Final Thesis Report 182 Part-2

“Root cause analysis of sewing defects and reducing defects by implementing
plan-do-check-act (PDCA) in a garments factory”
Submitted by:
Student ID: Student Name:
182014016 Md. Moinul Islam
182014046 Md.Kanan Sarkar
182014049 Tapas Deb Nath
182014060 Amanullah Ferdaws Sajib
Department of Textile Engineering

GREEN UNIVERSITY OF BANGLADESH
Supervised By:
Mr. Md. Kaikobad
Lecturer
Department of Textile Engineering
GREEN UNIVERSITY OF BANGLADESH
June, 2021
“Root cause analysis of sewing defects and reducing defects by implementing plan-do-check-act (PDCA)
in a garments factory.”
Certificate
It is certified that this thesis entitled “Root cause analysis of sewing defects and reducing defects by
implementing plan-do-check-act (PDCA) in a garments factory.” is done by the following students
under my direct supervision and this work has been carried out by them to fulfil the requirements
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering.
Signature of the candidates:
……………………………….
Name: Md. Moinul Islam
ID: 182014016
………………………………….
Name: Md.Kanan Sarkar
ID: 182014046
………………………………….
Name: Tapas Deb Nath
ID: 182014049
………………………………….
Name: Amanullah Ferdaws Sajib
ID: 182014060
Signature of the Supervisor:
….……………….......................
Mr.Md.Kaikobad
Lecturer
Department of Textile Engineering, GUB
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this thesis is to reduce the sewing defects. Five styles have selected
& inspected. Defect list and their frequencieshave shown by using checklist. Pareto
analysis has done to identify major defects from all the defects and two defects- skip stitch
& open stitch have found which causemore than 50% of total defects. The focus group
discussion, & cause effect diagrams indicate the root cause of those major defects. Then
PDCA is applied to reducethose defects. In plan phase, target has set up by using WH
question. Then in do phase,suggestions are applied to reduce skip stitch & open stitch during
sewing.
Key words: Defects, checklist, pareto analysis, cause effect diagrams, plan-do-check-act
(PDCA).
ACKNOWLEDGEMANT
We are thankful to Allah that we have able to complete our thesis successfully & special thanks
to Prof. DR. MD. GOLAM SAMDANI FAKIR sir & honorable Vice Chancellor of Green
University of Bangladesh. I am grateful to specially our supervisor MR. MD. KAIKOBAD sir.
It would not possible to complete such a wonderful project without his cooperation. He was kind
to us inevery way. During the work of the project, he has given us immense support, sincere
supervision, valuable advice and guidance. We want to thank Prof. DR. NITAI CHANDRA
SUTRADHAR sir Head of the Department ofTextile Engineering for his support & to Prof. DR.
MD. ISMAIL CHOWDHURY sir, DR. JAGANNATH BISWAS sir, DR. MD. SHARIFUL
ALAM sir & MR. MD. MAHBUBUR RAHMAN sir.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................... i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .............................................................................................................. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... iii-iv
LIST OF TABLE ............................................................................................................................ v
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF ANNEXURES ............................................................................................................... vii
CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction: .......................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Objectives: ............................................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................... 4
2.1 Root cause ............................................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Sewing section defects in garments: ..................................................................................... 5
2.3 Quality control in garment industry: ..................................................................................... 5
2.4 Process flow chart of quality control in sewing section: ....................................................... 6
2.5 Quality control tools in apparel industry: .............................................................................. 7
2.5.1 7 quality control tools in apparel industry: ..................................................................... 7
2.5.2 Benefits of 7 quality control tools: ................................................................................. 7
2.5.3 7 quality control tools: ............................................................................................... 8-12
2.6 PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle: .................................................................................... 13
2.6.1 Origins of the PDCA cycle: .......................................................................................... 15
2.7 When to use the PDCA cycle: ............................................................................................. 15
2.8 The PDCA model: ............................................................................................................... 15
CHAPTER-3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 16
3.1 Methodology: ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.2 Factory selection: ................................................................................................................ 18
3.3 Observed inspection process for 5 styles: ........................................................................... 18
3.4 Data collection: ................................................................................................................... 19
3.5 Data analysis: ...................................................................................................................... 20
3.6 PDCA implementation: ....................................................................................................... 21
CHAPTER-4: PERFORMANCE EVELUATION ....................................................................... 22
iii
4.1 Basic Data collection:.......................................................................................................... 23
4.1.1 Checklist for style- I239: .............................................................................................. 23
4.1.2 Production & inspection flow chart for style no.: I239: ............................................... 24
4.1.3 Combine checklist for 5 styles: .................................................................................... 25
4.1.4 Defect’s location for 5 styles: ....................................................................................... 26
4.2 Data analysis: ...................................................................................................................... 27
4.2.1 Pareto analysis: ............................................................................................................. 27
4.2.2 Focus group discussion:........................................................................................... 28-29
4.2.3 Cause effect diagram: ................................................................................................... 30
4.3 PDCA implementation: ....................................................................................................... 32
4.4 Result & Discussion………………………………………………………………. …...33-34
CHAPTER-5: CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 36
5.1 Key findings: ....................................................................................................................... 37
5.2 Limitations ........................................................................................................................... 37
5.3 Future scope ......................................................................................................................... 37
5.4 Conclusion: .......................................................................................................................... 37
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 40
ANNEXURE............................................................................................................................ 41-43
iv
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: 5 styles style no, name & details………………………………………………….18-19

