Apparel Manufacturing Process

TE-3203
Prepared by
Abir Khan
Lecturer, TE
Chapter: Quality Control in
Apparel Manufacturing
 Basic concept of Quality
 What is Quality Control
 Quality Control vs Quality Assurance
What is Quality? Quality means different things to different people,
depending on their perception of the value of a product
under consideration and their expectations of
performance and durability for that product.
Webster dictionary defines “Quality” as essential nature
or a trait or characteristics or superiority relatively
considered.
The American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) defines
that quality is a subjective term for which each person or
sector has its own definition. In technical usage, quality
can have two meanings:
1) the characteristics of a product or service that bear
on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs;
2) a product or service free of deficiencies.

According to Joseph Juran, quality means “fitness for

use”; according to Philip Crosby, it means “conformance
to requirements.”
Quality can also mean by any of the following:
• The degree of excellence that an item possesses
• Being the best money can buy
• Meeting a specification
• Craftsmanship
• Not more than 1% defect
• Anything Japanese
According to David Garvin, a
Harvard expert on quality, there
are eight dimensions of quality:
performance, features, reliability,
conformance, durability,
serviceability, aesthetics, and
perceived quality.
What does quality mean from the perspective
of Apparel
Fitness for use is the most widely used concept of quality and this concept
can be applied to garments also. For a garment quality may mean:
• The garment must be free from defects such as stains material (fabric)
defects, open seams, loose hanging (untrimmed) threads, misaligned
buttons and buttonholes, defective zippers, and so on .
• The garment must fit properly for the labeled size.
• The garment must perform satisfactorily in normal use, meaning that a
garment must be able to withstand normal laundering/dry-
cleaning/pressing cycles Without color loss or shrinkage, seams must not
come apart, fabric must not tear, and so on.
What is Quality Control?
Quality control (QC) is a procedure or set of procedures intended to
ensure that a manufactured product or performed service adheres to a
defined set of quality criteria or meets the requirements of the client or
customer.

ISO 9000 defines quality control as "A part of quality management

focused on fulfilling quality requirements“.
 Quality Assurance Quality Control
Quality assurance can be defined as "part of quality Quality control can be defined as "part of quality
management focused on providing confidence that management focused on fulfilling quality
quality requirements will be fulfilled." requirements."

Quality assurance looks at a product from the first Quality control is assessing for quality after
design concept until it is sold to the consumer. products have already been manufactured and
sorted into acceptable and unacceptable categories.
Quality assurance relates to how a process is Quality control is more the inspection aspect of
performed or how a product is made. quality management.

The quality assurance function in a service For some service organizations, the concept of
organization may not include quality control of quality control may be foreign because there is no
the service but may include quality control of tangible product to inspect and control.
any products involved in providing the service.
The goal of QA is to improve development and test The goal of QC is to identify defects after a product
processes so that defects do not arise when the is developed and before it's released.
product is being developed.
Everyone on the team involved in developing the Quality control is usually the responsibility of a
product is responsible for quality assurance. specific team that tests the product for defects.

QA is process oriented. QC is product oriented.

QA is a managerial tool. QC is a corrective tool.