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ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
DEPARTEMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN ETHIOPIAN GARMENT
INDUSTRIES
By: Alem Gemechu
Advisor: Dr.-Ing. Daniel Kitaw
Co-Advisor: Ato Amare Matebu
A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in
partial fulfillment of the Degree of Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering
(Industrial Engineering Stream)
September, 2009
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page ii
Addis Ababa University
School of Graduate Studies
Faculty of Technology
Mechanical Engineering Department
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN ETHIOPIAN GARMENT INDUSTRIES
By: Alem Gemechu
Approved by board of examiners
______________________________ ______________ ___________
Chairman, Department Signature Date
Graduate committee
____Dr.-Ing Daniel Kitaw_________ ______________ ___________
Advisor Signature Date
_____Ato Amare Matebu_________ ______________ ___________
Co-Advisor Signature Date
______________________________ ______________ ___________
Internal Examiner Signature Date
______________________________ ______________ ___________
External Examiner Signature Date
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page iii
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the work which is being presented in this thesis entitled,
“QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN ETHIOPIAN GARMENT INDUSTRIES” is
original work of my own, has not been presented for a degree of any other university and
all the resource of materials uses for this thesis have been duly acknowledged.
_______________________ _________________
Alem Gemechu Date
This is to certify that the above declaration made by the candidate is correct to the best of
my knowledge.
_______________________ _________________
Dr.-Ing Daniel kitaw Date
_______________________ _________________
Ato Amare Matebu Date
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page iv
ACKNOWLEDEMENT
With sincerity, I extend my warm and deep appreciation and gratitude to my advisor, Dr.-
Ing. Daniel Kitaw and my co-advisor Ato Amare Matebu for their unreserved guidance
and support to come up with this research work. Above all, I praise the Almighty Father
and Lord Jesus Christ who gave me His enabling grace to successfully complete this
research work within the given time. I would also like to thank all who responded to my
questionnaires and interviews, which helped me in coming up with this research. Finally,
I thank my father Dr. Gemechu Demissie, my mother Sr. Dinknesh Admassu and my
husband Ato. Chanyalew Taye for their continuous support, ideas and love during my
studies.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page v
ABSTRACT
This research work makes an assessment on quality related problems in Ethiopian
garment industries in order to develop an applicable quality improvement model so that
the overall performance of the sector can be improved. A brief introduction is given on
the fundamental concepts of quality with reference to recent literature in the area so as to
help readers follow the model developed. To undertake this research, a sample size of 11
garment industries representing 40% of the total garment industries in the country was
taken considering the expected response rate, requirements for performing statistical
analysis, available time and survey cost. Moreover, the selected garment industries
produce different ranges of garment products in the country. Primary and secondary data
were collected and analyzed to indentify quality-related problems of the sector using a
well structured questionnaire, interviews, personal observations and review of previous
research works. Then a quality improvement model is developed along with primary
steps to implement the model to attain the goal. Finally, a number of recommendations
are given for the garment industries. This paper can be used as a lead for future research
works in the field.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDEMENT ........................................................................................................iv
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ v
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................vi
LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ viii
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................ix
LIST OF ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................... x
1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Research Background ......................................................................................... 1
1.2. Problem Statement .............................................................................................. 4
1.3. Research Objective ............................................................................................. 7
1.4. Significance of the Study .................................................................................... 8
1.5. Scope of the Research ......................................................................................... 9
2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 10
2.1. Evolution of Quality ......................................................................................... 10
2.1.1. Inspection .................................................................................................... 11
2.1.2. Quality Control ........................................................................................... 12
2.1.3. Quality Assurance ....................................................................................... 12
2.1.4. Total Quality Management ......................................................................... 12
2.1.5. State of the Art ............................................................................................ 13
2.2. Quality Standards .............................................................................................. 15
2.3. Quality Improvement ........................................................................................ 16
2.4. Quality Costs ..................................................................................................... 19
2.5. Self Assessment ................................................................................................ 20
2.6. Garment Production Process ............................................................................. 21
3. METODLOGY, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ........................................ 26
3.1. Methodology ..................................................................................................... 26
3.1.1. Survey Questionnaire .................................................................................. 27
3.1.2. Structured Interviews .................................................................................. 28
3.1.3. Direct Observation ...................................................................................... 28
3.2. Data Collection and Analysis ............................................................................ 28
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page vii
3.2.1 Gap Analysis ............................................................................................... 33
3.2.2 Benchmarking ............................................................................................. 37
3.2.3 COQ in NovaStar Garment PLC ................................................................ 38
3.2.4 Application of SQC tools in NovaStar garment PLC ................................. 41
4. PROPOSED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT MODEL .................................................. 50
4.1. Leadership ......................................................................................................... 51
4.2. Supplier Improvement ...................................................................................... 52
4.3. Self Evaluation .................................................................................................. 53
4.4. Garment Design ................................................................................................ 55
4.5. Quality Control ................................................................................................. 57
4.6. Education and Training ..................................................................................... 58
4.7. Customer Focus ................................................................................................ 59
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ............................................................ 65
5.1 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 65
5.2 Recommendation .................................................................................................... 66
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 68
APPENDIX 1 ........................................................................................................................ 71
APPENDIX 2 ........................................................................................................................ 74
APPENDIX 3 ........................................................................................................................ 79