Table 4.1: Checklist for style- I239 .............................................................................................. 23
Table 4.2: Combine checklist for 5 styles. .................................................................................... 25
Table 4.3: Focus group discussion ................................................................................................ 28
Table 4.4: Suggestion for solving major defects........................................................................... 32
Table 4.5: Defects identification ................................................................................................... 35
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1: Histogram ..................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 2.2: Check list ...................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 2.3: Cause-effect diagram .................................................................................................. 10
Figure 2.4: Pareto chart ................................................................................................................. 11
Figure 2.5: Scatter diagram ........................................................................................................... 11
Figure 2.6: Control chart ............................................................................................................... 12
Figure 2.7: Flow chart ................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 2.8: Plan-do-check-act cycle.............................................................................................. 13
Figure 3.1: Methodology .............................................................................................................. 17
Figure 4.1: Production & inspection flow chart............................................................................ 24
Figure 4.2: Defects & their location ............................................................................................. 26
Figure 4.3: Pareto chart ................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 4.4: Cause effect diagram for skip stitch ........................................................................... 30
Figure 4.5: Cause effect diagram for open stitch .......................................................................... 31
Figure 4.6: Defects percentage ..................................................................................................... 34
vi
LIST OF ANNEXURES
Table A-1: Checklist for style-I9HO ............................................................................................ 42
Table A-2: Checklist for style-J374B ........................................................................................... 42
Table A-3: Checklist for style-L01110 ......................................................................................... 43
Table A-4: Checklist for style-WHJ65 ......................................................................................... 43
vii
CHAPTER-1: INTRODUCTION
1
“Root cause analysis of sewing defects and reducing defects by implementing plan-do-check-act
(PDCA) in a garments factory.”
1.1 Introduction:
Bangladesh is a fast-growing economy powered by the readymade garments (RMG) industry
which has promoted the country in the world through the motto ‘Made in Bangladesh’. The RMG
industry has become one of the life lines of Bangladesh economy, sharing a major part of the
country’s export earnings. The industry started its journey in the late 70’s and since then it
continued to play a key role in the growth of the economy, and has emerged as the largest export
earning sector of the country. This industry has contributed in socioeconomic prospects, creating
a huge number employment opportunities mostly for the poor illiterate female workforce of the
country. Thus, the RMG sector has played a vital role in empowering women by providing
employment.
Bangladesh has emerged as a key player in RMG (Read made garment) sector since 1978. Textiles
& clothing account for about 85% of total export earnings of Bangladesh. Out of which 76% comes
from the apparel sector which covers the major products of knit & woven shirts, blouses, trousers,
skirts, shorts, sweaters, sportswear’s & many more casual & fashion items. The sector currently
employs approximately 1.5 million workers, mostly females from underprivileged social classes.
The pivotal factor in apparel industry is the workforce i.e. the operators, helpers, cutting masters,
finishers etc. Bangladesh is endowed with abundant & cheap workforce that is easily trainable &
convertible into semi-skilled & skilled workforce. Existence of such category is one of the
advantages that Bangladesh will be enjoying over a considerable period in the context of
international trade on clothing. To cope up with global challenge we must adopt with factors of
technological advancement with proper working environment in textile & apparel sector of the
country.
The ready-made garment is totally incomplete without sewing process. But it is true that,
sometimes we do not get the expected result in this section. It is because of lack of proper skill,
machine disturbance and improper machine adjustment. Defect in the garments industry is a
common phenomenon that hampers the smooth production rate and focus on poor quality products
having an impact on overall factory economy.
productivity. If more defects are found after sewing, then it causes negative impact on costs of the
product.
In this project work, sewing defects of a garment industry is studied. Then check list, flowchart,
pareto analysis & cause effect diagram have been used to find the root cause of sewing defects.
Then PDCA (plan-do-check-act) is implemented to reduce those sewing defects.
1.2 Objectives:
i. To identify sewing defects.
ii. To find out the root causes of major defects.
iii. To implement PDCA (plan-do-check-act) to reduce sewing defects.
1.3 Background study:

