[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
Upcoming Seminars at [TC]²
Ensuring Quality Products - December 9-10, 2008
Are quality problems and irregulars affecting your company’s production and profitability?
Attend the December 9-10 offering of Ensuring Quality Products for insight and relief.
This seminar will highlight how each of the inputs to the sewing process: fabric, patterns, machinery, and operators influences the quality outcome. The subsequent discussion of analytical investigation techniques, utilizing six-sigma quality concepts, will allow attendees to suggest improvements. A case study and examination of defective garments will help participants transfer the knowledge gained to real-world manufacturing.
Pattern Development – January 13-15, 2009
Improve product quality and customer loyalty with consistent fit.
Brand owners, retailers, quality specialists, and manufacturers are seeking ways to improve product quality and customer loyalty. Improved quality depends upon patterns being correctly matched to cutting and manufacturing techniques so that style features and critical seams can be executed without error. The results will be fewer recuts and lower costs for quality products.
Pattern development bridges the perceived chasm between design and manufacturing. Understanding core concepts and terms can greatly reduce sewing problems and ease the transition from basic block patterns to fashion patterns while maintaining consistent brand fit. Attend this class to learn the underlying principles even if automated systems are used to do most of the pattern work. Hands-on activities include flat pattern manipulations and drafting.
These seminars will be held at [TC]²’s facility at 5651 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC.
A complete description of these programs and others can be viewed at http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html
To download or print a copy of [TC]²’s seminar schedule for 2009, click here (pdf).
For additional information or to register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653.3501, or via our contact form.
Fast Fashion Returns to New York City
January 14, 2009
UK’s Industry Forum and [TC]² are joining together to present a Fast Fashion event at FIT, which is being sponsored by AlixPartners. Learn what processes enable the Fast Fashion cycle from design to point of sale to be achieved in 4-6 weeks and the company culture required to support the processes. The presentations will include Fast Fashion examples from successful companies like Zara in Spain and leading retailers in the UK. [TC]² will show how Fast Fashion meets the sustainability agenda and how advances in digital technology will make processes even faster. AlixPartners will explain how to deliver change in the product development process to achieve improved financial performance.
The program has been endorsed by the IAF (International Apparel Federation).
For more information on this program, contact Karen Davis at 919.380.2177, or complete our contact form.
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New Innovative Uses of [TC]²’s Body Scanner
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
Since its inception, people have been finding increasingly varied ways to put [TC]²’s 3D body scanner to good use. With the capability to scan an entire body in seconds and rapidly produce a true-to-scale 3D body model, the scanner was the ideal tool for the SizeUSA sizing survey. The data collected in the survey continues to be used by academicians, researchers and industry professional to investigate and analyze body shapes. Large retailers have used [TC]²’s scanner to conduct their own internal surveys to learn more about their customers’ body shape and size preferences. Retailers have used the data they have collected to adjust their sizing to produce better fitting clothes.
More recently, the scanner has been used in the health and fitness areas to track before and after results of surgeries and weight loss programs. North Carolina State University’s athletic department uses [TC]²’s scanner to evaluate the effectiveness of the athletes’ exercise routines. Other research has revolved around the creation of more realistic avatars for animation and gaming.
One of the most recent studies was conducted by researchers at the Center for Culture and Evolution Psychology, Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences; Center for Cognition and Neuroimaging, Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences; and School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University. The researchers utilized [TC]²’s 3D body scanner to conduct an in-depth study on body size and shape preferences.
The goal of the researchers was to establish whether attractive bodies signaled a low fluctuating asymmetry (FA) to observers and if so, which aspects of attractive bodies are most predictive of lower FA. The researchers were able to conduct the study by using [TC]²’s 3D body scanner to isolate body size and shape characteristics. A total of 77 people were scanned—40 males and 37 females. In order to isolate body shape and size data, 360° videos were created which separated body shape from other visual aspects such as skin color and facial features from the 3D scanned data. The videos were viewed by 87 evaluators for attractiveness ratings.
[TC]²’s body scanner allowed the researchers to successfully collect data and images that could be evaluated to assess why certain body shapes and sizes are considered attractive. The ability to get an unbiased assessment of the effect of body shape and size would have been challenging without [TC]²’s body scanning technology.
The study was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The full report can be purchased by going to http://www.pnas.org.
