5/24/2014

THE QUALITY FUNCTION DEPLOYMENT METHOD

By Dr Danijela Paunovic

Industrial way of production needs a thorough preparation of manufacturing because, simultaneously, it is necessary to combine several factors: people, time, machines and place of production, organization and material in a coordinated and rational system. Technological system of garment production must provide the quality of the product that is expected, necessary scope of production, delivery of ready-made garments in the expected time, maximal use of capacities with minimal expenses. Deviations and faults occur in different places and in various frequencies, because of a variety of designs of clothing articles and because of a great number of procedures in the production process.

QFD is a powerful tool that enables significant improvements in the product/process characteristics. However, it is not a short-term solution to the product development problems. QFD provides systematic approach to creation of the team outlook, on what needs to be done, the best ways to do it, the best order in which the proposed tasks have to be accomplished and on the staffing and resources   that are required to enhance customer's satisfaction. It is also a good format for capturing and recording/documenting the decision making. Applied through the Kaizen philosophy under Total Quality Management (TQM), QFD is a highly developed form of integrated product and process development in existence. Companies that were using QFD for the product development, have experienced, in average:
·         -50% reduction in costs,
·         -33% reduction in the product development time,
·         -200% of increase in productivity.

5/13/2014

SERBIAN TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY

Serbia’s textile and garment industry is ideally placed for short lead-time smaller production runs in response to shifting fashion trends. Moreover, proximity to both fashion centers as Paris, Milan or Rome, as well as to major retail markets lends sensitivity to market trends, speed to market, and reduced transportation costs.This position is based in a long history of success in the outward processing market.
Today, there are more than 1,480 textile and garment companies in Serbia. The majority (77%) are private small and medium enterprises. Some 16% of companies are still in social ownership.
These are the largest firms, are mainly vertically organized, and generally find themselves well prepared to compete with the new private firms.


According to official data, in 2003, twelve firms accounted for 23.37% of total textile and garment exports and 9.2% of total textile and garment imports. This illustrates the highly fractured nature of production – with many small and medium sized private firms. The Serbian textile companies are registered in three groups: Production of textile materials - 17 companies, Production of clothing items - 1.230 companies and Production of knitwear items - 201 companies.