i. Md. Thidiazimin, Mustahfize Rahman, Samrat Kumar Dey, Taposh Kumar Kapuria have
worked on “Minimization of Sewing Defects of an Apparel Industry in Bangladeshwith
5S & PDCA”. The main purpose of this paper is to reduce the defects that will minimize
the rework rate.
ii. Taposh Kumar Kapuria, Mustafizur Rahman, Shuvo Haldar have worked on “Root
Cause Analysis and Productivity Improvement of An Apparel Industry in Bangladesh
Through Kaizen Implementation”. The purpose of the paper is to identify the root causes
of an apparel industry in Bangladesh and continuous improvement in reducing the defects
through Kaizen system.
iii. Sulaman Muhammad has worked on “Quality Improvement of Fan Manufacturing
Industry by Using Basic Seven Tools Of Quality: A Case Study”. Research was carried
out in a fan manufacturing industry to address the quality related problems and improve
their quality level by implementing basic seven tools of quality.
3
CHAPTER-2: LITERATURE REVIEW
4
2.1 Root cause:
Root cause is the fundamental breakdown or failure of a process which, when resolved, prevents
a recurrence of the problem. Root cause analysis is a problem-solving process for conducting an
investigation into an identified incident, problem, concern or non-conformity. Root cause analysis
is a completely separate process to incident management and immediate corrective action,although
they are often completed in close proximity. Root cause analysis requires the investigators to look
beyond the solution to the immediate problem and understand the fundamental or underlying
causes of the situation and put them right, thereby preventing reoccurrence of the same issue. This
may involve the identification and management of processes, procedures, activities, inactivity,
behaviors or conditions.
2.2 Sewing section defects in garments:

There is no hard and fast standard up to find out sewing defects. Those defects are depending on
product price intended quality and available manpower. Various defects found in sewing sections.
The following defects are identified and inspected in sewing section quality control–
i. Needle damage
ii. Skipped stitch
iii. Thread breakage
iv. Seam pucker
v. Wrong stitch density
vi. Uneven stitch
vii. Staggered stitch
viii. Oil spot
2.3 Quality control in garment industry:

Quality is of prime importance in any aspect of business. customers demand and expect value for
money. As producers of apparel, there must be a constant endeavor to produce work of good
quality. The systems required for programming and coordinating the efforts of the various groups
in an organization to maintain the requisite quality. As such quality control is seen as the agent of
quality Assurance or total quality control. For textile
5
and apparel industry product quality is calculated in terms of quality and standard of fibers, yarns,
fabric construction, color fastness, surface designs and the final finished garment products.
However quality expectations for export are related to the type of customer segments and the retail
outlets.
Total quality control:
To ensure that the requisite quality of product is achieved. This ensures customer satisfaction, but
it leaves quality control as a necessary but expensive evil. To ensure, at minimum practicable cost,
that the requisite quality of product is being achieved at every stage of manufacture from raw
materials to boxed stock.
2.4 Process flow chart of quality control in sewing section:

Quality refers to the buyer’s satisfaction or requirements. Now a day’s readymade garments
business is fully based on quality, which is carried out in various sections. The garment’s sewing
section is one of those. As its importance in garments manufacturing, the process flow chart of
quality control in the sewing section is presented below:
Input material checking
Cutting panel and accessories checking
Checking the sewing machine
Sewing thread checking
Sewing needle checking
Embroidery and printing panel checking (If there)
Stitching fault checking
6
↓
Seam fault checking
Measurement checking
Shade variation checking
Size mistake checking
A crease or wrinkle appearance checking
2.5 Quality control tools in apparel industry:

Quality is always the key to determining the standard of a product. And to maintain such standards
there are universal tools that are being used throughout the industries. These are known as the
Seven basic tools of quality. 7 QC (Quality Control) tools are very effective for apparel or any
other type of factory.
2.5.1 7 quality control tools in apparel industry:
i. Histogram
ii. Check list
iii. Cause and effect diagram
iv. Pareto chart
v. Scatter diagram
vi. Control chart
vii. Flow chart
2.5.2 Benefits of 7 quality control tools:
i. Improve management decision-making skills

ii. Collect, present, identify and analyses data
iii. Control cost of poor quality
iv. Reduce variations and improve quality 7
v. Reduce defects and improve production
vi. Reduce cycle time and improve efficiency
vii. Continuous quality improvement
viii. Encourages teamwork and confidence
ix. Enhances customer satisfaction through improved quality product.
2.5.3 7 quality control tools:
1) Histogram
The histogram is a bar chart. It is a graphical chart based on numeric value for showing the
frequency distribution of the database.
Figure 2.1: Histogram
2) Check list
The check list is a simple document that is used for collecting data in real-time and at thelocation
where the data is generated. A document is typically a blank form that is designed for the quick,
easy, and efficient recording of the desired information, which can be either quantitative or
qualitative.
8
Category Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Thursday Total
Skip stitch ///// ///// //// /// // 19
Open stitch ///// //// /// /// // 17
Uneven stitch /// //// //// /// / 15
Point uneven /// // /// /// // 13
Staggered
//// // // /// // 13
stitch
Bar tack
/// /// // // / 11
missing
Label
// /// // /// // 12
Missing
Raw edge out /// // /// /// / 12
Uncut thread // // /// // // 11
Figure 2.2: Check list
3) Cause-and-effect diagram (Ishikawa diagram / Fishbone diagram)

