7 Wastes in the Garment Industry & How to solve them?

+ 2 Quotes, 1 Quiz and 1 Competition for the Subscribers.

1 Article for the Week:

Lean manufacturing seeks to eliminate waste to enhance efficiency, and in the garment industry, addressing the seven wastes—derived from the Toyota Production System—is key to streamlining production and improving profitability. Below, we explore these wastes with examples specific to garment manufacturing, offering insights for optimizing operations.

1. Overproduction
   Producing more garments than demanded creates excess stock. Example: Sewing 5,000 T-shirts when only 3,000 are ordered leads to unsold inventory, tying up capital and storage space. Due to Cycle Time mismatch in the sewing processes, WIP also piles up leading to defects

2. Waiting
   Idle time disrupts workflow. Example: Sewing operators wait for fabric to arrive from cutting stations due to poor scheduling, Due to Cycle time mismatches, some operators will be idle, whereas some will be loaded more

3. Transportation
   Unnecessary movement of materials adds no value. Example: Moving cut fabric panels across the factory to a distant sewing area instead of a nearby workstation increases handling time and risks damage. Separate packing and inspection tables also increases Transportation waste.

4. Overprocessing
   Performing unneeded tasks wastes resources. Example: Adding intricate stitching to a garment’s inner lining when a simpler stitch meets quality standards consumes extra time and thread. Stickering at the start of the line and removing the stickers at the end of the line is also Overprocessing waste. Multiple handling of the garments leading to quality issues.

5. Inventory
   Excess raw materials or finished goods create costs. Example: Stockpiling of fabric beyond immediate production needs risks spoilage or obsolescence if fashion trends shift.

6. Motion
   Unnecessary worker movement slows processes. Example: Workers walk repeatedly to a central supply room for threads or buttons, reducing time spent in sewing.

7. Defects
   Faulty products require rework or scrapping. Example: Incorrect stitching on a batch of jackets due to misaligned patterns leads to rework, wasting labour and materials.

Tackling the Wastes
Garment manufacturers can counter these wastes with Lean tools:

1. Implement Kanban to manage fabric and garment flow

2. Optimize factory layouts to minimize transportation and motion

3. Use poka-yoke (e.g., pattern templates) to reduce defects.

For example, a factory could use real-time production tracking to prevent overproduction and schedule cutting and sewing tasks to eliminate waiting.

By addressing these wastes, garment producers can lower costs, enhance quality, and meet fast-changing market demands.

Share it with your colleagues and help them learn.

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2 Quotes for the Week:

1. "You don’t manage people; you lead them by creating an environment where they can thrive and contribute their best." – Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, a manufacturing-driven company.

2. "The key to successful people management is listening to your team and empowering them to solve problems together." – Dennis Muilenburg, former CEO of Boeing, a leader in aerospace manufacturing.

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1 Quiz for the Week:

Which Lean manufacturing tool is most effective for reducing the waste of "waiting" in a garment factory where sewing operators are idle due to delayed fabric delivery from the cutting department?
a) Value Stream Mapping
b) Kanban
c) Poka-Yoke
d) 5S

Please share your answer in the comments and win a chance to get featured in the next week’s Newsletter.

Congratulations Mr. Raghul for sharing the answer to the last week’s quiz.

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One More Thing: We are excited to announce a 5S Competition online.

Transform your workplace with the power of 5S! Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Select a workplace where you use a lot of hand tools. Take a Current State Picture of your Tool board.

Step 2: Remove the old / broken and unwanted tools from the current tool board (1S - Sorting)

Step 3: Arrange the required tools in the board with specific location and labels (2S - Set in Order). Neatly Paint the tool board.

Step 4: Take the "After" picture of the toolboard

Step 5: Send the "Before and After" picture to us through email (hello@hashllp.com)

The Top 3 winners (Best Tool Boards) will get Special Prizes from us.

Showcase your team’s commitment to lean excellence and inspire others. Watch this video to learn more.

Deadline: 30th April 2025, 6:00PM Indian Time. Let’s make workplaces smarter, together!