Flexible Work Group Methods in Apparel Manufacturing

In this project we have examined implementation methodologies for the modular manufacturing concept in the apparel industry. We looked at the traditional view of the modular group a small group of operators, some of who are cross-trained on several operations in the group and can move around in the group to alleviate bottlenecks, and examined how to best coordinate the efforts of such a flexible work group. We also investigated the concept of TSS type work groups, showing a way to organize and operate such groups to attain maximum productivity. We developed an emulation of the modular concept, using off-the- shelf software which can be used for evaluative purposes. This is both a research tool and a decision support tool for the factory supervisor. We provide analytical results to show the methods we present are effective and efficient. Apparel modular manufacturing, Cellular manufacturing, Flexible manufacturing, Work groups.