A cause-and-effect diagram looks like a fish that’s why it’s called fishbone diagram, also called
Ishikawa diagram, a visualization tool for categorizing the potential causes of a problem in order
to identify its root causes. Dr. Kaoru Ishikawa developed the “Fishbone diagram” at the university
of Tokyo in 1943. To break down (in successive layers of detail) root causes that potentially
contribute to a particular effect. This diagram is used in process improvement methods to identify
all of the contributing root causes likely to be causing a problem.
How to work on fishbone-
If you find a problem and want to make a fishbone diagram. First, need brainstorming about the
defect to find out types of causes based on 6 basic things. These are:
i. Machine
ii. Manpower
iii. Environment
iv. Method
v. Materials
vi. Measurement
9
Machine Man Environment
Effect
Method Material Measurement
Figure 2.3: Cause-effect diagram
4) Pareto chart (80/20 Rule)

A Pareto chart is a bar graph. The lengths of the bars represent frequency or cost (time or money)
and are arranged with the longest bars on the left and the shortest to the right. In this way, the chart
visually depicts which situations are more significant.
Figure 2.4: Pareto chart
10
5) Scatter diagram
The scatter diagram graphs pairs of numerical data, with one variable on each axis, to look for a
relationship between them. If the variables are correlated, the points will fall along a line or curve.
The better the correlation, the tighter the points will hug the line. The scatter diagram collects pairs
of data where a relationship is suspected.
Figure 2.5: Scatter diagram
6) Control chart
Control charts are a statistical process control tool used to determine if a manufacturing or business
process is in a state of control. A control chart shows how data frequency changes, defects trends
and compares with a previous time record.
11
Figure 2.6: Control chart
7) Flow chart
Flow chart is a method of dividing data into subcategories and classify data based on a group,
division, class, or level that helps in deriving meaningful information to understand an existing
problem. The main purpose of flow chart is to divide the data and conquer the meaningful
information to solve a problem [10].
Figure 2.7: Flow chart
12
2.6 PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle:
The PDCA cycle is a method for making changes to work processes and improving standards. The
letters PDCA stand for plan, do, check, and act. This cycle is employed by people at many levels
of an organization.
During the 4 phases of the cycle, people do the following:
i. Plan: Assess the current state and look for improvements. If a problem exists, examine it
in detail. Develop possible solutions and means of execution. In this phase, gather as much
information as possible to make informed decisions about how to proceed.
ii. Do: Try out the plans, making sure everyone involved understands the changes. This
implementation phase is key to getting accurate results.
iii. Check: Follow up to see how effective the changes are. Spend some time comparing the
new state to how things were previously.
iv. Act: If the changes work, continue using them and make them the new standard. This will
be the new point of reference for future PDCA efforts.
Figure 2.8: Plan-do-check-act cycle

13
2.6.1 Origins of the PDCA cycle:
Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a leader in the field of quality management, popularized the plan-do-
check-act cycle, sometimes called the deming cycle or shewhart cycle, since deming always
credited American physicist Walter A. Shewhart’s work for the basis of PDCA. Later in his life,
Dr. Deming referred to this cycle as the PDSA cycle, changing the check stage to study in an effort
to get people to do more analysis during this phase. In either case, this process is based on the
scientific method where someone makes a hypothesis, tests it out, and takes appropriate action
based on the results [11].
2.7 When to use the PDCA cycle:

i. Starting a new improvement project.
ii. Developing a new or improved design of a process, product, or service.
iii. Defining a repetitive work process.
iv. Planning data collection and analysis in order to verify and prioritize problems or root
causes.
v. Implementing any change.
vi. Working toward continuous improvement
2.8 The PDCA model:

Plan:
The planning stage is for mapping out what is going to do to try to solve a problem or otherwise
change a process. During this step, identifying and analyzing the problem, Selecting the best
possible intervention & scheduling the corrective process by planning for resources, determining
people.
Consider the following questions:
i. What is required to be done?

ii. How much required to be done?
iii. Where it is required to be done?
iv. Who should do it?
v. When it is required to be done?
14
Do:
The next step is to test the proposed solution. The PDCA cycle focuses on smaller, incremental
changes that help improve processes with minimal disruption.
Testing the proposed solution with a small-scale project, a controlled environment is preferable to
evaluate the results without interrupting the rest of your operation.
Check:
After completing the trial, it’s time to review and analyze the results. This stage is important
because it allows one to evaluate solution and revise plans as necessary. Did the plan actually
work? What steps could be improved or need to be eliminated from future iterations?
Evaluation at this stage will guide to make decisions in the next step, so it is important to consider
results carefully.
Act:
Finally, it is time to act. If all went according to plan, implement the tried-and-tested plan.
Consider the following questions before acting:
i. What resources need to implement the solution at full scale?

