Manufacturing

Manufacturing requires special skills in the cutting, making up and finishing of garments. These skills are usually learned by training with a large company.

Lay planners work out how to place the design team’s pieces on to the fabric so as to minimise wastage. They do this by using computers.

Cutters use hand shears, power tools and computerised equipment to cut fabric into the shapes that are eventually stitched up to make garments. There may sometimes be as many as 150 layers of fabric on the cutting table. A cutter in hand-crafted tailoring is highly skilled and qualified, with years of training and experience. A cutter who operates a computerised cutting head is likely to learn the job more quickly.

Machinists stitch garments together and add decorations and trims using high speed machines. They work quickly, often in teams, with a high level of skill and accuracy. Machine tasks range from simple overlocking to computerised embroidery. Some machinists specialise in a single operation, like stitching seams, and others may complete whole garments.

Pressers use steam irons and vacuum presses to make clothes look good when they reach the shops. They need to know how different fabrics react to steam and pressure. Sometimes they also need to press garment pieces at various stages during the production process.

Packers make sure the garments look as good in the shops as when they left the factory. Packaging makes garments easier to transport and store. Some are put in plastic bags or boxes, others on hangers. Worker must take great care, yet be fast.

Examiners check details to make sure the quality is right. All faults have to be corrected before the clothes are sent out to the customers. Sometimes checking is done by eye and sometimes by using sensitive electronic testing equipment.