Managing Production Processes in the Garment Industry Using RFID

If sales are the most crucial task in a company’s business operations, then managing the production process in the apparel industry is just as important. Optimizing production management, especially in apparel manufacturing, has become a top priority. As a result, RFID technology is now an indispensable choice for many companies worldwide.

Recognizing the key areas for improvement in the apparel industry, Beetech focuses on smart solutions tailored for this sector. Managing the production process in apparel manufacturing involves a combination of solutions, including smart warehouse management and a production management system.

The production management solution for the apparel industry integrates RFID technology, providing a comprehensive view of an efficient, intelligent production process. Financial experts estimate that RFID technology can help apparel companies save billions of dollars. Additionally, this technology delivers fast and accurate data on items and their locations at any given time.

Features of the Apparel Production Management Solution:

Production Stage Tracking

• Monitor each step of the production process.
• Collect data from workstations (PC) and synchronize in real time with the server.
• Display dashboards for managers/supervisors.

Measuring Production Efficiency at Each Stage

• Track workers’ start and end times.
• Count the number of completed products.
• Monitor workers’ KPI performance.

Production Efficiency Measurement

• Track the quantity of semi-finished goods and processing time at each stage.
• Record defect rates at each stage.

Smart Warehouse Management System (SWMS)

• Track inventory inflow/outflow and stock levels of semi-finished and finished goods (boxes, pallets, etc.).
• Order picking.
• Warehouse location management.
• Warehouse transfers.
• Item selection and ordering.
• Search functionality.

Brief Description of the Production Process Management Solution in the Garment Industry:

• Fabric is spread and cut in bulk using automated cutting software to optimize material usage as efficiently as possible.
• Once cut, the fabric is bundled, each with an attached RFID tag.
• These fabric bundles are delivered to the sewing room and assigned to workers.
• Workers scan the RFID tag at a reader on their machine to confirm the start of processing.
• The bundles move through various stages (assembly, thread trimming, ironing, needle detection, etc.), with each stage recorded through RFID readers.
• At the end of the sewing process, the output can be either finished products or semi-finished goods. Finished products are assigned individual RFID tags and packed into cartons. These cartons undergo a final inspection at the finished goods warehouse, where details such as size, color, quantity, and lot number are verified.

The movement through different stages also tracks workers’ KPIs throughout the production process. Each team’s output is displayed on a real-time dashboard to encourage productivity and competition among teams.

Overall Connectivity Model of the System and Business Process Flowcharts for RFID-Integrated Production

Overall System Connectivity Diagram

Cutting Process Flowchart

Sewing Process Flowchart

Finished Goods Processing Flowchart

Related Equipment:

• LF RFID desktop readers at sewing machine stations
• Mobile RFID readers for goods receiving, shipping, and inspection
• RFID card printers for garment tagging

Solution Benefits:

• Balancing and managing product flow
• Quality control
• Tracking individual and group performance
• Traditional bundling process management
• Handling small/lone batch flow
• Real-time production data and statistics
• Improving employee performance and production efficiency
• Enhancing production management capabilities

Some Real-Life Images

Contact Beetech:

With 12 years of experience in AutoID (barcode, RFID, etc.), Beetech is proud to be a leading consulting and design provider in Vietnam, offering smart devices and solutions. Our highly qualified engineers become an extension of your team, gaining deep insights into your application before developing and implementing a precisely tailored solution.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help enhance efficiency and optimize workflows for your company. We are ready to support you!