ii. What training is needed for successful implementation and adoption?
iii. How can one measure and track the performance of the solution?
iv. What opportunities are there for improvement?
v. What have one learned that can be applied to other projects?
If the plan did not pan out as expected, look back to the planning stage to make adjustments and
prepare for a new trial.
15
CHAPTER-3: METHODOLOGY
16
3.1 Methodology:
Factory selection
Observed inspection process

for 5 style
Data collection
Checklist for 1 style
Production & inspection flowchart for 1 style
Combine checklist for 5 styles
Defects location for 5 styles
Data analysis
Major defects finding by pareto analysis
Root cause analysis by cause effect diagram Focus group discussion
PDCA implementation
Set our target in plan phase
Suggestion for reducing defects in do phase
Result & discussion
Figure 3.1: Methodology
17
3.2 Factory selection:
Cut N Sew Ltd. has been selected for our project work which is situated in Dhaka. They mainly
work with woven based product, like- jacket, shirt, pants, workwear.
i. Establishment: 2011
ii. Line number: 12
iii. Total manpower: 1100
3.3 Observed inspection process for 5 styles:

5 styles have been observed for our project work.
Table 3.1: 5 styles style no, name & details

Style No. Name & Details Picture
I239 Men's quilt lined flannel
shirt with fouler hood.
Buyer: Berne
Shell: 100% cotton
Lining: 100% polyester
I9HO Men's safety vest.
Buyer: Richlu
Shell: 100% polyester
18
J374B Men's insulated zip front
jacket.
Buyer: Berne
Shell: 100% cotton
L01110 Work bomber jacket.
Buyer: Canada sportswear

Shell: 100% polyester
WHJ65 Berne ladies soft stone

heathered jacket.
Buyer: Berne
Shell: 60% cotton,
40% polyester
Lining:100% polyester
3.4 Data collection:

i. Checklist for 1 style: Style number I239's checklist (table4.1) has been made from 5 days
inspection. 50 pcs have been inspected by us.
19
ii. Production & inspection flowchart for 1 style: Style number I239's production flow chart
(figure4.1) has been made and quality inspection workstation has been marked. Defect
location can be found out from the flowchart.
iii. Combine checklist for 5 styles: Combine checklist has been made for 5 styles (table4.2).
50 pcs from each style have been inspected & remaining data have been collected from line
quality control report. Then a combine checklist for 5 styles has been made.
iv. Defect’s location for 5 styles: Defects location have showed the operations where defects
take place frequently in the styles. It helps to identify the operations where defect occurs.
3.5 Data analysis:

i. Pareto analysis: Pareto analysis (figure4.3) has been done by using combine checklist for
5 styles. From the pareto chart, defects percentage can be found.
ii. Focus group discussion: Focus group has been formed with quality manager, quality
supervisor, line in-charge & operators. Then causes of those major defects have been
discussed by WH question.
a. What are the major defects of these styles?

b. Why are these defects happening?
c. Where are these defects arising?
d. When these defects found?
e. Who is the person responsible for these defects?
iii. Cause effect diagram: After discuss with focus group members, cause effect diagram has
been created. By using cause effect diagram, the causes & sub causes of the major defects
can be found.
3.6 PDCA implementation:

Plan phase:
We set our target by using WH question in this phase.
i. What are the major defect?
ii. How much is required to be done?
iii. Where it is needed to be done?
iv. Who should do it? 20

v. When it is needed to be done?
Do phase:
After analyzing cause effect diagram, some suggestions- train unskilled operator, bobbin checking,
machine speed control, needle thread tension should be proper, feed dog checking, proper
threading, needle & thread quality check are given to reduce those major defects during sewing.
21
CHAPTER-4: PERFORMANCE EVALUATIO
22
4.1 Basic Data Collection:
4.1.1 Checklist for style- I239:
Table 4.1: Checklist for style- I239
Day Observed Defect Open Skip Point Stagg Une Bar Label Uncut Raw
Quantity(p Quantity(p stitch stitc up- ered vencs) tack missi thread edge ng
cs) h down stitch stitc missi out
h ng
1 200 54 14 12 8 6 3 3 3 3 2
2 250 50 11 14 9 7 2 2 2 1 2
3 250 45 10 12 5 9 2 2 2 2 1
4 275 47 11 15 6 7 3 3 1 0 1
5 300 55 12 17 5 11 3 2 2 1 2
Tota 1275 251 58 70 33 40 13 12 10 7 8

l
23
4.1.2 Production & inspection flow chart for style no.: I239:
Figure 4.1: Production & inspection flow chart
24
4.1.3 Combine checklist for 5 styles:
Table 4.2: Combine checklist for 5 styles.
Style no. I239 I9HO J374B L01110 WHJ65 Total
Defect name
Open stitch 58 54 63 60 62 297
Skip stitch 70 68 65 74 66 343
Point up-down 33 29 30 31 37 160
Staggered stitch 40 36 43 41 44 204
Uneven stitch 13 12 16 10 14 65
Bar tack 12 13 10 9 13 57
missing
Label missing 10 9 13 8 10 50
Uncut thread 7 8 10 7 9 41
Raw edge out 8 7 6 5 7 33
Total 251 236 256 245 262 1250
25
4.1.4 Defect’s location for 5 styles:
Skip stitch Open stitch Staggered stitch
Cuff top stitch Shell pocket Zipper top stitch
Hem top stitch Hem top stitch Hem top stitch
Arm hole top stitch Zipper top stitch Side joining
Shell pocket Arm hole top stitch
Point up-down Uneven stitch Bar tack missing
Hem top stitch Hem top stitch Pocket
Cuff joint Zipper top stitch Flap
Collar joint Arm hole top stitch
Shell pockets Collar top stitch
Zipper attaching
Raw edge out Uncut thread

