QUALITY CONTROL

Presentation By
Ms. Channa V S V B Deepthi
M. Sc, NET
Assistant Professor
 QUALITY
 Quality may defined as the “level of acceptance of goods or
services.”
 It completely depends on customer satisfaction.
 Actually product quality is based on product attribute.
 In textile and apparel industry, quality is calculated in terms of
standard of fibers, yarns, fabric construction, colour fastness,
designs and the final finished garments.
 Quality is very important in apparel business.
 Customers demand and acceptance is the supreme importance in
garment business because of clothing trends become change with
short time period.
 There are various factors on which quality fitness of apparel
industry is based such as - performance, reliability, durability,
visual and perceived quality of the garment.
 QUALITY CONTROL
 Quality control is a “continuous and regular control of the parameters
which affect the quality of the final product.”
 Quality control is generally understood as assessing for quality after
products have already been manufactured and sorted into acceptable and
unacceptable categories, but it comprises of planning, raw data
compilation, its investigation and implementation.
 The quality control department in apparel industry divides the work into
different levels of manufacturing, which are categorized into various
major groups such pre-production unit, cutting audit and sewing unit etc.
Quality Check in Apparel Industry
 OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY CONTROL

◦ The main objective of quality control is to ensure quality that

goods are produced according to buyer/customer requirements.
◦ To maximize the production of goods within the specified
tolerances correctly the first time.
◦ To achieve a satisfactory design of the fabric or garment in
relation to the level of choice in design, styles, colours,
suitability of components and fitness of product for the market.
 STAGES OF QUALITY CONTROL
 In the apparel industry quality control is practiced right from the
initial stage of sourcing raw materials to the stage of final finished
garment.
 Quality control in apparel industry is very complex and lengthy
task.
 There are several stages to control quality in apparel
manufacturing industry. They are given below:
 1. Pre-production quality control
 2. Quality control during production
 3. Final inspection
 4. Quality control in developing a sampling plan
 5. Post-production quality control
1. PRE-PRODUCTION QUALITY CONTROL

 In pre-production quality control, each component of a garment is

tested prior to assembling.
 Fabric, accessories, closures, interlinings, sewing threads, and
other design elements are all inspected and tested for their quality
and durability prior to the garment manufacturing in the pre-
production quality control phase.
 Fabric or closures with too many defects that do not work
properly can be detected prior to construction, which saves time
and money in the long run.
A) Quality inspection of fabric :
 Fabric quality is of utmost importance to the overall quality of
apparel and textile products.
 Regardless of how well a product is designed or constructed, if the
fabric is of poor quality, the product will most likely to fail with the
consumer.
 Most fabric is comprised of fibers that are spun into yarns and then
woven or knitted into fabric.
 Support materials like interlinings usually go from the fiber to the
fabric stage.
 Since fibers are the building blocks of all apparel and textile
products, it is important to start with quality fibers regardless if they
are natural, manufactured, regenerated, or synthetic.
 Fabric should keep the following properties in order to meet the
quality parameters :
◦ Comfort: It is very important fabric property. Comfort is studied by
looking at fabric in terms of elongation and elasticity, heat retention
and conduction, moisture absorbency, water repellency, waterproofing,
hand and skin contact, drape, and air permeability.
◦ Colorfastness: Colorfastness relates to appearance retention and can
be described as “how consumers use textile products and includes
factors that may cause colorants to change color or migrate from one
material to another”. Colorfastness is studied by exposing the fabric to
different conditions including acids and alkalis, crocking,
environmental conditions, frosting, heat, light, perspiration, or water.

