percent. She attributes this
decrease to the reduction of process errors, as well as a change in
American Apparel's culture. 
"Because we are tracking every item, we are reminding our staff that
each and every item has value," Shulman explains. "I liken it to the
bulk-food bins at supermarkets. When you wrap food up in packaging,
or measure it in a controlled way, you are telling the consumer this
item has value, and most people would never consider opening the
package and eating it in the store without paying for the it. But when
you stick the items in bulk-food bins, those same people may think
nothing of sampling the food. Items that are not regularly measured
have a lower perceived value." 

In April 2011, American Apparel reported that it had expected to have

100 of its 285 stores in the United States and around the world
equipped with fully functioning RFID systems by the end of this year
(see American Apparel Adding 50 More Stores in Aggressive RFID
Rollout). Shulman says that given that the savings from using the
system virtually covers the deployment cost—American Apparel is
leasing the equipment, rather than paying for it upfront with cash—the
business would move more quickly, if it could.
- See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?
8843#sthash.rVLkDNhS.dpuf

American Apparel Adding 50 More Stores in Aggressive RFID

Rollout
The retailer states that RFID has helped it reduce shrinkage, improve stock levels and decrease employee turnover, and that RFID-enabled stores
are outperforming those not using the technology.
By Mary Catherine O'Connor
Tags: Apparel, Inventory / Warehouse Management, Operations, Retail

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Shulman has been managing the retailer's RFID rollout for

approximately a year. "One hundred percent of our RFID-enabled
stores outperform our non-RFID stores," she states. "They are doing
twice as good—meaning if you were to have an average of 3 percent in
comp sales at non-RFID stores, then the average in RFID stores would
be 6 percent in comp sales." (Comp sales, or comparable store sales,
compare sales achieved during a given period to those from the same
span of time during the previous year.) 

At its clothing factory in Los Angeles, American Apparel applies

hangtags embedded with passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen
2 inlays to all items headed for an RFID-enabled store. Once these
stores receive the shipments, employees use RFID readers to capture
each tag's unique ID number, which is linked to the garment's stock-
keeping unit (SKU). The RFID software then reconciles each number
against the store's order information, in order to ensure that the
shipment is complete. 

Based on the information collected, the inventory software then

informs the workers regarding which items need to be moved to the
sales floor for shelf restocking, and which should be put into storage.
Employees then use a fixed interrogator to read the RFID tags once
more as garments leave the store's back room, to confirm that the
items are, indeed, being brought out to the sales floor. (Each RFID-
enabled store keeps bifurcated inventory for its back stock and its
sales floor, so that at all times, it knows the stock levels in the back
stock versus on the sales floor.) If this reader collects the RFID
tag number of any item that should not be brought to the sales floor,
or if it fails to collect the tag ID of a garment that is supposed to go to
the floor, the software triggers an alert, thereby showing which items
are missing or superfluous. Employees also perform regular inventory
counts on the sales floor, using handheld readers. This information is
compared with the POS data, and the software generates a list of any
discrepancies that may exist between the two databases. 
"There are about 35,000 items in each store," Shulman says, "and we
generally don't have a discrepancy of more than 100 items between
the inventory and sales data." Stores must reconcile and account for
the differences, which are often just a matter of a delay in the software
systems updating the latest data. An item might have been sold, for
instance, between the time that the POS data was collected and when
that information was compared with the inventory data. 

American Apparel has also tested the use of RFID tags for electronic

article surveillance (EAS). According to Shulman, a pilot project
performed last year—in which RFID readers were erected at store exits
to test whether the EPC Gen 2 tags attached to items could be used to
trigger security alerts when unsold items left the store—failed. The
interrogators installed at the exits could not reliably detect the tags,
she says, and the company determined that it would simply be too
easy for thieves to prevent the tags from being read, by doing things
such as holding them in their hands to block them from being read. So
instead, she says, American Apparel has deployed a
traditional EAS system at select stores, using EAS hard tags that are
removed from items at the point of sale. In some locations at which
the company has deployed both the item-level RFID system and
the EAS solution, shrinkage has been reduced by as much as 75
percent, she says, attributing a reduction in external theft to
the EAS system and a decrease in internal theft to radio frequency
identification.
- See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?
8374/2#sthash.kjwYRSyB.dpuf

American Apparel Adding 50 More Stores in Aggressive RFID

Rollout
The retailer states that RFID has helped it reduce shrinkage, improve stock levels and decrease employee turnover, and that RFID-enabled stores
are outperforming those not using the technology.
By Mary Catherine O'Connor
Tags: Apparel, Inventory / Warehouse Management, Operations, Retail

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RFID "changes the culture, internally," Shulman notes, because

employees understand that items are precisely tracked, which
diminishes their chances of getting away with theft. 

Per the 50-store agreement, Xterprise will supply each retail location
with its ARS software, as well as fixed-position and
handheld RFID readers from Motorola Solutions and RFID tags made
by Avery Dennison and LS Industrial Systems. American Apparel will
use an internal team to install and test the system at each store, says
Shulman. 

In addition to the Xterprise software, which is currently utilized at 27

American Apparel locations, the retailer employs RFID software
supplied by Vue Technology (now owned by Tyco Retail Solutions) at
23 stores (see American Apparel Makes a Bold Fashion Statement With
RFID). 

Shulman says there's no single factor determining which software the

company deploys at any given store—it's often a matter of which
vendor can provide its product in the timeframe and at the price point
that the retailer requests. She does note, however, that over the last
two years, Xterprise's ARS software has proven to be easy to deploy,
maintain and integrate with its existing systems. 

