CTE 4829 Final Exam Review Chapter 9 Pre production Production and Quality Assurance Upon completion of the purchase order the supplier starts preparing raw materials and production techniques for main production Most sourcers in today s marketplace are heavily involved in pre production stages with extensive approval processes The sourcer would arrange quality assurance and inspection procedures prior to any shipments Pre production approval The objective of pre production approvals is to prepare all the necessary and correct components for garment production in a timely manner The supplier produces or obtains all necessary components and raw materials for garment production following the purchase order The sourcer s team would approve all of these components from colors to size construction and qualities determining whether or not they are acceptable for actual production Many samples will be exchanged between the sourcer and the supplier including color lab dips pattern strike offs fabric swatches representing the bulk production samples of necessary buttons shanks other notions and so on PPSs are the samples made with all approved components by the supplier s sample department Once all components are produced and PPSs are approved the entire garment production takes place Finally upon completion of production the supplier proceeds to packing floor ready packing Label preparation During the pre production stage or even before the sourcer also needs to provide correct label information to the supplier Currently in the United States most textile products and apparel must display four key pieces of information at the point of sales U S Federal Trade Commission 2005 Fiber content Country of origin Identity of the manufacturer or another responsible party Care instruction Some products such as upholstery stuffing materials linings backing bandages shoes headwear and textiles used in handbags and luggage are not covered by the current FTC label rules The location of this information or labels must be carefully selected to comply with the rules must be easily found without jeopardizing the esthetics of the finished goods and comfort of the wearers Some retailers require particular label placements for esthetic or handling issues In addition to FTC s requirements the sourcer s company may also use the label to indicate the size of the garment fit or other information The sourcer must be an expert in labeling rules and requirements and provide correct information to the supplier to avoid any problems Fiber content Country of origin FTC has 3 tolerance of fiber content for multi fiber fabrics Any fibers making up less than 5 of the total weight can be listed as other fibers under the 5 rule This 5 rule does not apply to wool or recycled wool fibers All wool must be declared at the point of sale even if it is only used in a small amount Allergy issues Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 Dog or cat furs are not allowed Dog and Cat Protection Act of 2000 After the First World War the U S government required any products imported from Germany to carry the words Made in Germany in order to punish German industries For natural fibers the country in which fibers are grown is considered a country of origin For synthetic fibers the country in which fiber extrusion was conducted is the place of origin The location of knitting and weaving processes are important in determining country of origin for fabrics For apparel significant apparel assembly processes sewing or manufacturing operations are conducted in the country of origin If products are made in the United States with imported fabrics the country of origin must say Made in U S A of imported fabric or Assembled in U S A of imported components without much detail of the origin of the fabric or components When products are advertised in catalogs mail order materials or on the Internet the description must include Made in U S A if the products are made in the United States with all U S components and parts Imported if the products are sourced from overseas Made in U S A and or imported Identity of Manufacturer All textile and apparel products must identify either the company name or the registered identification number RN of the manufacturer importer or another company responsible for the products Any businesses that manufacture imports markets distributes or handles textile and apparel products in the United States can register through FTC and receive an RN Care Labeling Rule All textile and apparel products except shoes gloves hats handkerchiefs belts neckties disposal items and some piece goods sold for making apparel at home are subject to the Care Labeling Rule For products requiring normal care care instructions must include five basic elements a washing b bleaching c drying d ironing and e other warnings Care Label Material Placement Content Production Monitoring To be printed on the cotton woven label in the size of 1 width X 2 5 length Center back under the waist seam must be sewn in Sourcing personnel should know the status of every purchase order and be responsible for on time delivery of each sourcing project To help this process sourcing personnel may create a Time Action calendar or a pre production and production monitoring plan Once this calendar is issued for each purchase order all people involved in this particular purchase order must be aware of the deadlines for each step and sourcing personnel must ensure everyone else including the supplier follows this calendar Apparel Quality Regulation In the U S apparel marketplace sourcers must consider the following five quality regulations before producing and importing the goods for U S consumers a Flammability b Regulations of toys and children s articles with small parts c Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act d Restricted substances e Voluntary guide for drawstrings on children s apparel Flammability Three classes Class 1 or normal is 3 5 seconds or more Class 2 or intermediate CPSC requires all textiles and apparel intended for the use of wearing must meet certain flammability requirements The only class that is acceptable for use in clothing the time of flame spread Fabrics may ignite or show fusing of the base fabrics and have a flame spread time of 4 to 7 seconds Class 2 may be used for clothing Class 3 Rapid and intense burning and is dangerously flammable Prohibited from being used for clothing The time of flame spread of plain surface textile fabrics in Class 3 is