Change Factory Floor Layout and Give it a New Look

How often a garment factory should re-design their floor layout? Many say when new consultants come and suggest a new way of doing the work for better productivity. This may be true.

I am writing this post after observing one factory for the last 10 years. In the last 10 years, the factory has rearranged sewing floor, cutting floor and other section many times. I think changing the floor layout is good for many reasons.

Whatever way you design the floor layout, it has some benefits. I would say, it is not only for productivity improvement. I can relate this with a good feeling of workers. When feel good is improved, production increases automatically. The floor becomes more lively when you rearrange the production floor.

How to make changes?

You can take the expert's suggestion for layout change (workplace re-engineering) of the production floor. Here I have listed a few pointers that can be useful for changing floor layout without expert's guide.
  • Moving small work section from one floor to another floor. Or from one corner to another corner on the same floor.
  • Change directions of the material flow or operator seating direction.
  • Change cuttings loading place. It is not necessary that you need to keep one table at the start of the line. You can keep in one corner of the flow
  • Use trolleys 
  • Make it a straight line if you have different line layout
  • Make it a U-shaped line, if you are following a straight line
  • Set-up inline finishing and washing section
  • Make parts in a separate section
  • Make parts in the main production line
  • Relocate the fabric checking tables and fabric racks
  • Upgrade the office area. Why not make the office space like an IT office? 
  • Remove cabins for HOD and managers

Benefits of changing production floor layout

I can visualize the following benefits.
  • improves productivity
  • the floor becomes neat and clean as all the clutters and unwanted items from the floor are removed from the floor
  • the floor becomes more lively. Improves lighting after cleaning and airflow.
  • All the factory staffs and workers get something to discuss. Many employees get motivated after doing the tough job of changing the floor layout
  • improves team-work and relationship between workers.
  • Continuous improvement happened 
Did you change the floor layout in your factory after the first set-up? 

Try this and do it regularly. You will see more energy flowing inside the production floor and in the factory. 

You might be thinking of time lost of redesigning. Choose the season when you have fewer orders. The cost incurred in doing changes - consider this a maintenance activity. 

Doing whitewash the walls and ceiling once in a year is not a bad idea. 

Share your experience with us, if you recently changed the production layout in a garment factory.

Prasanta Sarkar

Prasanta Sarkar is a textile engineer and a postgraduate in fashion technology from NIFT, New Delhi, India. He has authored 6 books in the field of garment manufacturing technology, garment business setup, and industrial engineering. He loves writing how-to guide articles in the fashion industry niche. He has been working in the apparel manufacturing industry since 2006. He has visited garment factories in many countries and implemented process improvement projects in numerous garment units in different continents including Asia, Europe, and South Africa. He is the founder and editor of the Online Clothing Study Blog. He lives in India. linkedin

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