Apparel Departments

Introduction:
Before going in to the details of the garment industry we should know what is
garment, isn’t it? Any object which can be used to wear is termed as garment /
apparel / clothing. Such as shirt, pant, sweater etc. Garment can also be used to
achieve a specific function, for example fire resistance or cut resistance, etc.
Garments are a part of apparel, whereas apparel is a broad terminology. For
instance, shoes and hats are also included in apparel.
Apparel engineering is a broad based subject because it combines a number of

individual technologies, with each making a specialized contribution to the
production of garment. The garment industry is very diverse in nature and along
with textile industries, it forms a complex combination of performing
heterogeneous functions of transforming fiber into yarn and then to fabric.
Besides, garment industry is one of the oldest and largest industry providing
ample employment opportunities and it exemplifies the growth in global
manufacturing. This industry is very versatile in nature and offers the world with
a choice of garments ranging from mass market to high end fashion. This
industry follows a combination of functional and line type of organization.
Garment manufacturing process includes number of processes from order

receiving to dispatching shipment of the finished garments. Apparel
manufacturing flow chart helps understand a garment manufacturing method
that how the raw materials are converted into the wearable garments. The main
task for a garment manufacturer is to produce shell structures out of flat fabrics
to match the shape of human body. The overall flowchart of the garment
manufacturing process is illustrated in figure-1.
Figure 1:
Garment manufacturing process flow chart
Garment industry is the final stage of textile manufacturing where cloth is cut
into different parts and sews to make various types of apparel. All the process of
garment manufacturing are done in different sections in garment industry. In
this article I will discuss different departments in garment manufacturing
industry.
Different Departments in Garment Industry:

Clothing or apparel industry consists of different departments. Every department
is responsible for better production. The various departments working flowchart
are given in figure-2:
Figure
2: Different Departments in Garment Industry
The different departments or sections in an apparel industry are
given below:
1. Merchandising
2. Sampling department
3. Fabric sourcing
4. Purchasing department
5. Fabric inspection department
6. Accessory stores department
7. Planning department
8. Laboratory department
9. Machine maintenance
10.CAD section
11. Cutting section
12. Production department
13. Industrial engineering section (IE)
14. Embroidery department
15. Fabric washing section
16. Quality assurance department
17. Finishing department
Function of the Different Departments in Garment Industry:

Functions and activities of the all sections and departments of garment
manufacturing industry are described briefly:
Figu
re 3: Garment industry
Merchandising:
It is a vital process that involves planning, developing, executing and dispatching
the order (product) to the buyer. The merchandising process comprises
guiding and supervising for the successful processing of an order. The types of
merchandising done in a garment unit are marketing merchandising and product
merchandising.
The main objective of marketing merchandising is development of product,

costing and ordering, and it has direct contact with the buyer. Product
merchandising is carried out in the respective apparel unit and involves all the
responsibilities starting from sourcing to finishing.
Sampling department:
The sampling department coordinates with the merchandising and
production department. It is carried out to foresee finished product appearance
and fit when produced in bulk and to confirm whether there are any
inconsistencies in the pattern according to the buyer’s specification. It also aids to
determine the fabric consumption along with that of thread and
other accessories used.
Fabric sourcing:
Fabric sourcing is mainly engaged in deciding where and how the fabrics have
to be procured. It works in conjunction with the merchandising department and
looks after the delivery of the required garments within the scheduled time and
cost.
Purchasing department:
The main difference between the sourcing and purchasing department is that the
sourcing section works for sourcing the fabrics alone whereas the nature of the
work of the purchasing department comprises sourcing of accessories and trims
as well.
Fabric inspection department:

The main aims of fabric inspection team are-
1. Identification and analysis of fabric defects using various standard methods.

