GARMENTS MATERIALS HANDLING

Materials handling is concerned with the efficient movement of goods through the conversion process. From the time fabric is unloaded from the truck until finished garments are packaged and shipped, storage and movement of materials and work in process must be planned and tracked to facilitate throughput. Handling materials does not add value to a product, but it affects work flow and productivity.

Handling costs can be reduced by eliminating as much handling as possible and reducing the distance materials are moved. Three aspects of materials handling need to be planned and evaluated: (1) handling and processing of in coming goods, (2) movement of work in process, and (3) distribution of the finished product.

Materials handling methods used at work stations depend on how garment parts are presented to the operator, the degree of automation, and the disposal system used. Materials handling procedures are incorporated in the production method for each operation. Work aids such as slanted tables for positioning parts, folders and binders for positioning trims, and automated cutters are some of the many ways an operation may be simplified and handling kept to a minimum. Handling time may account for up to 80 percent of sewing operation time.

Marketing of Man-Made Fibers

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Man-made fibres Market analysis:
Man-made fibres are marketed as commodities, as brand name fibers or as controlled brand name fibers. Fibers marketed as commodities are used without identification of source and are sold to any buyer in the open market. A dress labeled 100% Polyester has been made with commodity polyester fibers. Brand name man made fibers are identified by source through the brand names used. The fiber producer spends much Promotion money to establish his brand name and expects manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers down the line to take advantages of it. The man made fiber producer, however, frequently does not have complete control over the use of his brand name after the mill buys the finer. It is possible that a quality fabric could be used to make a poorly constructed garment and that this article would carry the fiber brand name on a label or hang tag. He controlled brand name approach enables the fiber maker to rigidly control the selling and subsequent use of the fiber.

Relationships are established with specific textile mills and fabric users who will utilize the fiber properly. A quality control program by the fiber producer insures that only products, which have satisfactorily passed various tests related to the end use, are allowed to use the fiber brand name. Unfortunately, consumer is usually unable to distinguish between a controlled brand name fiber and an uncontrolled brand name fiber.

Most of the fiber companies will sell their regular type fibers as a commodity as well as with a brand name. Under a licensed brand name or trademark program, the licensing company allows its brand name or trademark to be used by other companies in return for a specified remuneration.
In some cause, the product made by the licensee is carefully checked for quality by the licensor, but in other cases, it is not.

Man-made fiber producers license their Fiber brand names to certain mills that buy their fibers. The fiber brand name hangtags are later attached, for examples, to garments or draperies made from the licensed mill’s fabric. The fiber producer is compensated by receiving a slightly higher price from the mills than if the fibers were sold unbranded.

A licensed controlled brand name or trademark program means that the product also has satisfactorily passed various tests related to its end use before the brand name can be used. The tests are specified by the licensor. Such a program requires the maintenance of a quality control program to insure that the comp anises to which the trademarks or brand names have been licensed are making products that meet certain levels of quality.

In this way, the licensor can best attempt to insure that the brand name or trademark will not lose its value. Unfortunately, the levels or quality are not the same for each program and the consumer frequently does not know which controlled brand names indicate the best quality products.

The licensed controlled brand name programs of the textile industry became important in the early 1930’s when Cluett, Peabody & Company started to license their fabric shrinkage processes using the name Sanforired and Joseph Bancroft and Sons started to license their Everglaze Process, which insured fabric luster. In the 1960’s, the Celanese Corporations became the first major proponent among fiber producers of the licensed controlled brandname programs. Fabrics, as will as garments and other articles containing its branded fibers, had to pass specified quality tests before a Celanese hang tag would be placed on t he item. The program is still continuing.

The following are some of the textile licensed controlled brand name or trademark programs presently in use to market of man made fibre:

A. Polyextra ® textured polyester yarn program for upholstery fabrics—BASF Corporation.
B. Sanforized ® program for shrinkage control of woven fabrics and Sanforized Plus- 2 ® which is durable press program – Cluett, Peabody & Company;
C. Trevira ® polyester program for fabric quality – Hoechst Celanese Corporation;
D. Zepel ® program for fabric water and stain repellency quality
E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Company. Inc.

