[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
Intro to Apparel Manufacturing
at [TC]² - March 23-27
Still Accepting Registrations!
[TC]²’s most popular in-house seminar, Intro to Apparel Manufacturing, offers an overview of the entire manufacturing process with numerous hands-on exercises. Topics covered include: textile fundamentals, fiber formation and fabric design, fabric characteristics, pattern and marker development, material utilization, spreading and cutting exercises, costing, and much more. Key apparel terms and concepts are featured, along with standard terminology for seam and stitch formations. Tours of two NC facilities are incorporated into the program.
April 28-30 |
Calculating Time Standards without Time Studies |
Are you paying too much to your Sewing Operators or your Supplier?
Attend Calculating Time Standards without Time Studies to learn how to calculate time standards by analyzing the motions of a sewing operation and then attaching the appropriate time values for each motion.
During this three day seminar, attendees will build piece-rates for several operations by analyzing video tapes and then applying time for the appropriate auxiliary factors. Continued application of this knowledge and the data in the book Sewing Performance and Methods Analysis will allow the determination of accurate costing long before production is placed on the manufacturing floor.
The seminars will be presented at [TC]²’s facility - 5651 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC.
For additional information or to register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653.3501, or via our contact form.
To download or print a copy of [TC]²’s seminar offerings for 2009, click here (pdf).
Pollution in China:
Is it affecting you?
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
There's a joke in China—you can tell what colors are in fashion by looking at the rivers. It’s a fact—textile manufacturing is one of the largest polluting sectors in China. However, the textile and apparel industry are extremely important to China’s economy. According to China’s State Development and Reform Commission, in 2005, the country accounted for about 24% of the global textile and apparel trade. But this gargantuan industry is jeopardizing China's air, land and water.
The province of Guangdong, located in the southern part of China, accounts for 23% of China’s total textile and apparel exports. Recent studies in water quality in the province found that 28% of the rivers are experiencing severe pollution. Less than 2% of the cities in Guangdong treat wastewater. Studies have also revealed that the province is experiencing growing rates of infectious diseases linked to water pollution. More than 2.5 million people around the capital of Guangdong face increased health risks from contaminated drinking water.
China’s air quality has not dodged the bullet either—about as many Chinese die every two months from poor quality air as were killed in the recent catastrophic earthquake. Many Chinese towns are identified by the diseases which infect the people—“cancer villages” and “the city of dunces.” Birth defects, skin rashes and physical deformities caused by pollution from factories are common.
A recent episode left the people of China as well as the Chinese government alarmed. After villagers in a small southern town located in the Guangdong Province complained that Fuan Textile Mill had turned the local river’s water a dark red, Chinese government investigators crawled through a hole in a concrete wall that surrounds the mill to launch a surprise inspection of the plant. Authorities discovered a pipe buried underneath the factory floor was dumping roughly 22,000 tons of contaminated water from its dyeing operations each day into the river. The mill produces textiles for many of America’s largest retailers.
Unfortunately, there appears to be no sign of slowing growth—the country has seen a huge surge in its apparel and textile manufacturing exports after tariff protections and quotas were dropped in 2005 (see graph below). In addition, between mid 2007 and mid 2008, textile exports were up 25% and apparel exports up 9%.
China's factories have historically kept costs down by dumping waste water directly into rivers because treating contaminated water costs about 13 cents a metric ton. Violating China’s water pollution laws by skipping the waste water treatment process can save a large company hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. "Prices in the U.S. are artificially low," says Andy Xie, former chief economist for Morgan Stanley Asia and now an independent analyst. Ho goes on to explain, "You're not paying the costs of pollution, and that is why China is an environmental catastrophe." And the problem is becoming international—Californians are now seeing a Chinese-made haze in their skies.
U.S. apparel retailers are strategizing to ensure that Chinese plants adhere to government regulations. After the discovery of Faun Textiles polluting practices, many U.S. companies took action:
• Wal-Mart recently sent a team of inspectors to the plant and canceled all direct orders with the factory until the issues found were resolved.
• Lands' End sent inspectors to the plant and reduced its orders with the company.
• JCPenney has shifted orders to other factories.
• Abercrombie & Fitch held a meeting with the management.
• Target says it began exploring alternative suppliers.
The textile industry is one of China's dirtiest. Chinese activists are trying to make the textile supply chain more transparent by connecting the dots between Chinese factories and the multinational companies that buy their products. U.S. retailers are also taking steps to force Chinese companies to adhere to higher standards. Hopefully these efforts will expedite the clean-up process and result in a safer environment for the people as well as the flora and fauna.
