As a long-time machinery expert in the textile and garment manufacturing industry, we have addressed the positive impact of implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) for fabric inspection in garment manufacturing in great detail before. But, though not as heavily implemented yet, AI is no longer just a futuristic concept and has found its place in other places in garment manufacturing as well – reshaping how garments are produced and delivered.
Market and Economic Impact
The integration of AI in the textile and garment industry has been growing rapidly. Early adoptions of AI technologies in the production lines have shown major benefits in efficiency, productivity, and quality, and also offered new customization options. This has led to a big growth of AI in the industry, with more growth to be expected.
In 2019 the AI market in the fashion, textile and garment industry was worth 228 million USD and was expected to grow to 1,260 million USD by 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 40.8%. And, by 2027 the integration of Artificial Intelligence in the global fashion and apparel market is expected to reach 4.4 billion USD.
Major Impacts along the Production Line
In garment manufacturing, AI is already employed in various use cases:
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Automation in Cutting and Sewing: AI-driven automation increases production, reduces reliance on manual labor, and lowers costs.
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Predictive Maintenance: AI-powered predictive maintenance minimizes machine downtime and ensures smooth production operations, potentially reducing maintenance costs by up to 30% and downtime by as much as 70%, according to a Deloitte study.
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Supply Chain and Inventory Management: AI leverages data to forecast consumer demands and global trends, aligning production with market demands, reducing overproduction, and inventory costs.
Artificial Intelligence in Quality Control
A very well-established use of AI machinery in garment manufacturing is the use of AI-based defect detection systems. These systems use machine learning or deep learning to train models to identify fabric defects.
For instance, the EagleAi, developed by one of the oldest garment machinery manufacturers OSHIMA and the Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute, has been a big game-changer. This system leverages big data and deep learning technologies to detect the majority of common fabric defects in garment production. In several trials conducted with different garment factories, the EagleAi Fabric Inspection Machine demonstrated its capability to significantly reduce fabric manufacturing losses and wastage due to its high accuracy compared to human visual inspection methods. This has not only led to lower production and labor costs but also enhanced production efficiency.
The integration of AI in fabric inspection and quality control processes is addressing the long-standing challenge of acquiring a constant quality output, which has been difficult to achieve due to the variations in fabric textures and defect types that have been addressed by human workers only so far. With this understanding, OSHIMA developed the EagleAi system to provide crucial automating in quality control and maintaining high standards across product lines in the textile and garment industry. And, looking ahead, the adoption of this AI technology is expected to grow more.
Continuous Growth
While AI systems are already well established and already deliver extensive results, the sophistication of AI technologies will continue to improve. This will have more significant impacts and massive potential advantages on the textile and garment industry and production. AI-driven machinery will become indispensable in optimizing manufacturing processes, increasing efficiency, and ensuring constant high-quality standards. And, as they improve, AI technologies will become more accessible and affordable. The future garment factory, both large and small, will have adopted several AI systems and machinery in their production lines to stay competitive in the global market.
The use of Artificial Intelligence will also play a critical role in supporting garment factories to reach their global sustainability goals. Innovations in AI-driven recycling, waste management, and the development of sustainable materials are supporting the industry's transition to more eco-friendly practices. This not only helps in reducing the environmental footprint but also aligns with the growing consumer demand for sustainable products.
Continuous Growth
As AI technologies are already having major impacts on the textile and garment industry with no stopping in sight, it is more than clear that garment factories will have no way around the adoption of AI machinery if they do not want to lose their competitive edge.
Though many tech companies already offer some AI systems for generative design, pattern making, user experience, supply chain management, and inventory management there is still a lack of technologies, aside from automated sewing machines, that can be directly adopted into garment manufacturing production lines. Garment machinery that is equipped with AI technologies could reduce the reliance on manual labor immensely and increase efficiency significantly.
That’s why OSHIMA developed the AI Fabric Inspection Machine EagleAi. As an industry expert of more than five decades, the company has a deep understanding of the industry challenges. This knowledge is the building foundation of the AI Fabric Inspection Machine. Therefore, the EagleAi inspection system can cover all common types of defects found in the market, such as color stains, spots, oil stains, holes, snags, abrasion, and broken wefts. Additionally, the system provides the color difference reports required by the industry and features a user interface designed to match factory operating habits, making it a practical image recognition system for textile quality control. If you are interested in an in-depth demo or the free report, contact us now.