2. Selection of fabric according to AQL (accepted quality level) 1.5.
Accessory stores department:

The receipt of the raw materials or the accessories is normally completed in terms
of documents that are received from the merchants.
Production planning department:

Upon receipt of the orders from the merchants, pre-production
meetings with the departments have to be done. After that, the production
department will assign the style to the specific line that has the capacity to
complete it on time. The planning section then carries out the estimation and
planning of order quantity, plan cut date (PCD), breakup of order, operation
breakdown, etc. based on the particular unit.
Laboratory department:
The laboratory or testing center in the industry should be equipped with all the
essential instruments that are mandatory for the testing of fabric and accessories.
If the facility for specific tests mentioned by the buyer is not available in the
industry, it should be sent to external laboratories that are authorized by the
buyers.
Machine maintenance:
Undesirable quality of garments mostly results from ill-maintained machines.
Breakdown and preventive maintenance is mainly aimed toward reducing the
downtime and increasing lifetime, respectively.
CAD section:
Normally, large-scale garment industries have their own designing department
for various garment styles. The CAD department is accountable for the following
functions:
 Determining cutting average for costing
 Making the most efficient cutting marker
 Development and alteration of patterns
 Development of size set pattern by grading
 Digitizing the pattern
Cutting section:
The cutting department normally receives the order from the production
manager who has approved the cutting order to cut a given quantity of garment
styles. The cutting order sheet contains the following information:
 Sampling average, garment weight and averages of other trims

 Measurement sheet
 Design of the garment
 Purchase order
 Fabric request sheet
 Marker planning – length of lay, etc., size ratio and colors in which the
patterns are to be cut
Production department:
The production department will obtain the details like
 The garment style

 Number of operators required
 The batch for which the style has to be installed
 Target for each day
 Breakup of the production quantity
After receipt of all of the above details, the production department sends a
request from the cutting section for the cut parts. After assembling of the
components, a line check has to be done where the shade matching and the
measurements are checked.
Industrial engineering section:

This department is comparatively new addition in apparel industry. It
coordinates with several departments since this department provides the entire
plan of the garment manufacturing and the thread and trims
consumption criteria, operator’s skill level categorization and other related
aspects.
Embroidery department:
It comes into play only when the particular garment style demands. It receives
the garment panel, style and the embroidery details from the merchandisers and
they will also get a sample of the garment on which the embroidery has been
already done and it will be used as a reference sample.
Fabric washing section:

After the completion of assembling and inspection process, the garments are sent
to the washing department for the washing or finishing that is required for the
particular style according to the specification sheet.
Quality assurance department:

To maintain and control the quality, the quality assurance department divides the
work into different stages of manufacturing, which are categorized into three
major groups such as preproduction unit, cutting audit and sewing unit.
Finishing department:
The finishing department is the last section in the garment production prior to
packing and dispatch and it plays a significant role in the final garment
appearance. It involves the following processes.
1. Trimming: It removes the extra threads from the garment at the stitched
areas.
2. Inspection: The inspection is done as per the AQL 2.5 system and mainly
depends on the buyer requirements.
3. Pressing: This is carried out after the garment has been inspected
completely and the garments are pressed or finished based on the method of
their folding during packing.
4. Tagging section: After the completion of fabric inspection and pressing,
they are sent for labelling, which includes the size labels, price tags and
miscellaneous labels if any are mentioned in the specification sheet.
5. Packing: The packing is done in the carton boxes. Individual packing of
garments in the poly bag and folding the garments and organizing them in
the carton boxes without placing them in the poly bag are the two types of
packing followed in the garment industry.

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Introduction:

Apparel engineering is a broad based subject because it combines a number of

Garment manufacturing process includes number of processes from order

Different Departments in Garment Industry:

Function of the Different Departments in Garment Industry:

The main objective of marketing merchandising is development of product,

Fabric inspection department:

1. Identification and analysis of fabric defects using various standard methods.

Accessory stores department:

Production planning department:

 Sampling average, garment weight and averages of other trims

 The garment style

Industrial engineering section:

Fabric washing section:

Quality assurance department:

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