Shade Mismatch and Short Sleeves in a Polo Shirt Lot
During final inspection of 300 cotton pique polo shirts, the inspector finds that 14 shirts have collar ribbing noticeably darker than the body and 9 have short sleeves; the left sleeve measures 22.2 cm against a 23.0 cm specification. The batch was cut from three fabric rolls; the cutting ticket shows rolls A, B and C were laid together on the same marker to save fabric. The collar ribbing was cut from a fourth roll received later. The buyer's tolerance is plus or minus 0.5 cm on sleeve length, and shade must match the approved swatch under north light. The production manager says the 9 short sleeves can be 'pulled' by pressing and the shade difference will not be noticed in the shop. The shipment is scheduled for the next day.
1. Classify the two defects and decide the disposition of the 14 shade-affected and 9 short-sleeve shirts. Explain your reasoning.
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The collar shade mismatch is a major defect: it is visible and affects the whole garment appearance, and it fails the approved swatch requirement. The 14 shirts cannot be passed on a promise that it will not be noticed.
The sleeve at 22.2 cm against 23.0 cm is 0.8 cm short, outside the plus or minus 0.5 cm tolerance, so it is also a major measurement defect.
Disposition: segregate and quarantine both groups and do not mix them with good stock. For shade, replace the collar ribbing with matching roll if the body is unaffected and replacement is practical; otherwise reject or seek the buyer's written approval for any deviation. For short sleeves, do not press to stretch: pressing is temporary and the sleeve will return after wash or wear. Replace sleeves from matching fabric if the seam allowance allows; otherwise reject. Re-inspect all 300 pieces.
2. What are the likely root causes, and what corrective and preventive actions would you take?
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Likely causes: the collar ribbing came from a fourth roll and was mixed with bodies from rolls A, B and C without shade banding or roll traceability. The short sleeves point to a marker or pattern error, or to cutting without following notches. Measure the pattern and the cut panels to confirm which.
Corrective: trace roll numbers on the cutting ticket and bundle tickets; keep one shade band per garment; verify the pattern length; re-cut correct sleeves; re-inspect. Preventive: shade-sort every roll against the approved swatch under north light before cutting; record the roll number on every bundle; do not lay different shade bands on one marker; require first-piece approval for each roll; check sleeve length in-line every 50 pieces; calibrate tapes; train cutting and sewing teams. Any deviation needs buyer approval. This is a system fix, not just operator blame.