Apparel production is a labor-intensive industry, meaning that it takes many workers to keep it operating. Other industries may require fewer workers because they rely on automated machinery to perform many jobs. The apparel production field is large, and apparel plants or factories are located in all parts of the country. New York, Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Texas are states that have great numbers of apparel plants employing thousands of workers. Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, Maryland, Michigan, Florida, and Georgia also are states where many apparel factories exist.
As our population grows and the demand for clothing and accessories increases in the years ahead, men and women with training and experience in the area of apparel production can look forward to well-paying and challenging careers in this little-known field. Luckily, apparel production plants are located in small towns and large cities in every single state of the United States, including the District of Columbia. This means there are many job opportunities available in a wide variety of locations for every level of ability and interest.
The production part of the apparel industry is often overlooked by job hunters and career planners. Many students are quite familiar with the better-known design and merchandising careers, but few are aware of the opportunities available in the production field, where talent, imagination, and management potential are highly sought after and very well rewarded.
HOW IT STARTS AND WHERE IT ENDS
Let's trace the various steps that are undertaken by assorted professionals to create a finished article of clothing. Pay special attention to the many different kinds of work performed on a single item after it leaves the designer's workroom.
Suppose a designer has just created an exciting new style of blouse. The management of the blouse company has approved the sample and wants it in the new line for the coming season. The stage is set-now the production staff begins to play their important role. To start with, a production patternmaker works closely with the designer to make a perfect "master pattern" of the blouse on pieces of hard paper or fiberboard. The patternmaker translates onto paper the designer's sketch of the blouse. Each piece of the blouse is represented by a piece of the pattern. The patternmaker does this by laying out all the needed parts of the blouse on material and skillfully fitting all the pieces together. Laying the pattern out incorrectly may mean using extra material. This wasted material will cost the manufacturer money and may increase the price that the customer is charged when the blouse is purchased.
The manufacturer relies on the good judgment of the production patternmaker to keep fabric yardage down and to be as efficient and precise as possible. Patternmakers must be able to visualize from the design sketch or muslin sample the shape, size, and number of pattern pieces needed for the blouse. They also must have knowledge of fabric, body proportion, and garment construction. Most assistant patternmakers pick up the many techniques of the trade beyond their specialized training by working closely with experienced patternmakers.
Pattern graders take the hard paper pattern and copy it in a whole range of sizes so that the blouse will fit each customer properly. A grader may be given a size seven pattern for a junior blouse; from this the grader makes the same pattern in sizes five through fifteen just by carefully enlarging and reducing the master pattern. This calls for accurate and exacting work, as each piece of the pattern must be drawn neatly and precisely for the production process. Some very large plants now use computers to shorten the time needed to draw patterns for each size. More firms will move into computer-aided patternmaking in the near future as the cost of this high-tech equipment goes down. Patternmakers and their assistants often do the grading of the patterns they work on.
Training in drafting is very helpful in pattern grading, as much of the work requires using drafting tools and techniques. Computer-assisted drafting skills are important today, especially in jobs with the larger firms. There are several specialized schools that will prepare you for patternmaking and pattern grading opportunities. For entry-level positions as a patternmaker, cutting assistant, grader trainee, or marker trainee, it is advisable to complete a patternmaking technology program. Such a program will offer courses in draping, patternmaking, pattern grading, pricing of garments, production processes, textile science, and other related areas. Graduates of such a program qualify for entry positions as assistant patternmakers and graders. Later, they can move on to supervisory levels, production work, or possibly assistant design jobs. All such jobs call for neat and precise work, often performed at a fast pace and under the pressure of production schedules.
After the graded patterns are made, spreaders lay out the fabric the designer has chosen for the blouse on a very long table. The fabric must be smooth and straight, layer after layer without wrinkles. A machine can help the spreader get the fabric ready. Markers have the job of positioning the hard paper patterns on top of the layers of fabric. Then cutters carefully cut through the layers of fabric, several inches thick, cutting around each piece of the pattern with electric cutting machines, knives, or shears. The hundreds of pieces of cut cloth are gathered and put into bundles by assorters or assemblers. Every piece of lining, trim, or fabric needed to complete the blouse is bundled and brought to the sewing room. Here, several sewing machine operators, or in larger plants several hundred operators, actually sew the pieces of the blouses together.
