Imagine this: a beautifully crafted garment is making its way down a production line in a busy factory. Every stitch, every seam is meticulously checked. But in today’s fast-paced market, even the smallest mistake—a broken needle, a tear, or damage during shipping—can lead to major financial loss or a damaged reputation. So, how do garment manufacturers ensure that every piece meets the highest standards before it reaches your hands?
This is where pre-shipment inspections and advanced automation systems come into play—a crucial part of the garment manufacturing process that ensures quality and safety from start to finish.
Pre-shipment Inspections: The Key to Quality Control
Before a garment is shipped, it goes through a series of important tests. Think of an inspector walking through the factory, carefully selecting samples of garments and their packaging to check. This process is called pre-shipment inspection and is all about ensuring quality.
The inspector looks closely for any problems in the stitching, fabric, or overall design. Sometimes, a garment might be sewn incorrectly, or the fabric could have small damages. The inspector does both visual and functional tests to make sure every garment is good to wear.
But that’s not all. There could be hidden dangers—like needles or metal pieces that broke off during production and got stuck in the fabric. To find these, the inspector uses metal detectors to scan each piece. In smaller factories, this might be done by hand, but in larger factories, the process is automated, using machines with conveyor belts that quickly scan each garment.
Next, the inspector checks the packaging. Imagine a carton, packed and ready for shipping. Will it survive the bumps and falls during transit? The inspector performs a carton drop test—dropping the box from different heights and angles to see if it can handle the journey.
The Hidden Danger: Needle Detection and Metal Fragments
Let’s talk more about the risk of needles in garments. Even with careful checks, there’s always a chance that a needle or metal piece could break off and get stuck in the fabric. Missing this in inspection can be very dangerous.
The most basic needle detectors are small, mobile units that workers can use to scan fabric by hand. These are suitable for smaller garment making operations in need of affordable and transportable options. More advanced needle detectors are automated and use a conveyor belt with strong sensors connected to a computer to quickly detect any metal. Automated conveyor belt metal detectors are perfect for high-volume manufacturers who want to speed up the quality control process.
For example, in 2005, Marks & Spencer, a well-known clothing brand, had to recall 12,000 children’s garments because of needles found in the fabric. In 2015, Bonds, another children’s clothing brand, recalled 17,000 baby overalls after just one needle was discovered in a garment. These stories show how important needle detection is in garment manufacturing.
In small factories, workers might scan garments by hand with a basic metal detector. But in large factories, the process is faster and more efficient with automated machines. Picture a garment moving on a conveyor belt, passing through a machine that scans every inch for metal. This automation is a key part of quality control, ensuring only safe products reach the customer.
How Automation Enhances Garment Packaging and Safety
After completing needle detection, the product moves into the packaging process. Needle detection primarily checks for needles left behind during sewing machine operations, but during packaging, larger metal objects such as clips or scissors may also need to be detected. In this case, the factory can adjust the metal sensitivity in the detection area and use the same equipment for inspection. In both manufacturing and logistics, the packaging process typically uses automation to enhance efficiency. Standardized packaging processes ensure that every product is well-protected. Below are some common automated packaging devices:
1. Carton Erector: Automatic carton erectors can stably open 10 cartons per minute. While manual workers might achieve similar speeds in a short period, as the workload increases, operators inevitably become fatigued due to repetitive tasks over long periods. Additionally, manual operations require regular rest breaks, whereas automated equipment can maintain continuous operation, reducing interruptions.
2. Carton Sealer: Carton sealers are designed to automatically fold and seal boxes, significantly increasing packaging efficiency. These machines ensure that boxes are folded and sealed quickly and accurately, guaranteeing stability and consistency.
3. Side-Sealing Machine: This machine specializes in sealing the sides of cartons, making it suitable for packaging irregularly shaped or larger boxes. It automatically seals the sides of the packaging, ensuring that the package remains intact and preventing damage or spillage during transportation.
Whether it’s metal detection equipment or automated packaging systems, their shared goal is to enhance production precision and efficiency. These machines not only significantly increase work speed but also reduce human error risks. In more advanced factories, these systems are integrated into a single automated line, further boosting production efficiency by automatically linking data with warehouse management systems. This data integration enables more accurate decision-making and lays the foundation for factories to transition towards smart manufacturing. When combined with scanning or sorting machines, the entire production process becomes more intelligent, ultimately driving the factory towards becoming a smart factory with data-driven management and optimized operational efficiency.
Conclusion
Garment manufacturers must ensure their products meet the highest standards before shipping and remain undamaged during transportation. QC-ONE, OSHIMA’s automated quality control solution, integrates needle detectors, turnover machines, sorting machines, and scanners, creating a seamless inspection and packaging process. This system not only effectively detects metal contaminants in products but also automatically removes non-conforming items. It integrates all relevant data into warehouse management systems, improving inspection accuracy and pushing companies towards smart manufacturing. This makes production processes more efficient and reliable. Contact us to learn more about how this solution can benefit your business.
