10 MARKERS (chapter 2, 6, 9)

Question 1

State the key aspects of TQM in the apparel industry.

Answer 1

1. Customer Focus
2. Continuous Improvement
3. Employee Involvement
4. Process Management
5. Supplier Relationships
6. Data - Driven Decision Making
7. Quality Control and Inspection
8. Lean Manufacturing
9. Compliance and Sustainability
10. Training & Education
11. Customer Focus:
    Understanding customer needs, preferences, and expectations is essential in the apparel industry. TQM emphasizes the importance of gathering customer feedback and using it to drive product and process improvements.
12. Continuous Improvement:
    TQM promotes a culture of continuous improvement. This involves identifying and addressing quality issues, defects, and inefficiencies in the production process. Continuous improvement helps in reducing waste, enhancing product quality, and increasing efficiency.
13. Employee Involvement:
    Engaging employees at all levels in the apparel industry is crucial for TQM. Employees often have valuable insights into how to improve processes and product quality. Empowering them to participate in problem-solving and decision-making is a fundamental aspect of TQM.
14. Process Management:
    TQM emphasizes the need to define and document processes in the apparel industry. This includes everything from design and sourcing of materials to manufacturing andquality control. By standardizing processes and monitoring their performance, organizations can identify and rectify deviations from quality standards.
15. Supplier Relationships:
    The apparel industry relies heavily on suppliers for raw materials and components. Building strong relationships with reliable suppliers is essential for TQM. Suppliers must meet quality standards and deadlines, and their performance should be continuously monitored and improved.
16. Data-Driven Decision-Making:
    TQM involves collecting and analyzing data to make informed decisions. In the apparel industry, data can be used to identify trends, quality issues, and areas for improvement. Statistical process control and Six Sigma methods are commonly used to analyze and improve processes.
17. Quality Control and Inspection:
    Quality control and inspection processes are integral to TQM in the apparel industry. These processes ensure that products meet quality standards and are free from defects. Inspections are carried out at various stages of production to catch and rectify issues early.
18. Lean Manufacturing:
    TQM often incorporates lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, reduce lead times, and optimize production processes. Lean techniques such as 5S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) and Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing are used to improve efficiency.
19. Compliance and Sustainability:
    In the apparel industry, compliance with safety, environmental, and ethical standards is crucial. TQM includes a focus on ensuring that products are produced in a sustainable and socially responsible manner, in line with industry regulations and international standards.
20. Training and Education:
    TQM encourages continuous training and education for employees to enhance their skills and knowledge. This helps them better understand quality standards, improve their work, and adapt to changes in the industry.

Implementing TQM in the apparel industry can lead to better product quality, reduced costs, increased customer satisfaction, and improved competitiveness in the market. It is a holistic approach that requires commitment from all levels of an organization and a dedication to ongoing improvement.

Question 2

What are Labels? Explain the different types of Labels.

Answer 2

1. Main Label:
   The main label contains the Brand name or Brand logo of the buyer such as H&M, American Eagle, Nautica, etc. The brand name is an important factor for any product. Because the customers are targeted the Brand during buying any product. A Brand name is a mental satisfaction about the product from the customer’s point of view. The main label is totally certified in the right quality of the brand.
2. Sub Label:
   Sub Label is not a label by itself but it includes different types of labels. These are in the following:
   Care Label,
   Size Label,
   Price Label,
   Composition Label,
   Special Label,
   Flag Label.

a. Care Label:
Care labels are other important types of the label for the garments. It assists the customers to know how the product should care. It indicates different types of care instruction about the garments such as Washing, Bleaching, Drying, Laundering, and Ironing, if it can be maintained in a directed way, then the garments will achieve higher durability and garments shade will be perfect for its highest period of time.