Label missing
Cuff Any part in garments

Main label attaching
Collar
Care label attaching
Side joining
Figure 4.2: Defects & their location
26
4.2 Data analysis:
4.2.1 Pareto analysis:
By using “Table4.2: Combine checklist for 5 styles.” data, pareto chart has been made.
i. Skip stitch is the most frequent defect with 27% of total defects.
ii. Open stitch is the second most frequent defect with 24% of the total defects.
iii. Staggered stitch 17%, point up-down 12%, uneven stitch 6%, bar tack missing 4%, label
missing 4%, uncut thread 3%, raw edge out 3%.
iv. Among these defects skip stitch & open stitch is causing more than 50% of problems. So,
they are major defects.
100%
97%
400 94% 100%
90%
86% 90%
350 80%
80%
300 68%
Cumulative percentage
70%
250 60%
Frequency
51%
200 50%
40%
150
27%
30%
100
20%
50 10%
0%
Defects
Figure 4.3: Pareto chart
27
4.2.2 Focus group discussion:
Focus group has been formed with quality manager, quality supervisor, line in charge &
operators. Then causes of those major defects have been discussed by WH question.
Table 4.3: Focus group discussion
What are the major defects of i. Skip stitch

these styles?
ii. Open stitch
Why skip stitch is happening? i. Bobbin empty
ii. Operator’s less

concentration
iii. Improper threading
iv. Needle fault
v. Thickness of fabric
vi. Machine speed high
vii. Improper tension of needle

thread
Why open stitch is happening? i. Bobbin empty
ii. Operator’s less

concentration
iii. Improper threading
iv. Needle fault
v. Poor quality thread
vi. Faulty feed dog
vii. Improper tension of needle

thread
28
From "Figure 4.2: Defects & their
Where are these defects
location ", we found the location of
arising?
those defects.
Time of checking at Inspection

When these defects found? table.
Who is the person Operators & supervisor related to

responsible for the specific defecting operations.
these defects?
29
4.2.3 Cause effect diagram:
Fault name: Skip stitch
Figure 4.4: Cause effect diagram for skip stitch

30
Fault name: Open stitch
Figure 4.5: Cause effect diagram for open stitch
31
4.3 PDCA implementation:
Plan:
i. What are the major defect?

Answer: Skip stitch, open stitch.
ii. How much is required to be done?
Answer: Our goal is to reduce sewing defects as much as possible.
iii. Where it is needed to be done?
Answer: In a sewing line.
iv. Who should do it?
Answer: Operator.
v. When it is needed to be done?
Answer: During sewing.
Do:
Table 4.4: Suggestion for solving major defects
Category Skip Stitch Open Stitch

1) Train unskilled operator. 1) Train unskilled operator.
2) Bobbin should be changed when 2) Bobbin should be changed when
Man empty. empty.
1) Machine speed should need to be 1) Feed dog need to be checked before

adjusted. work.
Machine 2) Needle thread tension should be 2)Needle thread tension should be
proper. proper.
1) Proper threading needs to be done. 1) Proper threading needs to be done.
Method
1) Needle and thread should be used 1) Needle should be checked before use.
according to fabric thickness. 2) Thread quality should be good.
Material 2) Needle should be checked before
use.
32
4.5 Result & discussion:
Skip stitch Open stitch Staggered stitch Point up-down Uneven stitch
Bartack missing Label missing Uncut thread Raw edge out
3% 3%
4%
4%
27%
6%
12%
24%
17%
Figure 4.5: Defects percentage
The styles have been checked at inspection tables of sewing line. Checklist, flowchart, pareto
analysis, focus group discussion, cause effect diagram have used to analyze those defects. Open
stitchcauses 24%, skip stitch causes 27%, point up-down causes 12%, staggered stitch causes 17%,
uneven stitch causes 6%, bar tack missing causes 4%, label missing 4%, uncut thread causes 3%,
raw edge out 3% of total defects. Among those defects skip stitch & open stitch causes more than
50% of total defects, so they are major defects.
By using WH question, we set our target to reduce the major defects in plan phase. In do phase,
suggestions such as - train unskilled operator, bobbin checking, machine speed adjustment, feed
dog checking, proper threading, needle & thread quality check is given to reduce those major
defects.
33
Table 4.5: Defects identification
Open stitch Skip stitch Point up-down
Staggered stitch Uneven stitch Bar tack missing
Label missing Uncut thread Raw edge out
35
CHAPTER-5: CONCLUSION
36
5.1 Key findings:
i. Major defects such as skip stitch, open stitch is found after analyzing the data which
increase rework time and reduce production.
ii. Those defects can be reduced by implementing PDCA cycle properly.
iii. Proper training & awareness of operators is the best possible solutions to reduce the defect
numbers.
iv. If those defects can be reduced, then production and quality will increase.
5.2 Limitations:
v. Due to factory management restriction, first two phases plan and do have been applied but
check and act phase cannot be applied.
vi. In the do phase, suggestions have been given which can reduce defects.
vii. During implementation of PDCA cycle, recruiting operator and adjusting the machine
properly was not possible to check whether the suggestion given in the do phase work or
not due to restriction.
5.3 Future scope:

