In apparel manufacturing, skills and expertise of a sewing operator are mesaured by their Efficiency on the job they do. An operator with higher efficiency produces more garments than an operator with lower efficiency in the same time frame. When operators work with higher efficiency, the manufacturing cost of the factory goes down.
Secondly, factory capacity is estimated according to operator efficiency or line efficiency. Hence, efficiency is one of the most used performances measuring tools. So how do you calculate operator efficiency in the factory?
To calculate operator efficiency you need data for standard minutes (SAM) of the garment and individual operations on which operator is working. The following formula is normally used to calculate operator efficiency on the garment shop floor.
Efficiency calculation formula:
Efficiency (%) = (Total minutes produced by an operator/Total minute attended) *100
Where,
Total minutes produced = Total Pieces Stitched by the Operator * Operation SAM
Total minutes attended = Total Hours Worked * 60
Example:
An operator was doing an operation of SAM 0.50 minutes. In an 8 hours shift day he produces 400 pieces. So according to the efficiency calculating formula, that operator’s overall efficiency = (400 x 0.50) / (8 X 60)*100%
= 200/480*100%
= 41.67%
On-Standard Operator Efficiency Calculation:
Operator efficiency can be expressed in more specific ways, like ‘On-Standard Efficiency’ instead ‘over-all efficiency’. An operator may be attending all hours in a shift but if he has not been given on-standard work to do in all hours, he will not be able to produce minutes as per his capability and skill level. In this case, to know operator’s on-standard efficiency following formula is used.On-standard efficiency (%) = (Total Minute produced /Total on-standard Minute Attended)*100
Where,
Total Minutes Produced = Total pieces made by an operator * SAM of the operation
Total on-standard minute attended = (Total hours worked – Lost time) * 60
Example:
Let's say an operator worked an operation of SAM 0.50 minutes. In an 8 hours shift day he produces 400 garments. The operator was idle ‘waiting for work’ for 30 minutes and his machine broke down for 15 minutes in hours shift. Based on the efficiency calculating formula, that operator’s on-standard efficiency
= (400 x 0.50) / {480 – (30 +15)}*100%
= 200/435*100%
= 45.98%
The above example clarifies that if an operator sits idle during shift hours his overall efficiency will go down.
Related Articles:
10 Essential Formulas for Production Calculation in the Apparel Industry
Overall Efficiency Vs On-Standard Efficiency
What is On-Standard Efficiency and Overall Efficiency?
Efficiency Formula: Calculate Operator Efficiency and Line Efficiency