Production Workflow and Workplace Discipline
This domain tests the route a garment takes from fabric store to dispatch, how a sewing line is balanced, and the shop-floor discipline and compliance rules the operator must follow daily.
Production flow
Fabric store, cutting, bundling, sewing line, finishing and pressing, quality assurance, packing, dispatch.
Line systems and balancing
- Progressive bundle system, unit production system, modular or single-piece flow.
- Pitch time = available working minutes divided by target pieces. The operation with the longest cycle is the bottleneck.
- SAM or SMV is the standard time for an operation; efficiency = earned minutes divided by attended minutes, expressed as a percentage.
- Targets are hourly; output is recorded hourly so a falling trend is caught within the shift.
Discipline on the floor
- Attendance, punctuality, ID card, no mobile phone on the production floor, no food at the machine.
- 5S: sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain.
- Report machine downtime immediately, record output honestly, follow supervisor instructions, and do not move to another line without permission.
- Proper shift handover and clear communication prevent rework.
- Compliance basics: no child labour, lawful working hours, grievance box, prevention of harassment at the workplace.
Worked example
A shift has 480 minutes, 30 minutes of breaks, and a target of 600 pieces. Pitch time = 450 divided by 600 = 0.75 minute, or 45 seconds. If collar attachment takes 60 seconds, it is the bottleneck. Options are to split the operation into two steps, add a machine, or rebalance work to an idle operator.
Traps
- Confusing efficiency with machine utilisation; a busy line can still miss target.
- Ignoring work-in-progress piling up in front of a bottleneck.
- Hiding absenteeism, which breaks line balance for the whole shift.