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page viii
LIST OF FIGURES
Fig. 1. 1 Distribution of Ethiopian garment industries by first reason for operating at part
load capacity in year 2007 [6] ..................................................................................... 7
Fig. 2. 1 Quality Evolutions [15] ...................................................................................... 11
Fig. 2. 2 Development process of Six Sigma in quality management [17] ...................... 13
Fig. 2. 3 Quality and Competitiveness [19] ...................................................................... 17
Fig. 2. 4 Deming’s PDCA cycle [21] ................................................................................ 17
Fig. 2. 5 The European quality award model [15] ............................................................ 21
Fig. 2. 6 Garment production process [25] ....................................................................... 23
Fig. 3. 1 Obstacles to improve quality in the companies .................................................. 29
Fig. 3. 2 Cause of poor quality products in the companies ............................................... 30
Fig. 3. 3 Pareto analysis for quality related problems in the companies .......................... 31
Fig. 3. 4 Performance gap of Ethiopian garment industries with best practice country ... 38
Fig. 3. 5 Percentage of quality cost elements in NovaStar garment PLC ......................... 40
Fig. 3. 6 Pareto diagram of defective shirts ...................................................................... 43
Fig. 3. 7 u-chart for the number of defects per shirt ......................................................... 46
Fig. 3. 8 Pareto diagram of defective shirts of day 1 ........................................................ 48
Fig. 3. 9 u-chart after significant causes during day1 is avoided. ..................................... 49
Fig. 4. 1 Supply chain of textile and garment sector ........................................................ 53
Fig. 4. 2 Inspection loop ................................................................................................... 57
Fig. 4. 3 Quality improvement model for Ethiopian Garment Industries ......................... 60
Fig. 4. 4 Quality improvement implementation model for Ethiopian Garment Industries 64
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page ix
LIST OF TABLES Table 2. 1 Apparel manufacturing Methods [26] .............................................................. 25
Table 3. 1 Qualitative interpretation of questions ............................................................. 34
Table 3. 2 Preliminary Gap Analysis for ISO 9001: 2000 ................................................ 34
Table 3. 3 Analysis table ................................................................................................... 36
Table 3. 4 Benchmarking of Ethiopian garment industries [12] ....................................... 37
Table 3. 5 Estimated COQ in NovaStar garment PLC ..................................................... 40
Table 3. 6 Types and number of defects (day 1-15) ......................................................... 41
Table 3. 7 Types and number of defects (day 16-31) ....................................................... 42
Table 3. 8 Data sheet for pareto diagram .......................................................................... 42
Table 3. 9 Data sheet for the construction of u-chart for defective shirts ......................... 45
Table 3. 10 Evidence of causes of variations in the u-chart ............................................. 47
Table 3. 11 Determination of the causes of variation in day 1 ......................................... 47
Table 4. 1 COQ of Ethiopian garment industries ............................................................. 55
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page x
LIST OF ACRONYMS
AATCC- American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
AGOA-African Growth Opportunity Act
ASTM- American Society for Testing and Materials
CAD- Computer Aided Design
CAM- Computer Aided Manufacturing
CMT-Cut-Make-Trim business
COQ- Cost of Quality
CSA- Central Statistics Agency
EBA- Everything But Arms
EFQM- European Foundation for Quality Management
EQA- European Quality Award
FDI- Foreign Direct Investment
FOB- Free On Board
GSP- Generalized System of Preferences
ISO- International Standards Organization
LDC- Least Developed Countries
MBNQA-Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
PCDA-Plan-Do-Check-Act
QC-Quality Control
QFD- Quality Function Deployment
QMS- Quality Management System
SPC- Statistical Process Control
TQM- Total Quality Management
WRAP- Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production Principles
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 1
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Research Background
The globalization of the market and the rapid improvements in information flow has
made competition in manufacturing industries to be fierce worldwide. As a result,
industries such as the garment industry are facing the greatest challenge in history
because of the rapidly changing business environment with respect to global competition,
market performance, and changing technology [1].
Garment is a fashion product that is influenced by social trends and global economic
environments. The garment industry has specific market characteristics, such as short
product life cycle, high volatility, low predictability, and a high level of impulse purchase,
making quick response of paramount importance [2].
In today’s world, garment industries make a significant contribution to many national
economies especially in the developing world. Many countries are exploiting this
industry for reasons of economic growth. The high amount of labor involved in garment
production has caused garment producers to seek locations with lower wage employees
for reduced production costs. Garment producers in developing countries have labor-cost
advantages compared to industrialized countries [1]. Because of its large labor pool
(Central Statistics Agency estimated to be above 30 million persons in 2005), Ethiopia
has a comparative advantage in producing garment. The increased salary levels in Asian
countries, closing of factories particularly in China and dissatisfaction of EU and US
importers provide an opportunity for new entrants such as Ethiopia into the global market
[3].
Ethiopia has a long history for traditional garment manufacturing, which is endowed with
profound national culture up to this date. Cottage industries have been the main style for
traditional garment and have satisfied the demand of the people for centuries. The
industrialization process of Ethiopia’s garment manufacturing started in the 1950’s. In
1958, an Italian took the lead to establish the Addis garment factory, which was
nationalized in 1975. The public Akaki garment factory was founded in 1963, followed
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 2
by the Gulele garment factory in 1983 and the Nazereth garment factory in 1992. These
four state-owned garment factories have dominated Ethiopia’s garment sub-sector for a
long time [4]. At present, the garment sector consists of only 2.22 % of the country's
manufacturing industries.
Currently, there are 28 garment factories and 17 more are on project phase [3]. 22 of the
existing garment factories are located in the capital, Addis Ababa [6]. These industries
produce different kinds of attires including uniforms, work wears, knit wear products like
sports wear, under wears, polo shirts, clothing products and suits. Ownership structure of
Ethiopian garment industries is a mixture of diversified ownerships including public,
share company, private limited company, partnerships and individual ownership.
The Ethiopian government has defined the textile and garment sector as a top priority
sector in the industrial development package of the country. This is because textile and
clothing market is always demanded next to food commodities. The sector also utilizes
more labor which is available abundantly at low cost in the country. The garment sector
has a large potential for creating employment opportunities. The sector has strong vertical
linkages with the textile industry that have the potential to increase the development of
agriculture. It has a vast potential to manufacture goods for export, thus earning highly
demanded foreign exchange [5].
Recently the Ethiopian garment sector has opportunities in the global market such as
African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) giving quota and duty free access to the USA
market for sub-Saharan African countries [7]. However, Ethiopia has been exporting a
limited quantity of garments to the world market. Out of the total 1.4 billion USD dollars
earned from the export of goods in the year 2007, textile and garment export is only 1%
having a small impact on national revenue [6]. This shows that the country did not
succeed in making use of this valuable opportunity. The Ethiopian garment industry is
still at its infancy stage even when compared to that of other developing countries. It is
unable to compete in the global market due to inability to produce quality products.
