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Introduction
Many companies have
found that by specifying the key trim items that go into their products,
they can better assure the total quality of the finished product. Key trim
items include zippers, buttons, labels, interlining, and thread. |
Thread only makes up
a small fraction of the cost of the finished product but shares 50% of the
responsibility of the finished seam. Can thread impact
seam quality?
Below are just a few
ways that improper thread selection can impact seam quality:
Therefore, do not risk
your company's reputation and brand integrity by gambling on seam
integrity. What do we mean by gambling on seam integrity?
- Having no
engineered thread specifications for the thread type and size, or
having the wrong specification.
- Trusting the
contractor to use what is best for your products.
- Assuming that
returns are the only indication of dissatisfied customers.
What impact does poor seam quality have on your costs? Poor seam quality
can affect you in the following ways:
- Rejections of work
due to poor quality either at the point of origin or in your
Distribution Center.
- Increased hassle of
dealing with problems rather than getting products to market.
- Missed shipping
dates.
- If you cannot put
product on the shelf, you are unable to sell it. Therefore, lost sales
and
lost
customers.
Not every product
requires rigid thread specifications. However, on some products, it is a
must in order to minimize quality issues. Below is a process for
evaluating where to start when writing thread specifications. Many
companies have found that writing thread specifications is as simple as
nominating approved thread companies for their global needs. On the other
hand, on certain products it may be advantageous to make specific thread
recommendations to assure the quality of the finished products going to
market.
Process
for Developing Thread Specifications
- Determine what
products have the greatest need for developing specification.
- Products that
are key to the development of your company reputation and brand
campaigns.
- By audits of
incoming goods from vendors.
- Measuring
customer returns or complaints.
- Determine the
extent of the Thread Specification Program to guarantee the quality
levels.
- For entire
sourcing program.
- For products
being sourced from certain geographical regions & suppliers.
- For specific
products (i.e., denim products)
- Determine the Scope
of the Thread Specification Program.
- Specify
suppliers that can provide consistent quality thread products
globally.
- Recommend using
a specific vendor for critical items.
- Specify a
specific color off a vendor's color card or have DTM (dye to
match).
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Example
One |
Example
Two |
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Vendor
-W12345 off A&E Global Color Palette or C1234 off Coats
International Color Reference Card. |
Vendor
- DTM
The challenge of DTM is the time it takes to match and produce
adequate inventories to service your contractor. Most vendors
have minimum lot sizes for DTM shades. Also, most vendors will
not accept returns of DTM shades. DTM would be necessary when
shade is critical to possibly match coordinates made somewhere
else. |
- Specify a
particular thread type and size for the entire garment.
- Example: Vendor
- Tex-24 Poly Wrapped Core.
- This would be
necessary where there are special conditions that you know will
improve the quality of the finished product by using a particular
thread type and size.
- Overcoming
seam puckering.
- Minimizing
seam failures.
- Providing a
particular "look" or aesthetic value.
- Specify a
particular thread type and size for each operation of a garment.
- Example: All
topstitching Operations on Jeans - Vendor- Tex-105 Cotton Wrapped
Core - Color #12345 All looper threads - Vendor- Tex-60 Spun Poly
- White.
- This requires
an intimate knowledge of the product being sewn and what are the
critical operations and thread requirements.
- Garments that
will be subjected to harsh wash programs, such as Jeans, require
specific threads to minimize "broken " and
"cut-stitches".
- Write the
Specification and communicate it properly.
- Establish a system
to verify the compliance to the specifications.
- On-site visits:
- Observe
thread usage.
- Audit order
book - purchasing documents.
- Verify
purchases through thread suppliers.
- Garment
Analysis to determine if the proper thread type and size is being
used in the finished product.
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