Order Prioritization Prediction System for Sample Rooms in the Garment Industry

Abstract

Abstract: In the garment industry, one of the most prevalent industries in Sri Lanka, the process of sampling is key to gaining a competitive advantage in the market. The sample rooms in garment factories are considered the most important section in the readymade garments industry. Numerous processes occur in sample rooms, from perfecting patterns and quality checks on certain fabrics to confirming bulk production orders for prospective customers. Therefore, for these vital processes that occur in the sample room to function as efficiently as possible, they require the most accurate data. Research, including an initial pilot study done on a small to medium garment factory, suggests that approximately 35% of sample rooms in garment factories under utilise their capacity in accordance with demand. One reason being that most garment factories are based in developing countries, where the production focus is more labour intensive and less technology intensive. Not being able to accurately worker productivity metrics, coupled with a low merchandiser visibility on sample progression, would not allow the sample room to work on numerous pre-designs prior to the order. This hinders the chance for example, for designers to take on more simultaneous projects and approve bulk productions faster, resulting in potential losses for the organisation (Windmuller, 2020). Keywords: SMV: - Known as Standard Minute Value, it is the value of the calculated accepted time to finish a particular garment job is known as the Standard Minute Value.