References
Water Management in China’s Apparel and Textile Factories. April 2008.
http://www.bsr.org/reports/ChinaWater_IssueBrief_042908.pdf
Jane Spencer, China Pays Steep Price As Textile Exports Boom. August 22, 2007.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118580938555882301.html
We Can’t Offshore Our Pollution to China Anymore – It’s Coming For Us. May 30, 2008.
http://earthfirst.com/we-can%E2%80%99t-offshore-our-pollution-to-china-anymore-%E2%80%93-it%E2%80%99s-coming-for-us/
Cost of Pollution in China, Economic Estimates of Physical Damage. The World Bank. State Environmental Protection Administration, P. R. China
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/Resources/China_Cost_of_Pollution.pdf
To read more articles related to Sustainability and Environment, visit our newsletter archive.
Fast Fashion in a Recession
At Fashion Business Incubator, California Market Center
May 28, 2009
UK’s Industry Forum, and [TC]² are joining together to present a Fast Fashion workshop for the West Coast May 28th at the Fashion Business Inc. at the California Market Center in Los Angeles. In a recessionary environment with unpredictable demand, having shorter supply chain pipelines becomes critical.
The presentations will include Fast Fashion examples of tools and techniques which have been successfully applied in Europe. [TC]² will show how Fast Fashion meets the sustainability agenda and how advances in digital technology will make processes even faster.
This workshop is a must in understanding the management processes and behavior required to achieve speed and low cost - two key criteria in a recessionary market.
Registration fee is $200 for the one-day program (9 a.m.-4 p.m.). For more information or to register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653-3501, or complete our contact form.
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Member Profile
Automated Components International
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Automated Components International, of Dunmore, PA, is a group of manufacturing companies that offer a variety of products to the sewn products industry. The company began in 1950 as PSR / Pennsylvania Sewing Research Corporation to address the need for practical and economical solutions for the industry. PSR has developed and patented several items including the PSR table truck, various magnetic hook and eye feet, a drapery pleater, an automatic clamping device for sewing jacket lapels, and a fusing machine with a free arm or open end design. PSR's primary emphasis is manufacturing small economically priced fusing machines, belt loop processors and rewinding devices.
In 2002, all the businesses were combined under the Automated Components International corporate name. They include:
AC/Automated Components International – Part and pocket creasers; hanger dispensers; stackers; thread trimmers; impact cutters and air scissors
PSR/Pennsylvania Sewing Research – Fusing machines; belt loop processors; placket fusing machines; skirt hook and eye attachment and other custom attachments
S & G/Schreiber & Goldberg, Ltd. – Low voltage lights; chalk markers; steam guns; cuff forming and pressing machines
Silverman Machines International – Robotic stackers and accessories; specialty part and pocket creasers; automated sewing stations; hanger dispensers; label pickers, air scissors and impact cutters
Sal-Bee Machine Ltd. – Heat seal/transfer machines; tag free labeling machines; and heat presses for applying embroidery, appliqués and mending tape
Atlas Rapid Racks – Do-it-yourself racking; conveyor and storage systems and racks; trolleys
Artwood Puller International – Top metering devices; knit collar and cuff attachments; variable speed cloth pullers
Keeton Products – cut apart & stack machines for knit placket fusing stations and knit collars
The products listed above represent a sampling of the offerings available through Automated Components International. The company continues to expand and develop new products to meet the needs of its diverse clientele both in the U.S. and internationally.
Important Dates
March
23-27 |
Introduction to Apparel Manufacturing, seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
24 |
Apparel Tech West Conference, Fashion Design and Merchandising, Irvine, CA. For information or to register, go to www.apparelmag.com. |
April
14 |
Annual Meeting of Members and the Board of Directors at [TC]² |
21-23 |
Material World, Miami Convention Center. For information or to register, go to |
21-24 |
IMB 2009, Cologne. For details, visit www.imb-cologne.com. |
22-24 |
Peru Moda, Lima, Peru. For information, go to www.perumoda.com. |
28-30 |
Calculating Time Standards without Time Studies; seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
29-May 2 |
SEAMS Spring Meeting, Myrtle Beach, for more information www.seams.org. |
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
PeruModa
[TC]² Annual Meeting
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
5651 Dillard Drive
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www.tc2.com
Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
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