Commercial sewing machines are more powerful and sew faster than the familiar machines used at home. Generally, each sewing machine operator will have only one specific sewing job to do on the blouse. The operator acts as a specialist in one small task needed for each garment. On the blouse we are following, certain operators will sew the seams only, others will sew on the sleeves, still others attach the collar, while the rest of the operators may work on the pockets or buttonholes or any other remaining tasks. In manufacturing a very expensive garment, it is possible for each sewing machine operator to sew the entire item of clothing. Supervisors direct the sewing machine operators and other workers on the factory "floor" or workroom.
The sewn blouse is now ready to be given to a finisher who hand sews anything that may be required to finish the garment. Cleaners or trimmers remove loose threads, lint, and spots from the finished blouse. The presser is next in line, neatly smoothing and shaping the blouse with a steam-pressing machine. Once folded and packed, the blouse is ready for distribution to shops across the nation.
Think of the excitement of planning and coordinating the "life" of any garment or fabric! All of this behind-the-scenes activity is planned and supervised by men and women with long work experience and/or a college background in apparel production, manufacturing management, or engineering technology. Jobs are easier to find and advancement is quicker for those with this specialized training. The technical courses required for these positions may include industrial organization, production management, apparel production, business management, labor costs, marketing, statistical analysis, labor relations, and computers for business or software management, plant engineering, and accounting. In addition, good communication and problem-solving skills are essential. These workers must deal with a great many people and are responsible for clearly and accurately communicating detailed instructions, as well as working successfully with varied personalities. Good math skills are valuable for all apparel production workers. Maturity and a good sense of organization should enable experienced workers to compete for supervisory positions.
Relocation may be very much a part of the employment requirements for beginners and more advanced workers as well. Trainees who are hired by very large manufacturing firms with many production plants may be expected to move to several different factory operations. Many plants, although modern and highly sophisticated, may be located in small towns all across the nation. Opportunities for high-paying careers are much greater if apparel production workers are free to consider employment anywhere in the country.
JUNIOR ENGINEER
The piece rate for the completion of each sewing and production task is set based on reports called "time and motion" studies, which the junior engineer works out. The junior engineer works at the apparel manufacturing plant and handles engineering projects and production systems and also is involved in the physical layout of the plant. This may mean selecting machinery and choosing operations methods for optimum performance. Production forecasting and planning, as well as monitoring the overall efficiency of the plant, are also part of this job. Recommendations are then reported to the management to make needed improvements. Of course, each junior engineer works very closely with a senior engineer, who is very experienced in all production phases. In a multi-plant operation, a chief engineer has total responsibility for what happens in each of the factories.
COSTING CLERK
A costing clerk is trained to set the price of sample and production garments. Piece rates also are determined, under the supervision of a costing engineer. With experience in this area, promotion is possible to the position of costing engineer. In very large operations, the supervisor of the costing department has total responsibility for all costs relating to the production of the garment.
COSTING ENGINEER
The costing engineer determines the price of producing an item of apparel or a fashion accessory. The cost of the material used, piece rates, and all other production fees are taken into consideration in determining the overall cost. This position may involve occasional travel to various plants to review the production operations and procedures, or to work with the plant manager to set piece rates for the sewing machine operators. The costing engineer may be assisted by a costing clerk and spends some time training that clerk and other clerical assistants.
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
All production-related detail work and recordkeeping for the plant manager is handled by the production assistant. This may include keeping track of fabric and trim samples, making out the cutting tickets that give the factory important information, assisting with the production schedule in the factory, checking on the flow of work and on shipments and deliveries, and keeping sales, cutting tickets, and shipping records. The production assistant also may be responsible for quality control and for supervising cutters and production patternmakers, as well as for keeping customers informed on the progress of their orders via telephone or fax machine.
Lots of detail and figure work is involved in being the link between the design room and the factory, and between the customer and the manufacturer, but it is an excellent position if you want to get an overview of the entire manufacturing process. Production assistants may work at the design and sales headquarters rather than at the factory, but there must be constant contact with the plant manager. Good math and organizational skills, the ability to handle many details and follow up on them, and the ability to communicate well with many people are important for all these beginning positions, Demanding production schedules require workers to be accurate, thorough, and capable of working under pressure.
With experience, production assistants may move up to assistant production manager, and then to production manager. It is possible for production assistants to be promoted to piece goods buyers or merchandisers, if some flair is shown in these areas.