For reducing defects in sewing, this process can be applied in the sewing floor. This process can
be applied for every type of item. As the defects reduction is a continuous process, implementation
of this methodology can help the companies enjoying more reduction in rejection rate and
improvement in productivity. Small and medium garments manufacturing industry also can apply
this process in the factory as it is easy to apply and cost-effective process. It will help the companies
to be beneficiary and compete in the global competitive market.
5.4 Conclusion:
Project work is an integral part of textile engineering education. Through project work, we learn
the implementation of the processes which we learn theoretically. It gives us an opportunity to
compare our theoretical knowledge with practical facts and thus develop our knowledge and skills.
We learn much practical issue during project work. In this project report, frequently happening
defects have been found which takes place during sewing. Root causes of major defects are
analyzed. Then PDCA have been applied to reduce those defects during sewing. Plan and do phase
37
have been applied but it was not possible to apply check and act phase due to factory restriction.
PDCA is a continuous improvement process which need to be applied in whole production process.
It takes some time to see the result of the process. A collaboration with all sections of the factory
is needed to get the proper output. Garments factory is playing important role in our economy.
Global competition in the market is changing. Leading garments manufacturer adopting new
technology, strategy, ideas to deal with the global market. Value added market is becoming a
problem for the factories in our country. To compete in the global market, factories need to apply
quality tools to improve quality and production. PDCA can be an easy solution for all types of
factories. Hopefully our suggestion, will help the factory to reduce defects during sewing. Labor
cost in our country is low, so using quality tools can help the factories to increase profit margin
significantly. The authority, officers and workers of Cut N Sew Ltd. were very helpful so it was
much easier for us to carry on our project work. Our ultimate gratitude to Cut N Sew Ltd.
authorities and hopefully our suggestion will help them reducing sewing defects.
38
REFERENCES
[1] M. A. R. a. A. A. M. Saiful Islam, "Ready-Made Garments Sector of Bangladesh: Its
Contribution and Challenges towards Development," J. Asian Dev. Stud, vol. 5, no. 2, p.
50, June 2016. [Online].Available:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309702078_Ready-
Made_Garments_Sector_of_Bangladesh_Its_Contribution_and_Challenges_towards_D
evelopment.[Accessed 18 March 2021].
[2] M. S. M. A. M. M. R. A. N. M. A. U. M. S. U. K. M. Faridul Hasan, "Role of Textile
and Clothing Industries in the Growth and Development of Trade & Business Strategies
of Bangladesh in the Global Economy," International Journal of Textile Science, vol. 5,
no. 3, pp. 39-48, 2016. [Online].Available:
http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.textile.20160503.01.html.[Accessed 18 March 2021].
[3] M. R. S. K. D. T. K. K. Md. Tahiduzzaman, "Minimization of Sewing Defects of an
Apparel Industry in Bangladesh with 5S & PDCA," American Journal of Industrial
Engineering, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 17-24, 2018. [Online].Available:
http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajie/5/1/3.[Accessed 18 March 2021].
[4] M. R. S. H. Taposh Kumar Kapuria, "Root Cause Analysis and Productivity
Improvement of An Apparel Industry in Bangladesh Through Kaizen Implementation,"
Journal of Applied Research on Industrial Engineering , vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 227-239,
December 2017. [Online]Available:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323857911_Root_Cause_Analysis_and_Produ
ctivity_Improvement_of_An_Apparel_Industry_in_Bangladesh_Through_Kaizen_Impl
ementation.[Accessed 18 March 2021].
[5] S. Muhammad, "Quality Improvement Of Fan Manufacturing Industry By Using Basic
Seven Tools Of Quality: A Case Study," Int. Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 30-35, April 2015. [Online].
Available:https://www.academia.edu/32359210/Quality_Improvement_Of_Fan_Manufa
cturing_Industry_By_Using_Basic_Seven_Tools_Of_Quality_A_Case_Study.[Accesse
d 18 March 2021].
[6] JoymalyaBhattacharya, "Root Cause Analysis – A Practice to Understanding and
Control," International Journal of Business and Management Invention, vol. 3, no. 10,
pp. 12-20, October 2014. [Online].Available:
http://www.ijbmi.org/papers/Vol(3)10/Version-2/B03102012020.pdf.[Accessed 26
March 2021].
[7] NoorAhmedRaaz, "Textile merchandising," 26 April 2018. [Online]. Available:
http://textilemerchandising.com/. [Accessed 26 March 2021].
[8] K. S. S. V. V. Alagulakshmi, "FIBRE2FASHION.COM," February 2008. [Online].
Available: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/3055/quality-systems-for-
garment. [Accessed 26 March 2021].
[9] NoorAhmedRaaz, "TextileFlowchart," 26 July 2015. [Online]. Available:
https://www.textileflowchart.com/2015/07/flow-chart-of-quality-control-in-sewing-
39
section.html. [Accessed 27 March 2021].
[10] "Ordnur Textile And Finance," [Online]. Available: https://ordnur.com/industrial-
engineering-ie/7-qc-tools-in-apparel-industry/#google_vignette. [Accessed 26 March
2021].
[11] "Creative safety supply," [Online]. Available:
https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/glossary/pdca-cycle/. [Accessed 26 March 2021].
[12] "ASQ," [Online]. Available: https://asq.org/quality-resources/pdca-cycle. [Accessed 26
March 2021].
[13] "Luicdchart," [Online]. Available: https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/plan-do-check-act-
cycle. [Accessed 26 March 2021].
40
ANNEXURE
41
Table A-1: Checklist for style-I9HO
Quantity(p Quantity(p stitch stitch up- ered ven tack missi thread edgeng
cs) cs) down stitch stitc missi out
h ng
1 150 51 11 17 4 7 3 2 3 2 2
2 230 45 10 12 7 7 2 3 2 1 1
3 270 38 9 13 4 5 2 2 1 1 1
4 300 41 10 12 5 6 2 2 1 1 2
5 350 61 14 14 9 11 3 4 2 3 1
Tota 1300 236 54 68 29 36 12 13 9 8 7