[TC]² Activity
Expotextil 2008 - October 23 – 26, 2008
By Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]² Latin America
EXPOTEXTIL 2008 is the 2nd annual edition of this premier supplier show for the Peruvian sewing trade, organized by Plastic Concept, SAC. Over the course of the four day show, some 5,000 visitors flocked to the Jockey Club fairgrounds to see the latest technology for the apparel, textile and shoe manufacturing sectors. It was really three shows in one: Expotextil Peru, Texmoda Peru, and Calzatex Peru.
Included in the show program was an academic conference schedule that was divided into daylong tracks. I presented the conference titled “Lean is GREEN” to some 100 attendees and over the course of one hour, the presentation focused on what we have done to Mother Nature in the name of apparel manufacturing and particularly important – what we can and are doing to reverse the ill effects of contamination. By implementing sustainable practices, like Lean Manufacturing, the sector can be as productive (or more) as before. Lean simply put is “Performance without Waste”. At the end of the conference, a Q&A session was initiated. The audience was motivated to investigate how they and their apparel manufacturing companies can contribute to the “greening” effect of our industry.
Peru is not only about cotton, even though their Pima variety has a top place among the world’s best cotton strands. Alpaca is the sacred camalid fiber that the Incas reserved for their noble classes. Just recently, at the January 2008 Pret-A-Porter show in Paris, Peru was present with a full fashion presentation based upon this marvelous animal’s hair or fiber.
One can safely say that the state of the Peruvian sewing chain is excellent. With over 400,000 direct sewing jobs and about to initiate a Free Trade Agreement with the US, Peru is an active participant in the highly competitive global sewing market. And, no matter that Peru is very strong in the mining business - 1st place producer of silver - they understand that to create a job opening in mining, you need 100 times the capital that is needed in the sewing industry. It is clear that sewing has a very bright future in Peru!
During the Expotextil show, contacts were established to plan a Peruvian country pavilion at the SPESA EXPO 2010 in Atlanta. Discussions were held with ADEX (Peru’s export chamber) and Promperu (Peru’s governmental export agency) to discuss the benefits of this future show.
[TC]² Member Profile - SEAMS
The National Association for the Sewn Products Industry
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
SEAMS, established in 1967, is a not-for-profit organization comprised of manufacturing, contract manufacturing, and supplier companies in the sewn products industry located throughout the United States. SEAMS supplier member companies provide valuable products and services to the sewn products industry.
The mission of SEAMS is to support the resurging U.S. sewn products industry through educational programs that will improve the quality and productivity of the industry collectively, and of its member firms individually; by keeping members informed about legislation in Washington, DC that has an impact on the industry; and through offerings of benefits packages that help control overhead expenses.
SEAMS is dedicated to promoting a business climate which will enhance and support the retention of sound economic growth within the sewn products industry. The organization is constantly working to develop solutions to many of the issues facing U.S. companies. Many networking opportunities are available, including Spring and Fall events which offer presentations on topics of interest and allows members to network with their colleagues. SEAMS has organized a shared pavilion at MAGIC entitled “You Wear US Well” to promote Made in U.S. manufacturing. SEAMS is currently partnering with the HTC (Hosiery Technology Center) and THA (The Hosiery Association) to study the feasibility of establishing a Made in USA show in Las Vegas during Fashion Week at the end of August 2009. SEAMS also published a factory direct catalog of Made in USA products from its members. This year SEAMS partnered with SPESA to combine Spring meetings and bring both memberships together for information-sharing. SEAMS also participates in various events and trade shows such as Material World, the IFAI Expo, and the Apparel Tech Conference.
SEAMS offers sourcing for both manufacturers and sewing contractors. Through its computer database, manufacturers, contractors, and suppliers are listed by product category and all companies are included in a member listing. SEAMS also sends email broadcasts to announce sourcing and equipment needs.
The sewn products industry faces many challenges in today’s marketplace, and by joining forces with other companies, SEAMS members can identify ways to promote growth through innovation and successful business practices.
Important Dates
December
1-3 |
32nd Annual Conference on the Caribbean and Central America at the Intercontinental Hotel, Miami, FL. For information, visit www.c-caa.org. |
9-10 |
Ensuring Quality by Integrating Sewability Factors and Quality Analysis Techniques, Seminar at [TC]². To register or for details, click here. |
22-Jan 2 |
[TC]² closed for Holidays and Staff Vacation |
January 2009
13-15 |
Pattern Development, seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
13-16 |
InterModa, Guadalajara, Mexico. For information, visit www.intermoda.com.mx. |
14 |
Fast Fashion event at FIT, New York City |
27-29 |
Colombiatex, Medellin, Colombia. To learn more, go to www.colombiatex.com. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Lawson, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
[TC]²’s Holiday Newsletter
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
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Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
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