How to Calculate Hourly Production Target in the Garment Industry

Shafiun Nahar Elma
Industrial & Production Engineer
National Institute of Textile Engineering & Research (NITER), Bangladesh.
Email: shafiun.elma05@gmail.com

How efficiently clothing is manufactured greatly impacts how well a business succeeds. Industrial engineers and production managers often use the Production Target in the Garment Industry as one of their main performance indicators. With this metric, producers know the daily rate they should achieve to fulfill orders in time, control their workforce, and keep quality at the same level throughout production. To excel in planning, efficiency, and quality control work within textile and apparel, engineering students must know how to calculate this target value.

What do We mean by Production Target in the Garment Industry?

In the Garment Industry, the Production Target describes the expected number of garments an operator, machine, or production line can produce in an hour. One of the main ways for factories to achieve desired results is by keeping an eye on production hourly. In a competitive industry like garments, where customer expectations are high and profits are lower, this is very important.

Importance of Production Targets in Garment Manufacturing

Setting hourly production targets serves several important purposes in the garment industry. Firstly, it promotes operational efficiency by ensuring that each worker knows their output expectations. Secondly, it helps in evaluating the performance of both individuals and lines, which is crucial for incentive-based systems and worker motivation. Additionally, when factories operate under strict deadlines, having an accurate Production Target in the Garment Industry ensures that customer expectations are met while minimizing overtime and unnecessary delays. Moreover, production targets aid in budgeting, forecasting, and scheduling, contributing to long-term business sustainability.

Key Elements to Consider

To calculate the Production Target in the Garment Industry, several critical factors must be taken into account:

Standard Minute Value (SMV): The time (in minutes) required to produce one garment.
Efficiency (%): The productive performance level of a sewing operator or line.
Working Time: Total available time in an hour, excluding breaks and machine downtime.
Number of Operators: Total operators working on the line.
Product Type: Garments with higher complexity will have higher SMV values.

Standard Formula to Calculate Hourly Production Target

The most widely accepted formula to determine the hourly production target is:

Hourly Production Target = (60 / SMV) × Efficiency (%)

Where:

60 = Total minutes in an hour

SMV = Standard Minute Value for a garment

Efficiency = Operator or line efficiency in percentage

Example 1: Basic Calculation

Let’s assume:

Garment Type: T-shirt

SMV: 5 minutes

Efficiency: 85%

Using the formula:

Hourly Production Target = (60 / 5) × 85% = 12 × 0.85 = 10.2

This means the expected hourly output for one operator is 10 pieces.

Example 2: For a Production Line

If a production line has 15 operators, and the same SMV and efficiency are applied:

Line Hourly Production Target = 10.2 × 15 = 153 pieces/hour

This is the Production Target in the Garment Industry for the entire line.

Including Break Time and Downtime

Realistically, operators take short breaks and sometimes face machine downtimes. To get more accurate results:

Net Time Available = 60 minutes – Break Time – Downtime

Let’s assume:

SMV = 8 minutes

Efficiency = 80%

Break Time = 5 minutes/hour

Downtime = 5 minutes/hour

Net Time = 60 – 5 – 5 = 50 minutes

Hourly Production Target = (50 / 8) × 0.80 = 6.25 × 0.80 = 5 pieces/hour

Hence, the Production Target in the Garment Industry after adjustments is 5 garments per hour per operator.

Setting production targets often assumes that all operators work the same way, but this is not usual. Efficiency is influenced by the experience, abilities, and fitness of the operators. There’s also the problem of expecting too much from people by not budgeting for downtime or breaks in equipment use. Settling for out-of-reach goals causes worker frustration, errors, more work, and poor-quality goods. As a result, planning for Production targets in the Garment Industry relies on accurate data, sensible goals, and frequent reviews.

Means of Calculating Targets

Precise determination of the Production Target is possible for garment industry engineers with the use of advanced tools.

GSD allows you to find the right SMV.

With FastReact and Infor, you can monitor the progress of your work as it’s happening.

Time Study Tools: You can use stopwatches, sample templates, and certain digital apps to collect data.

Use Line Monitoring Boards: Display the hourly targets set against what was achieved to increase productivity.

Job of an Industrial Engineer

Ensuring the Production Target in the Garment Industry fits the business and can be achieved depends mainly on industrial engineers. They need to conduct time and motion studies, determine the optimum speed for work, organize lines to get rid of bottlenecks, and apply lean manufacturing methods. Those who hope to work in this area as engineers need to understand data analysis, what is meant by ergonomics, and techniques for process enhancement.

Production Goals in the Future

Automation and the use of smart systems are where the Garment Industry’s Production Target is headed. It can forecast issues and offer the top solutions by using older data. Wearable devices could help us determine both an operator’s performance level and the severity of operator tiredness. How production targets will be set as the industry moves forward:

AI Watching: AI-driven systems studying performance in real time.

Wearable devices to help you see the actions and tiredness of your operator.

Digital Twins: Simulate your lines on the computer to see if the targets you set are possible.

The company connects production goals to carbon footprint reduction by using sustainability metrics.

They highlight the need for engineers of the future to be skilled in both tradition and technology.

Conclusion

If you can use the Production Target method, you help ensure that production runs smoothly, resources are efficiently used, and goods are delivered according to the promised dates. It is a basic ability needed by engineering students interested in industrial engineering, production planning, or operations management jobs in the apparel field. Future engineers can make a difference by using relevant methods, understanding influences, and using useful tools to help garment businesses become more efficient and competitive.

References

[1] “Textile Learner,”[Online]. Available: https://textilelearner.net/production-calculation-in-garment-industry/

[2] “Online Clothing Study,” [Online]. Available: https://www.onlineclothingstudy.com/2016/11/10-formulas-for-production-calculation.html

[3] “Textile Calculator,” [Online]. Available: https://textilecalculator.com/garment-production-target-per-hour-calculator/

[4] “Scribd.com” [Online]. Available: https://www.scribd.com/document/458470867/10-Formulas-for-Production-Calculation-in-the-Apparel-Industry

You might also like:

Mazharul Islam Kiron

Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. Mr. Kiron is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.