The quality of garment products is associated with the extent to which it satisfies the
consumer’s needs. Quality of garment products have two dimensions, namely, a physical
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 3
dimension, specifying what the garment item is and a behavioral dimension indicating
what the item can achieve [ 8]. Physical characteristics include the intrinsic factors of the
item such as the design, textile construction and finishes that cannot be changed without
changing the item itself. The behavioral characteristics of apparel products can be divided
into functional as well as aesthetic behavioral characteristics. Functional behavioral
characteristics refer to properties such as the durability and comfort of the item. Aesthetic
behavioral characteristics refer to the prettiness or aesthetic experience that the apparel
item can bring about, whether sensory level, emotional, or cognitive.
According to David Garvin, a Harvard expert on quality, there are eight dimensions of
quality: performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability,
aesthetics and perceived quality [9]. Another commonly used definitions of quality that
originated from one of the quality pioneers; Juran uses the idea of fitness for use. Fitness
for use should be judged from the customer’s point of view and not from either the
manufacturer’s or seller’s perspective. This concept can be applied for garments as well.
For a garment to be fit for use, provided that the style is acceptable it must be [10]:
• Free from defects such as stains, fabric defects, open seams, untrimmed threads,
misaligned buttons and buttonholes and defective zippers
• Fit properly for the labeled size
• Perform satisfactory in normal use, meaning that a garment must be able to
withstand like normal laundering, dry-cleaning, pressing cycles without color
loss or shrinkage. Seams must not come apart and fabric must not tear
Customer needs are a moving target and it is widely recognized that quality goals must
keep shifting to respond to the changes that keep coming over the horizon [11]. As a
result, continuous improvement of quality is needed in the garment industry since there is
competition pressure.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 4
1.2. Problem Statement
Ethiopia did not use the advantage of its large labor pool in the garment sector because of
quality problems. The reasons for these are manifold, and extend vertically through the
supply chain from poor quality raw materials to poor finishing. There are external and
internal factors that can directly or indirectly affect the quality of Ethiopian garment
industries. The external factors are those which are beyond the control of the individual
garment industry while the internal factors are those within its control.
External Factors
The Ethiopian government has declared to give the textile and garment sector a priority
area for industrial development and export. During the past years, the government has
already intervened in support of the sector in order to make it competitive in the global
market. Expectations have been high, but have not been fulfilled so far by the industry [3].
Despite many well-intended efforts of the government, Ethiopian garment industries
posses many challenges on the external environment.
The absence of significant backward linkages of domestic suppliers is the major negative
feature of the Ethiopian garment industry. This not only concerns fabric, but also most of
the accessories that are required. Currently, there are limited accessories manufacturing
factories in the country for the garment sub-sector [3]. Accessories needed in garment
manufacturing such as buttons, zippers, lacework and liner cloth have to be imported.
The quality of the Ethiopian garment industries is further hindered by the poor quality of
fabric produced by the local textile industries. Most of the domestic fabric available to
the apparel manufacturers is of poor quality. Garment industries deal with this issue by
importing textiles, which is time consuming and increases lead time of order fulfillment.
The garment industries are affected even more dramatically as high duties prevent them
from importing high quality fabric.
The other problem is the lack of exposure to foreign best practice (FDI) which has a
significant impact on quality in Ethiopian garment industries. The FDI market can boost
labor skills, transfer technology and thereby increases quality of products. Ethiopia did
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 5
not have the opportunity to gain much exposure to foreign best practice methods. There
has been very little FDI especially in the garment sector. The major reasons that are
considered to be deterrent to FDI are the unavailability of quality fabric in the country.
All things being equal, an investor will choose to produce in a country with readily
accessible supply of textiles to cut down turn-around-time and minimize problems with
customs clearance. Also, poor infrastructure limits Ethiopian garment industries’
exposure to foreign best practice. The lack of foreign investment in the apparel sector is
an enormous hindrance to competitiveness in the global market.
Furthermore, the existing textile and garment training institutions also do not have the
capacity to give adequate skill upgrading training which have drawbacks on workers’
performance.
Internal Factors
There is a large gap between customer requirement and the products of the Ethiopian
garment industries. The degree of communication with the customers to understand their
requirement and translating into products is not satisfactory. Customers do not involve in
product development which results in poor quality products that will ultimately affect the
market share and profitability of the sector.
Most of the Ethiopian garment industries have a short-term view on business which
focuses on quantity and profit rather than quality. Quality is regarded as a technical issue
managed by the quality department. Because of poor management commitment on
quality, most of the garment industries don’t have a culture to support total employees
involvement in quality improvement. Thus quality vision, mission, documentation
systems and relative measures do not exist.
These companies spend most of their time in detecting the defects of the products rather
than preventing the defects. As a result, the quality control activities are inspection-based
rather than prevention-based. Even the existing inspection techniques are visual methods
which are not effective. There is also no awareness and application of statistical process
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 6
control tools. As a result, the industries are not able to continuously monitor their
processes and determine whether the processes are in or out of control.
Most of Ethiopian garment industries don’t have self evaluation activities such as cost of
quality, quality audit, employee's performance and satisfaction evaluation, and
benchmarking. Therefore, the existing problems are not identified and not solved. The
sector cannot achieve lessons on how best-in-class competitors perform and improve
their quality. As a result, the sector is lagging behind international competitors.
Majorities of Ethiopian garment industries are not strong financially and do not have
funds to invest in personnel training and purchase of modern equipments. Since the level
of automation of the machines used is very low, the operators need to perform more
actions resulting in higher work content. Therefore, the quality of the finished product
depends more on the skill of the operators. Due to poor skill of operators, the probability
of defects is greater and the need for re-working garments is higher. As a result, the
industries are forced to incur additional cost because more inspectors are required to
identify the defects.
Today, while advanced garment processing equipments such as automatic cutting
machines, computer controlled lock-stick sewing machines, virtual garment system and
stereo iron-ordering machines are widely used in overseas garment factories, most of the
Ethiopian garment factories are still using medium speed lockstitch sewing machines and
overlook sewing machines. Most of them also lack CAD/CAM system, spreading
machines, centralized steam system which help to increase quality and productivity. The
absence of embroidery machines and adequate washing and drying facilities further
hinders customer satisfaction.