PRODUCTION MANAGER
The production manager is responsible for estimating all production costs, scheduling the flow of work in the plant, hiring and training new workers, overseeing the quality control of the product, and supervising all aspects of production activities in the factory. The production manager must really have a hand on the pulse of the entire operation; it is a complex task. The cutting, sewing, pressing, shipping, and warehousing functions are all part of the manager's responsibility.
QUALITY CONTROL ENGINEER
This worker develops specifications for garments and fabrics and is responsible for seeing that those standards are met in all of the manufacturing phases, including fibers, textiles, colors, and garment construction. This may involve travel to many different plant locations to check sewing operations and production procedures to try to identify and correct problems. Beginners start as assistants and gain experience by working closely with the more expert engineers. Beginners may inspect garments as they come off the production line, or as they arrive from overseas if the firm is importing merchandise. Knowledge of garment construction, new machinery and textile technology is important. The position requires workers who are detail oriented, thorough, and well organized.
THE ENGINEER WHO FLUNKED MATH
Diana was convinced she wanted to be a nurse and never dreamed she'd become an engineer!
Diana was very unhappy when her parents made it clear that they didn't want her to have a nursing career. They discouraged her from attending college and urged her to become a wife and mother. And so she did. Married at age twenty, she was the mother of two children when she was divorced seven years later.
Without any skills, she found herself relying on welfare for support for almost five years. A close friend advised her to map out a career and return to school to build her own future. Out of high school for twelve years, Diana never imagined she could do it. Her high school record was poor, and she had failed every single math course she took. She recalls that her motivation for entering college and working toward a career goal was her need to support herself and her two children. Her welfare support allowed her to enroll in a two-year program. After examining the FIT catalog carefully, Diana chose a major in apparel production: Merchandise Management. With lots of financial aid arranged through the college and a great deal of support from the faculty, Diana began the program.
Her first semester was difficult. She had forgotten the study skills and note-taking techniques that she used in high school, and she was frightened that she just wouldn't make it. With special tutoring in math, her weakest area, and lots of encouragement from her family and friends, college life began to feel more comfortable. She still had the chore of juggling a double schedule-a student during the day and the mother of two children in the evening-but Diana stayed with it. By her second year in the program, she was more at ease and found time to become active in college life. She was elected president of the Apparel Production Management Club, and by the time she was graduated from FIT, she was the winner of two awards for her outstanding achievements: a student of the year award and a one thousand dollar cash prize.
Eager to begin working, she was placed in her first assignment through the college's placement office. She left New York City for a one-month trial job in the South. It was a difficult assignment, made even tougher because she missed her children very much. She worked long hours as an assistant plant manager and soon realized the work situation was just not right for her. She decided to return home after the month's trial was over and try again. She landed a junior engineering job with a manufacturer of dolls, and spent some time doing time and motion studies-a very typical beginning assignment.
A contact in the industry alerted Diana that a manufacturer of ladies' sportswear was interested in setting up an interview with Diana. Two weeks later she met an executive of the same firm, who was very impressed with her. It was then necessary for Diana to meet another executive, who was able to conduct an interview only by arranging to meet Diana at an airport while waiting for a business flight to depart. The executive believed she would be an excellent choice for the position of costing engineer, which was open in the company. However, there were some concerns about the required two-week training period that would take Diana away from her children again. Diana assured the executive that she could handle the training period away from her family, and she was hired at the airport!
On her first trip to the main office, she managed to get caught in a blizzard and spent the night in an airport. Once the weather cleared and she arrived, she was able to deal with the training period without any difficulty. She learned all about the firm's policies and procedures and is still in touch with the home office when problems arise.
As a costing engineer, Diana had her first experience in pricing their holiday line, one of the five lines that the company manufactures each year. The company's total output represents about five hundred garments each year.
Diana sits in on costing meetings attended by all the vice-presidents of the company, as well as by the president. Such meetings are held for each line that is manufactured. Every garment in the line-about one hundred each season-is broken down into each of the operations performed by the sewing machine operators. Would you guess that a lady's blazer requires fifty-five different operations? Using a set of formulas, Diana breaks down the garment into all of the needed operations and then computes the amount it will cost her company to manufacture it. All these figures are then neatly entered on specification sheets, referred to as "spec sheets" in the industry.
Diana loves her job and all that she has learned about the costing side of the business. She thoroughly enjoys her involvement in the production area, although she is sure she would not like to have her own business in the future. Instead she'd like to work her way up in the company, earn more money, and travel to various plants around the country. And her young daughter does not dream of becoming a nurse. She wants to be an engineer, "just like mommy."