"We are thrilled with the statement of confidence from American

Apparel with this 50-store award," says Dean Frew, Xterprise's CEO.
"After we finish deploying by year end, American Apparel will represent
the second largest item-level retail deployment in North America,
behind Wal-Mart."
- See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?
8374/3#sthash.aWchXuL0.dpuf

he Advantages of Using Barcodes in the Manufacturing and Materials Handling Industries

Specialized equipment and supplies represent significant investments for manufacturing and materials handling businesses. These
assets are also often spread across multiple locations. Barcoding offers the ability to track these assets, which can save much time
and money.

Improved Time Management 

The ease of using a barcode scanner makes it an appealing alternative to traditional paper-and-pencil processing. Not only
do barcodes streamline processing time, but they also enable tracking individual items within a shipment. Using barcodes can save
time in several materials handling situations.
 Inventories of in-house materials and equipment: While a traditional warehouse inventory may take several
employees days to complete, handheld barcode scanners mean the same inventory can be completed in a fraction of
the time.
 Processing incoming and outgoing shipments: The individual components of a shipment can be scanned quickly and
easily, for a quick gauge on whether all necessary components are present.
 Tracking equipment that is dispatched to different work sites: When machinery or supplies should be moved among
work sites, barcode information can identify which equipment can be moved with the least downtime.
 Following product movement among packing lines and at delivery points: Barcodes can be used to track movement
along complex supply lines, so that exact locations can be pinpointed rapidly and accurately.

Ultimately, the time saved with barcode-based tracking systems allows employees to spend their time on other activities that
generate income. It also means that businesses can cut down on staff for all these functions.

Increased Revenue 
In materials handling and manufacturing, revenue is heavily dependent upon the number of units produced and shipped. Refining
each step in this process means increased productivity and decreased expenditures:
 Reduction in errors that cause duplication of work: Barcode errors occur in such small numbers that they are
statistically insignificant, making them an extremely reliable method for tracking just about anything. Barcode quality far
exceeds human ability.
 Improved accountability for equipment among employees: When employees know that items are inventoried through
an electronic system, they are more likely leave it where it belongs.
 Greater customer satisfaction: Since shipments and equipment will reach their destinations with virtually infallible
accuracy, customers are more likely to be satisfied, which pays off in terms of decreased returns and increased loyalty.

In addition to the time saved on internal and external tracking, barcodes provide a valuable opportunity to improve operations in
ways that translate into significant savings and increased income over time.

The unique needs of the manufacturing and materials handling sectors are best met with a comprehensive barcode tracking system.
Due to the sheer quantity of materials, supplies, and machinery used in these industries, barcodes offer a particularly beneficial
solution. Not only do barcodes help reduce time spent on common activities like inventories and shipping, but they also improve
revenue.
Barcodes and their ability to carry complete information about a product have made them an essential prerequisite in businesses.
They aid the manufacturing process at every step, starting with the identification of the numerous components and ingredients
needed in the production process, the inventory, for finished goods and shipping packages. Their multiple advantages in supply
chain and materials management, and production control have made many regulatory bodies ask for compliance labeling involving
RFID tags or barcodes. Research in this field has made linear barcodes a thing of the past and these are now replaced by 2D
barcodes and RFID tags, since they are able to store more information in smaller spaces, and prove to be very useful in space
scarce applications like name tags in healthcare, as identification labels on electronic spares that are very small in size. In security-
sensitive industries like aerospace and defense, traceability of all parts and components is mandatory, due to security issues
involved. Here again, barcodes facilitate the tracking process.

The following are the various stages at which barcodes facilitate the manufacturing

process:

• Barcodes are first seen on the raw material packages arriving at the manufacturing unit. This is often a prerequisite in materials
management, and if the packages do not already carry the barcode labels, many production centers generate their own barcodes
and attach to very package entering the premises. It is only after the barcode identification is complete that the material can be
moved to the inventory location.

• The materials moved to the inventory location then have to be linked with the barcode labels of the shelves in which they are
placed. The labels of the shelves can be scanned from distances of even 30ft by forklifts bringing in the raw material packages. This
makes the system even more accurate since the operator is able to store complete information about the material and its storage
location.

• The next step takes place with the movement of the material for use in the production process. Therefore it will have to be lifted
from the inventory shelves and taken to the factory floor. Here again, the package is scanned and the records updated at the
production level. Automatic updates of the inventory location and replacements etc start as a chain reaction taking place
automatically. This is also the stage at which damaged barcode labels can be easily replaced.

• It is now time for the items picked and brought to the factory floor to be used in the production as part of the assembly. First the
parts and their quantities are verified from their barcode labels, and their tracking is important especially if the component has to be
put aside for being damaged or incorrect. The labels ensure tracking through out the assembly process. Once it reaches the
assembly stage a new barcode is generated, and the newly produced product is then identified by that new label.

• The new product identification is increasingly printed with the use of thermal transfer barcode printers, with these printers can print
on demand in compliance with the UL/CSA regulatory content. Synthetic labels last longer since they are durable.

• After the individual products have been barcoded, the next step is to package the products in lots and batches, which again need
to have barcodes generated. These are essential for shipping the products to various destinations and to ensure that they can be
tracked at every stage till they reach the shop floor, or even the final consumer. At this stage barcode label ruggedness is critical
since their exposure to the elements etc can easily damage them. Damaged barcodes can be scanned by certain specific scanners.

At every stage barcode labels must be in compliance with the mandatory regulations for labeling of packages.