The garment industries are also impacted by the supply of poor fabric and accessories
from external suppliers as well. There is minimum flow of information and cooperation
with external suppliers. The major criterion for purchasing raw materials is based on
price rather than quality. Ethiopian garment industries do not use any mechanism to
evaluate raw material suppliers prior to shipment.
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Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 8
Furthermore, the research targeted to achieve the following specific objectives:
• Develop a conceptual understanding about quality and show the need for quality
improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
• Critically examine and identify the quality associated problems of the sector
• Perform a gap analysis with respect to ISO 9000 system
• Identify the potential areas for improvement
• Propose appropriate measures to improve the quality of products
1.4. Significance of the Study
In recent years the Ethiopian government has implemented a raft of economic reforms to
boost the economy of the country. Privatization and tax incentives have helped Ethiopia
to achieve 10% annual growth across all sectors over the past five years and 32% growth
in exports in the past year [5]. Exports of textiles and clothing, primarily to Europe and
the United States increased only by US$ 1.6 million, from US$ 11 million in 2005/2006
to US$ 12.6 million in 2007/08. However, this figure is below the expectations, which
should have reached US$500 million [6]. To encourage investors, the Ethiopian
government is waiving taxes for both exports and the import of raw materials and
machinery. Despite such incentives, Ethiopian garment industries cannot compete in the
global markets because of poor quality products. Compared to other developing countries,
like China, Ethiopia is lagging behind in quality, especially in the garment sector [5].
Therefore, there is a need for in-depth study to improve the quality of the Ethiopian
garment sector. Unfortunately, only limited numbers of researches have been done at
national level on quality-related topics in Ethiopian garment industries. This study aims
to identify the quality related problems of Ethiopian garment industries and propose
appropriate implementation model. The research has a great benefit to overcome the
stated quality problems so that the sector can be competitive in the global market. It is
hopefully believed that the Ethiopian garment industries will implement the model and
have a remarkable improvement. Government bodies such as Ministry of Trade and
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 9
Industry, Quality and Standard Authority of Ethiopia and other interested sectors can also
draw important concepts out of the study.
1.5. Scope of the Research
This research work makes an assessment on quality related problems in selected 11
Ethiopian garment industries (which represent 40 % of the total garment industries in the
country) and provides concrete and applicable solutions. An applicable quality
improvement model is developed so that the overall activities of the industries can be
improved and the sector can be competitive in the global as well as domestic market.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 10
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Evolution of Quality
The quality movement can trace its roots back to medieval Europe, when craftsmen
began organizing into unions called guilds in the late 13th century [13]. In the early
1950’s, quality management practices developed rapidly in Japanese plants, and become
a major theme in Japanese management philosophy, such that, by 1960, quality control
and management had become a national preoccupation. By the early 1970’s Japan’s
imports into the USA and Europe increased significantly, due to its cheaper, higher
quality products, compared to the Western counterparts. The quality revolution in the
West was slow to follow, and did not begin until the early 1980’s, when companies
introduced their own quality programs and initiatives to counter the Japanese success [14].
Since the turn of the century quality improvement has matured significantly. New quality
systems have evolved from the foundations of Deming, Juran and the early Japanese
practitioners of quality, and quality has moved beyond manufacturing into service,
distribution, healthcare, education and government sectors. During the last three decades,
simple inspection activities have been replaced or supplemented by quality control,
quality assurance and now most companies are working towards Total Quality
Management (TQM) [15]. In this progression, four fairly discrete stages can be identified:
inspection, quality control, quality assurance, and TQM as shown in Figure 2.1.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 11
Fig. 2. 1 Quality Evolutions [15]
2.1.1. Inspection
At one time inspection was thought to be the only way of ensuring quality. Inspection
with reference to the garment industry can be defined as the examination or review of
raw materials (like fabric, buttons, zippers and sewing threads), in-process components
and completely finished garment in relation to some standard specifications, or
requirements. The inspection activity can be carried out by staff employed specifically
for the purpose or by self-inspection. Products which do not conform to specification may
be scrapped, reworked, modified or passed on concession. In some cases inspection is
used to grade the finished product. The system is an after-the event screening process
with no prevention content. Simple inspection based systems usually do not directly
involve suppliers or customers in the activity.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 12
2.1.2. Quality Control
Quality control is concerned with the operational techniques for detecting, recording, and
taking actions to eliminate quality problems. Quality control focuses on finding and
eliminating sources of defects and monitoring the manufacturing process. With quality
control there is some development from the basic inspection activity in terms of the
sophistication of methods, systems, tools and techniques employed. While the main
mechanism for preventing off-specification products and services from being delivered to
a customer is again screening inspection. Quality control measures help increase process
control and to lower incidence of non-conformances. Quality control will not improve
quality but just highlight when products and services do not conform to requirements. An
over emphasis on quality control will result in people relying on their work to be checked
and tends to stop them from taking responsibility for improving the processes for which
they are responsible.
2.1.3. Quality Assurance
Finding and solving a problem after a non-conformance has been created is not an
effective means of eliminating the root cause of a problem. Continuous improvement can
only be achieved by directing organizational efforts towards planning and preventing
problems occurring at source. This concept leads to the third stage of quality management
development which is quality assurance. In short, more emphasis is placed on advanced
quality planning, improving the design of the product, process and services, improving
control over the process, and involving and motivating people.
