Improving the line layout should be the first priority if you are trying to improve the productivity or efficiency of the factory. This is because improved line layout is the foundation over which an efficient garment factory is made. In this article we will be talking about planning and improving line layout in garments factory in such a way that the productivity and efficiency is improved. To do it is important to know what is a good line layout.
What is a good line layout in a garments factory ?
These are the characteristics of a good line layout in garments factory.
- It should assist line balancing.
- It should facilitate smooth workflow.
- Unnecessary transport should be minimum.
- WIP – Bottleneck issues should be clearly visible.
How to design a line layout to improve all these things ?
1. Sharing is caring
An isolated line cannot be more efficient than lines close together .This is because lines placed close together can share the workload. Try to bring all lines together and group similar operations together so that the supervisors have the flexibility of balancing the line dynamically.
Look up any benchmark efficient factory and you will find that it is this arrangement that assists line balancing.
2. Smooth workflow
Bundles or pieces shouldn’t be thrown or picked, operators should be able to pass it easily. Operational excellence is all about the flow. Try to improve the flow in every process and you’ll fix all your problems in doing so.
3. Choose the right arrangement
There’s no fixed formula which tell which layout arrangement is better. It will vary from factory to factory .So analyze your need and with the objective of assisting line balancing and smooth flow and then choose from the available type of line layout like ‘U’ ,Straight, back to back or side to side arrangement.
5. Minimum Transport
Dispatch area should be close to finishing, assembly close to matching, subassembly close to cutting. Isn’t this obvious?
Targeting these objectives and applying your creativity, you can surely reach to a great layout in garments factory with little efforts. This will make your life easy in improving efficiency of your apparel manufacturing facility.