Control stragglers in a lot system
his article is a
follow up to my articles on a lot system versus the day system
dated May 2000 and June 2000. These two articles were very
comprehensive and finely detailed for each department within
the production plant and the customer service area. Each step
was explained in detail, and each person’s responsibility
was explained in order to run a smooth and worry-free flow of
orders through the plant with on-time delivery to customers.
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This article will relate the methodology
of controlling stragglers which determine the success, or
failure, of a lot system. One of the chief advantages of a
well-managed lot system is the control of “short
orders” and “stragglers.” It was pointed out
in my articles of May 2000 and June 2000 that processing a
group of orders, rather than a bulk load of garments, results
in a very efficient assembly operation with excellent straggler
control.
What is a straggler? The answer lies in
the assembly department since the ultimate destination of all
individual garments is there where the garments are matched to
the invoice to become an order once again. If an order is minus
one or more garments, the order is referred to as being
“incomplete” with the missing garments being known
as stragglers.
The incomplete order should then be
transferred to a “short line,” filed in numerical
sequence by marking tag number, along with the remaining short
orders. This makes room on your assembly rail, or conveyor, for
the next lot to be assembled. The primary mission of the
assembly person is to expedite these short orders by getting
the stragglers back to them as soon as possible.
Most of the time the garment is held up
for increased spotting, wetcleaning, repairing, re-finishing,
sizing, water repellent treatment, etc. As was detailed in the
two previous articles on a lot system, each garment within the
lot is marked with a color-coded and numeric-coded marking tag.
All personnel are disciplined to give priority in processing to
the older codes over the newer ones. The expediter (assembly
person) must be vigilant over the short line and in constant
quest for stragglers since the lots must not be allowed to
remain shorted for extended periods of time.
Survey your short line each time a lot is
transferred from the assembly area to bagging and the short
orders transferred to the short line. At this time the assembly
person prepares a list of stragglers by marking tag number, lot
code and tag color together with a skeleton description of the
missing garment. This list is then delivered to the
cleaner-spotter for an accounting.
The expediter should request the
cleaner-spotter to note the status of each straggler on the
short list. The short list is returned to the expediter, and
the stragglers are lined out as they enter the assembly area.
Each time a lot is removed from the assembly area the list is
amended to include the new stragglers, and the list of
stragglers is again submitted to the cleaner-spotter for
accounting.
The plant manager has the responsibility
of overseeing the workflow and ensuring the prompt return of
stragglers to their respective orders. The plant manager
travels continuously between the cleaning-spotting area, the
finishing area, the inspection-assembly area and the bagging
area constantly looking for flaws that may inhibit the
smoothness of the work flow. Keeping stragglers under control
is one of the plant manager’s primary responsibilities
since the ultimate objective is to gear all production
efficiently and smoothly to the assembly area.
With regard to “specials”
(same day service), these garments are placed in the same
priority as stragglers, and they must be processed with similar
priority. The cleaner-spotter should use a magnetic clip
attached to the dry cleaning machine to hold “day
tags” of the same color as the stragglers being
re-cleaned. This procedure will remind the cleaner-spotter to
pick out those garments with the same color marking tag as
attached to the stragglers and give them priority distribution
to the finishers. In order to reduce the number of stragglers,
the cleaner-spotter should closely inspect the garments pulled
from the cleaning machine for spots and residual soils.
If the garment requires a lengthy spotting
time and possible re-cleaning, that garment should be noted on
a “holding garment” list for the particular lot.
This list reminds the cleaner-spotter to notify the assembler
and plant manager of the held garment. The marking tag color,
lot number and order number should be listed with the held
garment.
If the cleaner-spotter cannot successfully
remove the spot, or the garment will be damaged if the spot is
over-worked, he or she should attach a note to the garment
stating that situation. If a note of that situation is not
attached to the garment, it will be sent back by the finisher,
the inspector or the assembler thus resulting in lost
production time by declaring it a straggler when it is really
not. If the note is not attached to the garment, these persons
will think that the spots were overlooked and never worked on,
thus it will be returned to the cleaner-spotter. Even the
customer should be advised of the permanent stain since the
first thought is that the garment was not even cleaned.
If the inspector or assembler sends a
garment back to the finishers only, that notation should be
placed on the short list due to the finisher’s
responsibility to get it back to the assembly as soon as
possible. Since the finisher is prohibited from leaving his or
her work station, the assembler or inspector should ask the
finisher to “call out” when the garment has been
re-finished so it can be quickly retrieved.
As I mentioned in the two articles of May
2000 and June 2000, finishing is the most laborious and the
most productive process in the plant. It is in the finishing
area that the determination is made as to whether the work will
get out on time or not get out on time.
Therefore, it behooves the cleaner-spotter
to inspect the cleaned load closely for spots and to remove
them before sending the garments to finishing. And if the spots
are permanent, or removal may cause damage, a note to that
effect should be attached to the garment to avoid any lost
finishing time since the garment may be 90 percent finished
when the spot is seen.
If all the workers and supervisors work
together as a team with the goal of getting the work out on
time and with a high degree of quality, the lot system will be
the means to that end.
Note: My spotting video, “The
Caplan Method of Stain Removal,” which includes my
comprehensive text and handy spotting board reference available
in English, Spanish and Korean (video only in Korean) from the
Golomb Group, c/o Dennis McCrory, 7664 Plaza Court,
Willowbrook, IL 60521, phone (800) 679-5856. A lecture and
demonstration are presented similar to my classes over the
years at IFI and SDA. This video and text are ideal for
training inexperienced spotters as well as a good review for
experienced spotters. Digesting with enzymes, bleaching,
oxidized oil stains and caramelized sugar stains are discussed
and demonstrated. An article on “Removing Spots in the
Cleaning Machine” and an article on “How to
Increase Production in the Spotting Department” are
included in the comprehensive text book.
Also available from the Golomb Group, in
English and Spanish, is my video on step-by-step shirt
finishing which includes my comprehensive text in loose-leaf
form outlining each procedure for single-operator and
two-operator cabinet shirt unit using a cabinet sleeve press.
Proper forming of the collar using heated collar formers is
demonstrated. Each lay is demonstrated for top quality with
very little effort by the operators. Attractive detailing and
packaging of the hangered shirt, padding, steam pressures and
timing are all discussed. A unique wash formula for whiter
whites and brighter colors and removal of grease and body oils
is included in the loose-leaf text book.
My experience with shirts spans over 55
years with US Army as a principal laundry and dry-cleaning
concessionaire at Ft. Meade, MD, where average shirt volume was
approximately 10,000 per day. We were constantly
“sampled” for excellent quality in both finishing
and washing in laundry and drycleaning and in tailoring.
We operated our own 40,000-sq.-ft. plant
for over 35 years.
Stan Caplan has over 35 years experience
in his own high volume dry-cleaning, laundry and tailoring
plant and two package plants with adjoining coin-operated
laundry and drycleaning. Stan is the former chief instructor at
the International Fabricare Institute, the Southwest
Drycleaners Association and various other trade
association-sponsored schools throughout the US and courses in
Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong. Stan
offers consulting, training and engineering services in all
areas from customer service area to the boiler room since 1981.
His complete system withtotal quality management will produce
maximum efficiency, economy and product excellent quality. Stan
can be reached at 7341 Amberly Lane, Suite 310, Delray Beach,
FL 33446, phone/fax (561) 496-2548. His e-mail address is stancap100@aol.com.
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