2.1.4. Total Quality Management
The fourth and highest level of quality management is TQM. TQM is a management
philosophy, a paradigm, a continuous improvement approach to doing business through a
new management model. TQM expands beyond statistical process control to embrace a
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 13
wider scope of management activities of how to manage people and organizations by
focusing on the entire process, not just simple measurements. This involves the
application of quality management principles, these are: continuous improvement,
customer focus, honesty, sincerity and care to all aspects of the business, including
customers and suppliers. TQM is composed of three paradigms:
• Total: Involving the entire organization
• Quality: conformance to requirements (meeting customer requirements)
• Management: Science and art or manner of planning, controlling, directing and
the like
2.1.5. State of the Art
The history of quality management, from mere inspection to TQM, and its modern
branded interpretations such as Six-Sigma, has led to the development of essential
processes, ideas, theories and tools that are central to quality improvement. Six-Sigma is
a new strategic paradigm of management innovation for the survival of a company in the
21st century, which implies three things: statistical measurement, management strategy
and quality culture [16]. It is regarded as a fresh quality management strategy which can
replace quality control, TQM and others. In a sense, we can view the development
process of Six-Sigma as shown in Figure 2.2
Fig. 2. 2 Development process of Six Sigma in quality management [17]
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 14
A garment production process faces numerous kinds of problems leading to quality
defects and subsequent alterations and rejections of the product. The Six-Sigma
methodology is a structured program for improving garment quality through Define,
Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) methods [18 ]. DMAIC phases consist
of the following steps:
Define: This is the first phase of the process improvement effort. During this phase, the
Six-Sigma project is defined. Planning for the garment production and collection of
information pertaining to the customer requirements is done.
Measure: In this phase the key internal processes that influence critical to quality (CTQ)
are identified and the garment defects are measured.
Analyze: This phase involves the data analysis for identification of parts of process
which affect the quality of the garment. There are a number of statistical tools available
such as Hypothesis Testing, Regression Analysis and historical Design of PFMEA, Box
Plot, ANOVA, Correlation, Regression.
Improve: This phase finds a permanent solution to the problem. This may involve better
forecasting, better scheduling, better procedures or equipment.
Control: In this phase, tools are used to ensure that the key variables remain within the
maximum permissible ranges continuously.
Currently there are analytic software for Six-Sigma programs that provide all necessary
data management, analysis, and graphics capabilities to determine the most important
factors, and perform data-driven decision-making [16].
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 15
2.2. Quality Standards
Quality standards are frameworks for achieving a recognized level of quality within an
organization. Achievement of a quality standard demonstrates that an organization has
met the requirements laid out by a certifying body. There are at least four different
sources of product standards: company standards, industry standards, national standards,
and international standards [10]. International standards are increasingly important for
doing business in a global environment. International Standard Organization (ISO) has
developed a set of standards for quality systems that is required for quality certification.
The ISO 9000 family of standards represents an international consensus on good
management practice. Its primary aim is to give organizations guidelines on what
constitutes an effective quality management system, which in turn can serve as a
framework for continuous improvement. ISO 9000 is not a product quality label or
guarantee. Compliance with the standards verifies product repeatability such that
products produced under a specified standard will have similar dimensions of quality.
Some garment industries view ISO certification is only necessary as a factor for exports.
Implementation of ISO helps the garment industries to enhance their product and process
quality, minimizes defective supplies and reworking. As it is a well recognized standard
for quality, it shows the customers that the industry takes quality seriously. ISO certified
companies focus more on the quality of their products and operations. It also motivates
the employees in improving quality. The cost of implementing ISO is comparatively
cheaper to the benefits derived out of it. Many ISO certified companies positively assert
that their total costs went down to a considerable extent after the implementation of ISO
[18].
There is no industry or government-mandated standards for textile or garment
performance, but voluntary standards are available for many products. These standards
are used by many textile mills and apparel firms to determine performance of materials.
Two government and trade supported organizations have developed standard
performance specifications for textiles and many other products. The American Society
for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the American Association of Textile Chemists and
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 16
Colorists (AATCC) have established standard test methods related to performance
characteristics and physical parameters of textile products [18].
ASTM is the world's largest source of voluntary standards for different types of products,
including textile and apparel categories. ASTM annually publishes books of standards for
many products. ASTM published a series of recommended standards that can serve as
guidelines for purchasing fabrics with performance acceptable for forty-two apparel
product categories. These standards are used as guidelines in specifying fabric
requirements and negotiating purchase contracts.
AATCC is internationally recognized for its standard methods for testing dyed and
chemically treated fibers and fabrics. These standards are established to measure and
evaluate performance characteristics such as colorfastness to light and washing, durable
press finishes, shape retention, flammability, and the many other conditions to which
textiles may be subjected. The standards and test methods provided by ASTM and
AATCC often become a part of the materials standards and specifications used by
manufacturers.
2.3. Quality Improvement
Inspecting every product is costly and inefficient, but the consequences of shipping non-
conforming product can be significant in terms of customer dissatisfaction [11]. As a
result, the underlying aim of quality improvement is to ensure in a cost efficient manner
that the product shipped to customers meets their specifications. Higher product quality is
required for a company to become more competitive, both locally and in international
trade as shown in Figure 2.3. Improved quality increases productivity, hence, many
world-class firms and nations use quality as a powerful competitive tool [19].
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 17
ImprovedCompetitiveness
Increased MarketShare
IncreasedRevenues
Improved Quality
Reduced Cost ofProduction
ImprovedProductivityReduced Waste
Fig. 2. 3 Quality and Competitiveness [19]
Continuous improvement of quality is needed since there are competition pressures and
customer needs are a moving target. Therefore, quality goals must keep shifting to
respond to the changes that keep coming over the horizon i.e. new technology, new
competition, threats, and opportunities [20]. The Deming’s plan-do-check-act (PDCA)
cycle is the most widely used tools for continuous improvement as shown in Figure 2.4
Fig. 2. 4 Deming’s PDCA cycle [21]
Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.
Do: Implement the change on a small scale.
Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a
difference.
Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess
the results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.
Plan
Do
Check
Act
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 18
A wide range of tools and techniques are used for identifying, measuring, prioritizing and
improving a process which are critical to quality. The basic quality improvement tools are
Check sheets, Histograms, Pareto diagram, Cause-and-Effect diagrams, Scatter diagrams
and Control charts.
A Check sheet is a paper form on which items to be checked have been printed already so
that data can be collected easily and concisely. Its main purposes are to make data-
gathering easy and to arrange data automatically so that they can be used easily later on.
A Histogram is a bar chart showing a distribution of variables. This tool helps identify the
cause of problems in a process by shape of the distribution as well as the width of the
distribution. The histogram clearly portrays information on location, spread, and shape
regarding the functioning of the physical process. It can also help suggest both the nature
of and possible improvements for the physical mechanisms at work in the process.