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FABRIC RESOURCES

Primary Sources of Fabric
A primary source of fabric is a company that makes or creates the material. The Firms in this category are mills and mills and converters. Some of the mills produce woven fabrics exclusively; others make only knit fabrics, while some of the giant mills manufacture both.

In the Primary fabric market, most sales are based on contracts with shipments to be made months later. The converters and mills work closely with their customers designer’s and merchandisers to create designs and working samples. Sales of fabric either in inventory or about to be ready for sale (called spot or nearby goods) also occur, but on a much smaller scale. Unusually, very small orders will not be take, this being the function of the jobber.



 Fabric Resources (Mill)
The mill is a company that owns textiles machinery and makes fabric. The large textile mills are vertically integrated. They not only make the fabric, but also produce their own yarn and perform the finishing processes required after the fabric has been completed. However, they do not make their own fibers.
The mills sell their finished fibroin to various customers. The converter, discussed in the next section, is a major buyer.

Garment and home furnishings manufacturers use fabrics in making their products. Jobbers, who help dispose of excess or surplus merchandise for the mill, are another customer. Large retail stores, which in turn sell to the home sewer, also buy from the mills. Most of the staple fabrics are sold by the mills. A staple fabric is one, which is produced continuously each year with no change in construction or finish, and includes poplin, taffeta, tricot and sheeting. There are, however, many fancy or novelty fabrics also offered for sale by the mills.

The converter is an individual or organization that buys greige (or grey) goods (unfinished fabric), usually from mills, has the fabric dyed or printed and finished buy other companies, and then sells the finished fabric. All aspects of the fabric, including construction, design color and finish, are determined by ther converter.

Fabric Resources (Importer)
Many textile fabrics (and yarns) are made overseas and then imported into the United States. Since about 1980 the volume of textile imports has risen dramatically and today accounts for a large percent of the fabrics used domestically. While the greatest amount of textiles and textile products comes from the Far East. They are also received from many other parts of the world.

The textile importing companies are of two types. The direct importer buys fabrics or manufactured textile products (e.g.., clothing or soft luggage) from a foreign mill or other supplier. The other type, the import mills, is a foreign company that owns textile machinery and makes the fabric (or yarns) that is then exported. A secondary source of fabric is a company, which buys cloth and then sells it. Such a company is not involved in the making or creating of the material. Therefore, any seller of fabric other than mills and converters is considered a secondary source.

Fabric Resources (Jobber)
The jobber buys from mills, converters and garment manufacturers and other users. Although their purchases of a specific fabric type. Print or color are usually relatively small, jobbers nevertheless are valuable customers of the mills and converters. Jobbers often buy mill or converter fabrics that would otherwise be difficult to sell, including discontinued styles and colors and mill overruns. ( A mill overrun or tailing occurs when a mill produces more dyed, printed or finished fabric than the order specified . An overrun occurs for various reasons, including allowances for damaged yardage and short pieces unacceptable to the customer.) The jobber also sometimes buys fabric from users who have excess cloth. The excess cloth usually results from a decline in anticipated sales.

Fabric Resources (Retail Store)
Fabrics sold in the retails store are called over the counter sales and are bought by home sewer for their own needs. Put-up is the tern used to indicate the way fabric is packaged when it is sold. Most fabrics sold to garment and other manufactures are in a rolled, in either open width or tubular form. Some fabrics are doubled and rolled. Such fabrics are folded in half lengthwise, and then wound around a flat piece of cardboard. Cloth when sold to retail stores is usually in this put-up, in under 30 yard lengths. Velvet and other plush fabrics are usually not rolled because.

The resulting pressure would flatten the surface. The fabric is placed on a frame so the surface3 doses not contact any other part of the cloth. Pieces of woven fabric less then 40 yards in length are called shorts. These pieces are usually sold in either 20 to 40 yard pieces ( called 20 ‘ to 40 ‘s ), 10 to 20 yard pieces ( called 10 ‘s to 20’s ) or 5 to 10 yard pieces (Called 5’s to 10’s). Jobbers normally are the buyers of these short pieces of woven fabric.

Pound goods are usually very short pieces of fabric (often containing pieces less than one yard in length). They are sold by the pound and not by the yard. Fabric that cannot be sold in nay other manner is sold this way. These goods are bought at the buyer’s risk and receive the lowest price. End cases include stuffing for furniture and clothes for dolls.


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