Application of DMAIC methodology for increasing total quality in ready-made garment

Abstract

The economy of the world is changing rapidly. Bangladesh is no exception in this case. Moreover, most of the economy of Bangladesh relies on the Ready-made garment (RMG) sector at this moment. So it is very important to stay competitive in the global market. To maintain sustainable economic growth and compete in the global market, the resources need to be utilized precisely. To do this, reaching the required quality in every product is a must. Again, it is mandatory for an industry to maximize profit margin and minimize the production cost to survive in the global business arena. But rejected or defective garments are the main barrier. Considering this issue, defect minimizationby applying DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) methodology in a private garments factoryis the prime objective of this research. Especially, sewing defects were identified and analyzed here. Several tools such as Flow chart, SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customers), Quality Function Deployment(QFD) were applied to get better visualization of the present state of the factory. Then most occurring defects were detected by performing Pareto chart. It showed that six types of defects were responsible for 70% of the total defects. Furthermore, the root causes of these major defects were found out by applying cause and effect diagram. In the end, the severity among these major defects were identified by using Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) technique and provided some action plans to prevent these defects.The suggestions were made based on brainstorming and the previous job experience and also got ideas from the experts from different areas of textile and ready-made garment factory. By using this method, a noticeable improvement in the sewing department can be achieved. The lower the defect rate in production, the higher the profit will be guaranteed, which will provide the organization a competitive advantage in the worldwide market. To find out the main problems and provide solutions based on those problems, DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) is the most organized and systematic method. Besides,using and understanding the procedure of the DMAIC methodisrelatively simple and easy.