A Pareto Diagram is a bar graph used to arrange information in such a way that priorities
for process improvement can be established. Pareto diagram is used to display the relative
importance of data and to direct efforts to the biggest improvement opportunity by
highlighting the vital few in contrasts to the useful many.
A Cause-and-Effect Diagram is a tool that helps identify, sort, and display possible
causes of a specific problem or quality characteristic. The diagram graphically illustrates
the relationship between a given outcome and all the factors that influence the outcome.
It is used when we need to identify the possible root causes, the basic reasons, for a
specific effect, problem, or condition, sort out and relate some of the interactions among
the factors affecting a particular process or effect and analyze existing problems so that
corrective action can be taken.
A Scatter diagram is used to study the relation of two corresponding variables i.e. a
quality characteristic and a factor affecting it, two related quality characteristics, or two
factors relating to a single quality characteristic.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 19
A Control chart is a graphical method for displaying control results and evaluating
whether a measurement procedure is in-control or out-of-control.
2.4. Quality Costs
A proper understanding of the cost of quality (COQ) is vital for a garment industry to
develop quality conformance as a useful strategic business tool to improve quality.
Quality costs are the costs associated with preventing, finding, and correcting defective
work [21]. Research shows that the costs of poor quality can range from 15%-40% of
business costs [22]. Many of these costs can be significantly reduced or completely
avoided.
There are four types of quality costs: prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure
costs, and external failure costs [23].
i. Internal Failure Costs: Costs from product defects prior to shipment to customer.
These include scrap, rework, retest, downtime, etc.
ii. External failure costs: Costs associated with defects found after shipment to
customer. They include complaint adjustment, returned material, warranty
charges, allowances, etc.
iii. Appraisal Costs: Costs associated with discovering the condition of products
and raw materials. They include incoming material inspection, inspection and test,
maintain accuracy of test equipment, materials and services consumed, evaluating
of stocks etc.
iv. Prevention Costs: The costs of all activities to prevent poor quality of products.
These include quality planning, new products review, training, process control,
quality data acquisition and analysis, quality reporting, improvement projects etc.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 20
Total Cost of Quality
Total Cost of Quality is the sum of four types of costs i.e. Prevention Cost + Appraisal
Cost + Internal Failure Cost + External Failure Cost.
In today's business environment reduction of total cost of quality increases the
competitiveness and facilitates survival and further growth of a garment industry [23].
2.5. Self Assessment
Three most frequently used self-assessment models have been Japan’s Deming
Application Prize, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNA), and the
European Quality Award (EQA). Each award is based on a perceived model of total
quality management. They do not focus solely on either product or service perfection or
traditional quality management methods, but consider a wide range of management
activities, behavior and processes which influence the quality of the final offerings [20].
The model of the European Quality Award is divided into two parts: enablers and results.
The enablers are leadership, people management, policy and strategy, resources and
processes [15]. These five aspects steer the business and facilitate the transformation of
inputs to outputs. The results are people satisfaction, customer satisfaction, impact on
society and business results which are the measure of the level of output attained by the
organization. The model consists of nine primary elements which are further divided into
a number of secondary elements as shown in Figure 2.5
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 21
Fig. 2. 5 The European quality award model [15]
2.6. Garment Production Process
Garment production process is fragmented and labor-intensive. With low capital and skill
requirements, it is ideally suited to the early stages of industrialization [24]. The
Ethiopian garment industry is segmented into tailors, domestic manufacturers and
exporters. Tailors undertake the bulk of production of the domestic market. A typical
tailoring shop consists of a tailor who deals with customers (helping with design and
measurement) and 3-4 workers who stitch the clothes. Consumers generally provide the
fabric; therefore, tailors have low fixed costs and pay lower wages. Generally, most tailor
made clothing are cheaper than ready-made apparel. Domestic manufacturers and
exporters produce western style ready-made apparel for either domestic or export.
This research focuses only western style apparel ready-made apparel. The traditional
style garments such as Abesha Lebse (Ethiopian traditional cloth) are excluded since they
are unique to Ethiopia and, therefore, not comparable across countries.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 22
Apparel production process
The production of a final garment consists of the consecutive steps shown in Figure 2.6.
[25]
Pattern Making: Patternmaking is the process of creating all the correctly sized pieces
needed to make a complete garment. The traditional method of pattern making includes
creation of hard paper patterns. The modern garment making system has adopted the
digitization of pattern making process. Most of Ethiopian garment industries are still
using the traditional method because the cost of computerized systems is prohibitive.
Pattern Grading: Pattern pieces must be increased or decreased geometrically to create
a complete range of sizes. The process of resizing the initial pattern is called grading. The
grade rules are developed keeping in view the market segment for which the product is
intended such as men, women, youth, children, etc.
Marker Making: Fabric is the most important basic material for apparel making and it
accounts for around 50 per cent of the cost of a garment. Thus, material optimization or
maximizing fabric utilization is the fundamental factor for every garment firm. Marking
refers to the process of placing pattern pieces to maximize the number of patterns that can
be cut out of a given piece of fabric. Marker making considers fabric width, length, fabric
type and subsequent cutting method used. Although markers can be made manually or
using CAD software, the computerized method is more efficient.
Garment Cutting: Once the marker is made, pattern pieces must be cut out of the
specified fabric. Apart from using traditional tools, nowadays, computerized cutting
systems are widely used for garment cutting. Pattern specifications are kept into
consideration while cutting which ensure that the constructed garment is exactly similar
to the sample produced.
Garment Sewing: This is the main assembly stage of the production process where
fabric is stitched together and a garment is assembled. Computerized sewing machines
can be programmed to sew a specific number of stitches. However, sewing remains
largely labor-intensive.
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Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 24
Garment production techniques are divided into make through, assembly line and
modular methods [26]. The method used depends on the product type, quality level, order
quantity, level of technology and skills available as shown Table 2.1
In make through method a single operator undertakes the whole process. Therefore, little
supervision and organization are required. In addition, this method has a very low
throughput time because only one unit has to be finished at a time to complete the order.
The disadvantage of this system is that operator needs to conduct all the operations
required to produce the finished good and cannot learn any specialization.