2. Size Label:
   Size label indicates the size of the garments. Size labels are indicated as S, M, L, XL, where S for small, M for medium, L for large, and XL for extra-large.
3. Price Label:
   The price label indicates the price of the garments.
4. Composition Label:
   The composition label indicates the fabrication and composition percentage of any garments. That means it indicates which fabrication (Cotton Sub denim, Cotton Regular denim, etc.) and composition percentage (95% Cotton 5% Spandex, 100% Cotton, etc.) have followed during its manufacturing.
5. Special Label:
   Sometimes the buyer is advised to use the special label in the garments to attract the customers to their items. Special labels are 100% silk, 100% Cotton, and 100% Leather, etc.
6. Flag Label:
   The flag label is a very small label that contains Brands name or Brands logo of the buyer. It is attached to the side seam of the bottom parts of the clothing.

Question 3

Explain the different types of Care Labeling systems used worldwide.

Answer 3

The Japanese Care Labelling System
The Japanese system, like other care labelling systems must have symbols placed in a specified order. Labels should be designed based on the following convention:
1. Symbols should be arranged from left to right according to the following sequence: 1) Washing, 2) Bleaching, 3) Ironing, 4) Dry-Cleaning, 5) Wringing & 6) Drying
2. For coloured products which are not usually bleached, the symbol for possibility of chlorine bleached may be omitted
3. For products which are not usually ironed, the symbols for ironing may be omitted. (Except ‘cannot be ironed’)
4. For products which can be washed with water, the symbols for dry-cleaning may be omitted. (Except ‘cannot be dry-cleaned’)
5. The symbols should be either in black or dark blue whereas the prohibition symbols are in red and on a white background
The Japanese care Symbols refer https://www.coats.com/en/information-hub/care-labels

The Canadian Care Labelling System
Until July 1973 care labelling was not a legal requirement in Canada. After this date a new care labelling system was introduced. The new Canadian care symbol system used green (go ahead), amber (caution), and red (don’t try) with five symbols which were wash tub, bleach triangle, square dryer, iron, and dry cleaning circle. In 2003 the Canadian system was updated to harmonise with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and (ISO) standards, and the colour code was discontinued.

The European Care Labelling System Symbols refer https://www.coats.com/en/information-hub/care-labels
Individual committees of the European Union are reviewing existing care label standards by collaborating with other international bodies so that they can create a unified system under the ISO scheme.
The symbols used in Europe are trademarked by GENETEX and a trademark fee needs to be paid to GENETEX, the trademark holder, if the garments are to be sold in a GENETEX country.

A correct care label for European countries is required to consist of at least four and sometimes five symbols in the following sequence: 1) Washing, 2) Bleaching, 3) Ironing, 4) Dry-Cleaning & 5) Drying.

The American Care Labelling System https://www.coats.com/en/information-hub/care-labels

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Care Label rule, care labels may be composed of either words or symbols. Irrespective of whether the content is words, symbols, or both, care instructions appear in the following order:
1. Machine wash / hand wash / dry-clean
2. Washing temperature (hot / warm / cold)
3. Washing machine programme (delicate / permanent press / normal cycle)
4. Bleaching instruction (do not bleach / non-chlorine bleach / chlorine bleach)
5. Drying method (tumble dry / line dry / flat dry / drip dry)
6. Ironing (do not iron / cool iron / warm iron / hot iron)
7. Warnings

Question 4

What are the 7 tools of TQM?

Answer 4

1. Cause-and-effect diagram : (also called Ishikawa or fishbone diagrams): Identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem and sorts ideas into useful categories.
2. Check sheet: A structured, prepared form for collecting and analyzing data; a generic tool that can be adapted for a wide variety of purposes.
3. Control chart: Graph used to study how a process changes over time. Comparing current data to historical control limits leads to conclusions about whether the process variation is consistent (in control) or is unpredictable (out of control, affected by special causes of variation).
4. Histogram: The most commonly used graph for showing frequency distributions, or how often each different value in a set of data occurs.
5. Pareto chart: A bar graph that shows which factors are more significant.
6. Scatter diagram: Graphs pairs of numerical data, one variable on each axis, to look for a relationship.
7. Stratification: A technique that separates data gathered from a variety of sources so that patterns can be seen (some lists replace stratification with flowchart or run chart).