l
Table A-2: Checklist for style-J374B
h ng
1 150 59 13 16 5 10 4 3 4 2 2
2 190 48 12 11 7 8 3 2 2 1 2
3 230 43 11 13 4 7 2 1 1 3 1
4 250 40 11 11 6 6 2 1 2 1 0
5 280 66 16 14 8 12 5 3 4 3 1
Tota 1100 256 63 65 30 43 16 10 13 10 6

l
42
Table A-3: Checklist for style-L01110
h ng
1 160 55 13 16 5 11 2 2 2 2 2
2 200 46 12 13 7 8 2 1 1 1 1
3 250 40 10 14 4 6 1 1 1 1 2
4 260 44 11 13 6 7 2 2 2 1 0
5 280 60 14 18 9 9 3 3 2 2 0
Tota 1150 245 60 74 31 41 10 9 8 7 5

l
Table A-4: Checklist for style-WHJ65
h ng
1 180 61 12 16 7 10 3 3 4 2 4
2 220 44 10 11 6 8 3 2 2 1 1
3 250 43 11 13 5 6 2 2 1 1 2
4 250 46 13 11 8 7 2 2 1 2 0
5 300 68 16 15 11 13 4 4 2 3 0
Tota 1200 262 62 66 37 44 14 13 10 9 7

l
43

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“Root cause analysis of sewing defects and reducing defects by implementing

plan-do-check-act (PDCA) in a garments factory”

182014016 Md. Moinul Islam

182014046 Md.Kanan Sarkar

182014049 Tapas Deb Nath

182014060 Amanullah Ferdaws Sajib

Department of Textile Engineering

Signature of the candidates:

Signature of the Supervisor:

Table 3.1: 5 styles style no, name & details………………………………………………….18-19

1.3 Background study:

2.2 Sewing section defects in garments:

2.3 Quality control in garment industry:

Total quality control:

2.4 Process flow chart of quality control in sewing section:

Input material checking

Cutting panel and accessories checking

Checking the sewing machine

Sewing thread checking

Sewing needle checking

Embroidery and printing panel checking (If there)

Stitching fault checking

Seam fault checking

Shade variation checking

Size mistake checking

A crease or wrinkle appearance checking

2.5 Quality control tools in apparel industry:

2.5.1 7 quality control tools in apparel industry:

2.5.2 Benefits of 7 quality control tools:

i. Improve management decision-making skills

2.5.3 7 quality control tools:

Figure 2.1: Histogram

Figure 2.2: Check list

3) Cause-and-effect diagram (Ishikawa diagram / Fishbone diagram)

How to work on fishbone-

Method Material Measurement

Figure 2.3: Cause-effect diagram

4) Pareto chart (80/20 Rule)

Figure 2.4: Pareto chart

Figure 2.5: Scatter diagram

Figure 2.7: Flow chart

During the 4 phases of the cycle, people do the following:

Figure 2.8: Plan-do-check-act cycle

2.7 When to use the PDCA cycle:

2.8 The PDCA model:

Consider the following questions:

i. What is required to be done?

Consider the following questions before acting:

i. What resources need to implement the solution at full scale?

Observed inspection process

Checklist for 1 style

Production & inspection flowchart for 1 style

Combine checklist for 5 styles

Defects location for 5 styles

Major defects finding by pareto analysis

Root cause analysis by cause effect diagram Focus group discussion

Set our target in plan phase