Assembly line method is based on extreme division of labor. Its major advantage is that
both workers and machines are specialized, allowing for a dramatic increase in
productivity. In addition, the individual skills required by operators are greatly reduced.
However, this method of production needs excellent organizational ability so as to avoid
idle time. Factors like variations in individual operator performance, absenteeism and
machine breakdowns can easily upset the working schedule. In addition, this makes it
harder to handle style variations and dramatically increases the lead time associated with
a finished batch of products.
Modular: Modular formation consists of grouping tasks and assigning them to module.
These workers are cross-trained and can, therefore, easily move across tasks.
Compensation is based on the module’s output instead of that of the individual worker.
The key benefit of this method is the reduction in throughput time. However, the costs of
the switching to this method are very high as extensive training is required. It is
commonly used for high value-added, high fashion product.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 25
Table 2. 1 Apparel manufacturing Methods [26]
System Description Characteristics Quality Control
Ease of style
change
Operator skill
required
Investment required
Make through
Whole garment is made by one operator
• Short runs • Little
supervision
Low High High Low
Assembly line
Extreme division of labor
• Long runs • High
supervision • Standard
products
High Low Medium High
Modular Employees are organized in groups to carry out complete operations for a family products
• Short runs • High
supervision • High value
products
High High High Medium
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 26
3. METODLOGY, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
3.1. Methodology
To undertake this research, a sample size of 11 garment industries (Wossi Garment, Unis
Garment, Oasis Abyssinia Garment, Mulat Garment, Haile Garment, GMM, Feleke
Garment, Ambassador Garment, Garment Evolution, Novastar Garment and Knit to Finish)
was selected out of a total 28 garment industries in the country. Detail list of these garment
industries are attached in Appendix 1. The sample size was decided after considering the
expected response rate, requirements for performing statistical analysis, available time and
survey cost. Moreover, the selected garment industries cover most types of products-
knitted and woven, T-shirts, polos, trousers, suits, jackets of different sizes. Although
the selected samples were limited to firms in Addis Ababa and Oromia Region where the
majority of the national garment industries (95%) are located, it is assumed that the
samples from these regions can give directions on the whole situation of garment industries
in Ethiopia. In order to obtain important information about the performance of Ethiopian
garment industries, the following organizations were contacted.
• Quality and standards Authority of Ethiopia
• Ministry of Trade and Industry
• UNIDO
• Ethiopian Garment Association
• Ethiopian Textile and Leather Industry Development Center
• Central Statistics Agency
In order to assess the quality related problems of the sector, primary and secondary data
were collected using a well structured questionnaire, interviews, personal observations
and review of previous research works.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 27
3.1.1. Survey Questionnaire
The questionnaire was pilot-tested with a small sample of garment industries in order to
refine before distribution. Personal visits as well as phone calls were used to increase
response rate.
The type of questionnaire used to collect data is presented in Appendix 2. The survey
questionnaire contains 60 questions requiring four types of answers:
• The first type uses a nominal scale, Yes or No
• The second type uses an ordinal scale, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor
• The third type of scale is Very high, High, Moderate, Low and Nil
• The fourth type requires brief answer for subjective questions
The questionnaire in this survey is categorized into five different sections with reference
to the Ethiopian garment industries. The first category of questions (1to7) was designed
to explore the general quality awareness of the industries. These set of questions were
based on the philosophy of one of the quality gurus, Crosby.
The second category of questions (8 to 10) is related to the causes of poor quality in the
factories. The objective of these questions is to evaluate the impact of factors such as
skills, technology, management commitment and supplier relation.
The third category of questions (11 to 25) were designed to assess the quality
improvement efforts made by the management such as trainings, teamwork and customer
satisfaction.
The last category questions (26 to 60) deals with quality performance to understand the
current quality standards in Ethiopian garment industries. These questions deal with
quality planning, quality design, quality control, quality improvement, quality assurance,
quality documentation and cost of quality.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 28
3.1.2. Structured Interviews
The design of the interviews was based on the research objectives. Interviews were
conducted with top management of the garment industries. The interviews were used to
cross check the reliability of the response to the questionnaire. It is also used to gather
additional information to compare the current QMS with respect to ISO standard.
3.1.3. Direct Observation
In this research direct observation is used as a means to assess the techniques used in
documentation and production processes as well as the existing facilities of the industries.
Important documents of the respective industries such as annual reports, company profile
brochure, and inspection data have been also used to perform quantitative analysis.
3.2. Data Collection and Analysis
A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed out of which 53% were completed by the
respondents. The most common reasons for non-response were low educational level and
unwillingness. The result of the statistical analysis of the questionnaire is presented in
Appendix 3. According to the first category of questions, the general understanding of
quality concept in the industries is higher at the top of the organization and gets lesser as
it goes down.
The second category of the questions reveals the causes of poor quality products in the
industries. As shown in Figure 3.1, the system of the organization such as policies, rules
and procedures are the primary obstacle to improve quality in the industries. Lack of
required knowledge and skill of employees is the second major contributor.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 29
Fig. 3. 1 Obstacles to improve quality in the companies
A- The system of the organization (like policy, rules and procedures)
B- The internal working environment
C- Lack of consistency in the action being taken
D- Fear and resistance of the management
E- Lack of the required knowledge and skill
Figure 3.2 shows that poor quality of raw materials is the major cause of poor quality
products in the industries and inadequate training of workers in the industries also has a
great impact.
A B C D E
Series 1 40% 8.80% 19% 11.10% 21%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 30
Fig. 3. 2 Cause of poor quality products in the companies
A- Poor quality of raw materials delivered from suppliers
B- Inadequate training of workers in the company
C- Lack of top management commitment to quality
D- Low quality awareness of workers in the company
E- Unavailability of proper technology
Referring to the subjective answers, the quality related problems faced by the industries
are manifold and include:
1. Lack of quality awareness
2. Lack of proper training
3. Lack of skilled manpower
4. Lack of motivation of workers
5. Low technological level
6. Customer dissatisfaction because of late delivery
7. High rate of rework/rejects
8. Low quality fabric
9. Unavailability of Quality Management System
10. Lack of proper inspection techniques
A B C D E
Series 1 27.27% 23.63% 18.17% 20% 11%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 31
11. Poor understanding of customers’ requirements
From the above responses, a Parteo diagram is constructed as shown in Figure 3.3 to
reveal the major causes of the problems.
