Topic
Garment capacity planning guides: capacity and target calculation, line balancing, bottlenecks, takt time, production planning, TNA and pre-production meetings.
Capacity planning answers a simple question: can the factory deliver this order on time with the people, machines and minutes it has? These notes cover how capacity is calculated (garment capacity calculation and production targets), how a line is balanced and its bottlenecks found (line balancing, bottleneck analysis and takt time), and how orders are planned and prepared (production planning basics, time and action plans, the pre-production meeting and finishing layout).
9 notes
A bottleneck is the station that limits the output of the whole line. How to find it with WIP observation and capacity studies, the common reasons a station becomes a bottleneck, and practical ways to raise its output.
How to calculate sewing capacity in available minutes and in pieces, for a line or a whole factory, and how to use it to check whether an order fits. Includes efficiency, absenteeism, working days and a full worked example.
Line balancing spreads the operations of a garment across operators and machines so work flows at the target rate without piles of WIP or idle people. A practical step-by-step method with a worked example, balancing efficiency and common mistakes.
The PP meeting brings merchandising, quality, production, cutting and industrial engineering together before bulk starts. Who attends, what to check, a practical agenda and the records to keep so problems are solved before they reach the line.
The garment finishing section step by step: a process flow chart from sewing output to shipment, what happens at each stage, a practical layout for the finishing floor, manpower planning with a worked example, quality control points and the mistakes that cause failed final inspections.
How garment production planning works: capacity in minutes, loading orders onto lines, learning curves, material readiness and critical path, with a simple example and the checks that keep a plan realistic.
How to set an hourly and daily production target from SMV, manpower, working minutes and planned efficiency. Worked examples for new and running styles, learning curve targets and why a target at 100% efficiency is not a real target.
Takt time is the pace at which garments must be finished to meet demand. How to calculate it, how it differs from cycle time and pitch time, and how to use it to size and balance a sewing line.
A time and action plan lists every task from order confirmation to shipment with planned and actual dates. How to build a TNA backwards from the ship date, typical activities and lead times to fill in from your own data, and how to use it to spot delays early.