◦ Durability: Durability evaluates “how various materials used in a

product perform when subjected to different conditions”. Durability of
a fabric in both warp and weft yarns are tested. There are many ways to
assess fabric durability, including strength (tensile, tear, and bursting),
abrasion, pilling, snagging, and dimensional stability.
B) Quality inspection of other accessories:
 Fabric accessories are inspected in the same manner as other
textile and apparel products.
 Accessories are checked during pre production, production, and
post production.
 Various fashion accessories include closures, interlinings, sewing
threads, elastic waistband, and other design elements.
 These accessories should be able to withstand the care and
maintenance procedures devised for the clothing.
 A brief inspection procedure for the accessories is described below:
◦ Closures: Closure strength and durability is extremely important to
garment construction and consumer satisfaction. Closures for apparel
and textiles products include zippers, buttons, hooks, snap fasteners,
drawstrings, hook-and-loop fasteners, and others.
◦ Interlinings: Interlinings, also called interfacing, are generally
nonwoven fabrics that add more structure and body to garment
components like collars, button plackets, waistbands, and cuffs.
Interlinings may be fusible or sew-on. Interlining durability is
important for garment construction.
◦ Sewing threads: Sewing thread is the yarn used to combine two or
more fabric pieces together in garments, accessories, and other textile
products. Thread encompasses the majority of the stress and strain
from movement and needs to be strong and durable. It must resist
breaking and be compatible with the rest of the garment in terms of
colour, care instructions, and construction. Sewing thread should be
free from imperfections such as knots, slubs, thick and thin places.
 ◦ Elastic waistband: Elastic waistbands are tested for fit (as per size)
and durability (loss of elasticity). The fit is measured by the force
needed to stretch the waistband about 200 more than the hip size (as
per the size label) and bringing back to the waist size. The durability
can be measured by stretching the waistband by 50% and measuring
the force needed to stretch it. The loss of force in the two cases
should be less than 10% for the waistband to be acceptable.
 Other design elements include beads, sequins, braids, and fringes.
They are tested for quality in similar ways as closures.
◦ Beads are similar to buttons and are tested for their impact resistance
against creaking, chipping, or breaking during sudden external force.
◦ Sequins are assessed for their strength and resistance to breaking or
tearing.
◦ Braids and fringes are checked for their quality in terms of
durability from fraying, unraveling, tearing, and ripping.
 2. QUALITY CONTROL DURING
PRODUCTION
 Each step in the garment production process is vital to the overall
quality of apparel products.
 The production of apparel products includes cutting, assembling,
pressing and other finishing procedures, and final inspection.
 Pattern pieces need to be cut with precision and on grain. Cut pattern
pieces should be assembled with accuracy and care. Assembled
garments are finished and pressed. Poor attention to detail, or
carelessness when sewing, could have the dominant effect on other
components or future assembling.
 For example, skewed fabric pieces will not fit together easily and
sewing is difficult. Poorly sewn garments have popped stitches and
loose seams. Poorly pressed garments will not lie on the body correctly
and could have permanent wrinkles.
 The following section describes the quality control of apparels
during various production processes:
◦ Spreading defects: Proper care should be taken to avoid any
mistakes during spreading, otherwise, it will result in improperly cut
components. The major parameters such as ply alignment, ply
tension, bowing, and splicing should be done with a great care.
Misaligned plies will result in garment parts getting cut with bits
missing in some plies at the edge of the spread. Incorrect tension of
plies, i.e., fabric spread too tight or too loose, will result in parts not
fitting in sewing, and finished garments not meeting size tolerances.
Not all plies facing in correct direction (whether “one way” or
“either way” as with some check designs), may create in pattern
misalignment or mismatch. The patterns should be aligned with
respect to the fabric grain, or else may not fit or drape properly.
Spread may be distorted by the attraction or repulsion of plies
caused by excessive static electricity.
◦ Cutting defects: Cutting is an important stage of the garment production
process. Precision is needed to cut accurate pieces that will fit together
during the assembly process. Cutting defects include frayed edges; fuzzy,
ragged, or serrated edges; ply-to-ply fusion; single-edge fusion; pattern
imprecision; inappropriate notches; and inappropriate drilling. Garment
defects are occurred by careless use of knife, perhaps overrunning cutting
previous piece, slits opened inaccurately or omitted, garment parts having
bits missing at edge of lay.
◦ Defects in assembling: After the pattern pieces have been cut, they are
