Quality Management System in Garments Manufacturing
Garments Quality Management System (QMS)
A garments manufacturing quality management system (QMS) is related to quality control and assurance system that documents (quality manual) processes (Online and offline), procedures, system, planning, responsibilities and task for achieving quality goal and policies to meet buyer requirements. A quality management system is focus on customer requirement and satisfaction through combine effort of whole organization management by setting up a work standard. A quality management system helps a factory to coordinate and instruct an organization’s functions/activities to meet buyer requirements and improve its effectiveness and efficiency on a continuous basis quality control and improvement. A good quality management can guide a factory to the right path of quality goal, to keep standard of export garments quality; a good quality management system should be implemented.
Key Factors of Garments Quality Management
- Proper reporting
- Strict Materials inspection
- Approved trim card
- Keeping pattern log, library and evaluation report
- Calibrate machine, process, and manpower
- Follow SOP and Keeping version names
- Visualize quality tools, sample, and metrics
- Process a
udit or AQL inspection - Keeping packing approval
- Zero defects station
- Review quality result and taking corrective action
- Training and evaluate QC
- Internal pre-final Audit before Final Inspection
Proper Reporting
Quality department’s first responsibility is reporting, and then taking action. If they report is doing properly, easy to work on it.
Strict Materials Inspection
Most of times needed raw materials like fabrics; accessories of a garment need to buy from a supplier, so it’s important to inspect all raw materials and ask supplier if there any defects. Because once you make a garment, it’s almost impossible to replace if their faulty fabrics or trims.
Approved Trim Card
Following approved Trim card in store, cutting, sewing and finishing ensuring correct materials and fabrics are joining for every lot.
Keeping Pattern Log, Library and Evaluation Report
Pattern is very sensitive, standard is to keep a pattern library, track and change log of every stage as like before and after size set.
Calibrate Machine, Process and Manpower
Yearly or half yearly calibration of machines to check machine is fit enough, performing well or not. Need to check calibration by 3rd party or machine supplier of CAD plotter, Fabrics inspection machine, shading checking light box, Fusing machine, needle detector machine, pull testing machine and others lab testing machines.
Follow SOP and Keeping Version Names
Follow a SOP for every process and section, keeping SOP change log and version name. ISO method is to keep SOP version name.
Visualize Quality Tools, Sample and Metrics
Visualizing all quality tools, analysis, and quality metrics will make aware about everyone’s performance and responsibilities will help to take decision easily.
Process Audit or AQL Inspection
Inspection garments by AQL audit system before moving garments to next step or process to check process accuracy, passing goods from every section by passing in audit, if audit fail goods back for reprocessing.
Keeping Packing Approval
A system to approve a garment by authorize person (buyer QC, merchandiser or QA manager) before start packing of every lot
Zero Defects Station
Set up zero defect station by through 100% garments quality inspection in sewing and finishing.
Review Quality Result and Taking Corrective Action
Review every sections quality result by a daily or weekly basis and taking corrective action to not to happen and improve in the future. A general meeting can be called with related production and maintenance department and giving responsibilities to improve quality as a part of corrective action.
Training and Evaluate QC
Training is one of the major part garments quality management, Kaoru Ishikawa said: “Quality control starts and ends with training.” Continuously train up whole quality team about various quality matters and evaluate their understanding.
Internal Pre-Final Audit before Final Inspection
Pre-final Audit or an audit before Final quality inspection procedure as per final inspection procedure to confirms final inspection will be passed of every lot.
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- Garments quality control procedure
- Garments quality SOP
- Garments quality check points and their quality control
- Garments quality manual
- Garments quality organogram
Written by
A.M. Amirul Islam (Washim)
Email: [email protected]
Linkedin: A.M. Amirul Islam