assembled. Many issues and defects can arise during the sewing process.
Defects in assembling include defects with both stitches and seams.
Possible stitching defects include needle damage, feed damage, skipped
stitches, broken stitches, wrong or uneven stitch density, balloon stitches,
broken threads, clogged stitches, hangnail and improperly formed
stitches. Seam defects include seam pucker, incorrect or uneven width,
irregular or incorrect shape, insecure back-stitching, twisted seam,
mismatched seam, extra material caught in seam, reversed garment part,
wrong seam type used, slipping seam, and wrong thread used.
◦ Defects during pressing and finishing: After garments are
constructed, final preparations are completed. These final
preparations include pressing garments to help set seams and finish
garment shaping. Defects during pressing and finishing include
burned garments, water spots, change in original colour, creases
formed, fabric of finished garment not smooth, edges stretched or
rippled, pockets not smooth, garment not correctly shaped, and
shrinkage from moisture and heat.
 3. FINAL INSPECTON
 After materials have been tested for quality and the products have
been manufactured, products are tested for their performance
requirements, overall appearance, and sizing and fit.
 Proper sizing and fit can be measured as per the size of the garment
or they can be tested by putting the garments in mannequins or even
live models.
 They are also checked visually for any faults during the production
process.
 Hence, the quality of stitching, joining of garment components and
accessories are inspected.
 Although each component of a garment is tested individually, in pre
production quality control, products are tested for a final time to
assess the compatibility of materials used together and any
noticeable fault.
 Garments are inspected for off-grain fabric, poor or uneven stitching,
mismatched plaids or stripes along seams, puckered or extra material
caught in seams, and uneven seams along hems, among many other
problems that can occur in the apparel industry.
 Every garment manufacturer defines its own product zones and includes
these in their specifications as there is no industry standard.
 They will also define what they deem as critical, major, and minor
defects.
 A critical defect results in a flaw that produces an unsafe or hazardous
situation like a hole in a latex glove that would compromise the safety
of the wearer.
 A major defect is a flaw that often contributes to product failure or lack
of usability for a product. Examples of a major defect could be a broken
zipper, broken stitches, or tears in the fabric.
 A minor defect is a flaw that does not reduce the usability of a product,
but still deviates from standards and specifications. Examples of minor
defects could be an unclipped thread, untrimmed seam allowance, or
slubbed yarns in the fabric.
 4. QUALITY CONTROL IN DEVELOPING
A SAMPLE PLAN
 Although quality has been incorporated into each product up to
this point, products are selected for audits and sorted into
acceptable or unacceptable categories prior to shipment to their
final destination.
 There are many types of samples including random,
representative, convenience, stratified, constant percentage, and
systematic samples.
 A random sample is where every item has an equal chance of
being selected.
 A representative sample includes a planned variation of items in a
ratio that is appropriate.
 A convenience sample is made up of items that are easier to
inspect over others and not random.
 A stratified sample is selecting a sample when a large lot of
similar items exist.
 A constant percentage sample is sampling with a known constant
percentage regardless of lot size to determine the sampling size.
 A systematic sample consists of items from equal intervals of
time or the same location.
 Types of sampling plans include lot-by-lot sampling, lot-by-lot
sampling by attribute, skip-lot sampling, continuous production
sampling, and arbitrary sampling.
 5. POST-PRODUCTION QUALITY
CONTROL
 Post-production quality control in the apparel industry includes wear
testing for realistic reactions to everyday scenarios and testing with
a simulation study when a consumer’s reliability is in question.
 In wear testing, which is sometimes called product testing,
companies provide a small group of consumers with products.
 Consumers are contracted to wear garments under certain stated
guidelines and requirements in order to determine whether they meet
the company’s intended performance criteria.
 Consumers report back to the company and identify issues with the
product before an entire production lot of garments are produced.
 Appearance retention and care are other aspects of post-production
quality evaluation.
 CONCLUSION
 Quality control in apparel industry is really tough task.
 If quality properly controlled then costs remain at an acceptable level and
customers be satisfied.
 Because quality is ultimately a question of customer satisfaction.
 Quality control in terms of apparel manufacturing includes pre-sales and
posts sales service, delivery, pricing, etc which are essential for any
garment manufacturer, trader or exporter.
 High quality garments can be produced with the use of latest technology
and well trained workers to give best output and complete planning
before the production.
 QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 INTRODUCTION
 Quality Assurance(QA) is the process that “ensure production
quality meets the requirements of customers.”
 It is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various
aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the
probability that standards of quality are being attained by the
production process.
 Actually, quality assurance is not quality control, but quality
control is an aspect of quality assurance. Quality assurance builds
quality into each step of the manufacturing process including
designing, production, and beyond.
 INTRODUCTION
 Quality Assurance is an ongoing process that requires daily
attention by all laboratory staff.
 Two principles included in quality assurance that aims to achieve
quality are:
 “Fit for purpose”, the product should be suitable for the
intended purpose, and
 “Right first time”, mistakes should be eliminated. This is also
known as a ‘zero defects’ approach.
 Quality assurance is used to deliver the quality product to the client
according to his requirements and budget.
 In quality assurance, there is more emphasis on ‘self-checking’,
rather than checking by inspectors.
 ADVANTAGES OF QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 Costs are reduced because there is less wastage and re-working
of the products as the product is checked at every stage.
 It helps to improve worker motivation as workers have more
ownership and recognition for their work.
 It can help break down ‘us and them’ barriers between workers
and managers as it eliminates the feeling of being checked up
on.
 With all staff responsible for quality, this can help the firm gain
marketing advantages arising from its consistent level of
quality.
 IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY
ASSURANCE
 Quality assurance is a system companies use to review products, and
the production system, to ensure consistent, quality results.
 This system can help your company to identify weakness and
inconsistencies in the service or production method.
◦ Scrap Reduction: Quality assurance systems identify areas that
results in scrap, or products that don’t meet company specifications.
When the company reduces its number of defective production, it
experiences scraps reduction. Scraps reduction results in savings;
identification of defects early in the production process decreases the
cost to the company, because fewer man- hours and materials have
been used.
◦ Time Efficiency: A quality assurance team can reduce the amount of
inspections required in a manufacturing organization. The quality
assurance team is separate from the production group, and can
therefore be objective in identifying time- wasting areas during
production. They also ensure that production workers don’t use
valuable production time to inspect or evaluate the production
system.
 Increased Customer Satisfaction: The quality assurance system
improves the quality of products and services, which increases
customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction leads to repeat business,
customer referrals, increased sales and profits. A quality assurance
system eliminates defective products and continuously evaluates the
process to improve products and services. Quality assurance can results
in a consistently reliability in the end product results in customer
satisfaction and brand loyalty. Companies’ reliability in the end product
results in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Companies with
reliable quality gain a favourable reputation in the industry.

 Improved employee morale: Employee morale is higher in a company

using a quality assurance system, since the organization is more likely
to run well, and actively seeks methods for improvement, according to
the national institute of accounts. Management involves employee in
the process of quality improvement. Employee becomes stakeholders
in the organization and its success. Improved employee morale results
in less absenteeism and turnover among worker.
 Difference b/w quality control &
assurance
Quality Assurance Quality Control
Quality assurance is a continuous follow-up process Quality control is a systematic process where
at the production stage to goods dispatch. confirming the product quality and standard.

The main aim of QA is identify production defect. The main aim of QC is preventing production
defect.

Quality assurance is the responsibility of the whole Quality control is the responsibility of only
team. quality team.

Quality assurance task usually begins before Quality control task basically begins at
production. production stage.

Quality assurance is considered as a executive tool. Quality control is considered as a corrective tool.

Quality assurance is the method of managing for Quality control is the method of verify the quality
quality. up to output.
Quality assurance is the process of verification. Quality control is the process of Validation.

Quality assurance controlling the required quality. Quality control controlling in time of production.
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