Fig. 3. 3 Pareto diagram for quality related problems in the industries
A- Low quality fabric
B- Lack of quality awareness
C- Lack of skilled manpower
D- Low technological level
E- Managerial problems
F- Lack of proper inspection techniques
Others
The analysis of the Pareto diagram shows that poor quality of the raw material (fabric) is
the major cause of poor quality products in Ethiopian garment industries.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
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According to the respondents for the third category of the questions, the frequency of
trainings given to employees is very low as a result the overall skill of the employees is
low. Usually the industries give training only on hiring. The existence of strong
cooperation and teamwork is not satisfactory. 65% of the respondents agree that the
response of the industry to market change is low. The quality of products of the
respondent companies is not compatible with the quality of the products manufactured by
the market leaders. About 67.5% of the respondents say that the rate of rework in the
industries is high. 73% of the respondents agree that the biggest concerns of the
management are cost and schedules instead of quality.
According to the last category of respondents, most of the garment industries do not
identify customer requirements. There is a large gap between customer requirement and
the products of the industries. The degree of communication with the customers to
understand their requirement and translating into products is not satisfactory. About 52%
of the respondents agreed that the existence of favorable system for customers to express
their feelings is very low.
These industries don’t have quality improvement programs and they spend most of their
time on detecting the defects of the products rather than preventing the defects. As a
result, the quality control activities are inspection-based instead of prevention-based.
They use visual inspection techniques which are not an effective method and there is no
awareness and application of the statistical process control tools.
Because of poor management commitment to quality, most of the garment industries
don’t have their own business culture to support total employees involvement in quality
improvement. Therefore, the quality vision, mission objective statement and relative
measures do not exist.
68% of the respondents agree that the garment industries do not have self evaluation
techniques. As a result, the industries don’t have internal/external quality audit system
and also do not calculate their cost of quality. Therefore, they are unable to identify the
existing problems and take necessary measures.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 33
According to 72% of the respondents, the garment industries do not have any mechanism
to evaluate the performance their fabric and accessory suppliers. The industries focus on
price instead of quality in the selection of suppliers.
According to the information from Ethiopian Garment Association, all garment factories
in Ethiopia are not ISO certified. But, four garment industries i.e. NovaStar Garment,
Maa Garment, Addis Garment and Nazrethe Garment are in the process of WRAP
certification. The Worldwide Responsible Garment Production Principles (WRAP) is
core standards for production facilities participating in the Worldwide Responsible
Garment Production Certification Program. The Program’s objective is to independently
monitor and certify compliance with these socially responsible global standards for
manufacturing, and ensuring that manufactured products are produced under lawful,
humane and ethical conditions. These industries want to use WRAP for marketing
purposes under AGOA export benefit.
3.2.1 Gap Analysis
One of the first steps in quality improvement is to compare the current Quality
Management System (QMS) to the requirements of the ISO 9000:2000 standard. This is
most commonly called a Gap Analysis. A Gap Analysis is used to assess an
organization’s scope, readiness, and its resources for building an ISO system [27].
Therefore, in this research a quality management preliminary gap analysis for Ethiopian
garment industries is done based on the data collected from the questionnaire, interview
and personal observation. The possible responses of the questions and their qualitative
interpretations are shown in Table 3.1. The preliminary gap analysis for ISO 9001:2000
in Ethiopian garment industries is shown in Table 3.2. Benchmarking for the analysis
result is shown in Table 3.3.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 34
Table 3. 1 Qualitative interpretation of questions
Table 3. 2 Preliminary Gap Analysis for ISO 9001: 2000
0 The company does not know what is required or believe it is necessary 1 The company does not perform this activity 2 The company understands this activity is a good thing to do but do not do it 3 The company does this sometimes 4 The company does this but not very well 5 The company does this quite well.
Quality Management System Preliminary Gap Analysis Score
Decide on a number from 0 to 5 for each item below 1 to 5
1 Establishing, documenting, implementing and maintaining a QMS to any system including
ISO 9001, ISO 9002 or ISO 9003
1
2 Identification of the processes needed for QMS i.e.
a. The sequence of the production and service delivery processes
b. The criteria and methods needed to ensure the processes are effective, and
c. Have the resources and the information needed to support the processes
1
3 Availability of:
a. Quality Manual including Quality Policy and quality objectives
b. Written procedures and work instructions
1
4 Do the records provide evidence that the business processes are effective? 1
5 Commitment of Top Management to the development and implementation of a QMS 1
6 Communicating the importance of meeting customer and other business requirements to all
the employees by top management
3
7 Commitment of top management to ensure that customers’ requirements are top priority 2
8 Do quality objectives include requirements for production and delivery? 1
9 Are quality objectives measurable? 1
10 Have the responsibilities and authorities of managers and employees been defined and
communicated to them?
3
11 Does the management have the drive and resources needed
a. To implement, and maintain a QMS and continually improve its effectiveness,
1
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 35
and
b. To enhance customer satisfaction by meeting customer requirements
12 Procedures to select competent personnel for work activities 3
13 Provide training or take other action to help develop people 2
14 Adequate provision of:
a. Buildings, workspace and utilities
b. Process equipment
c. Supporting services such as transport or communication
2
15 Review customer order for:
a. Requirements specified by the customer, including the delivery and post-delivery
activities
b. Requirements not stated by the customer but necessary for specified use or known
and intended use
c. Statutory and regulatory requirements related to the product
3
16 Inform customers concerning
a. Product information
b. Enquiries, contracts or order handling, including changes
c. Channels for customer feedback and complaints
3
17 Planning and controlling product design and development activities 1
18 Maintain records of design or development review, verification and validation activities
and resulting action?
1
19 Inspection or confirmation of purchased products, materials, components and services
conform to the specified purchase requirements
3
20 Selection of suppliers depending on how important the purchased product is for production 2
21 Evaluation of suppliers (subcontractors or vendors) based on their ability to satisfy the
companies requirements
2
22 Ensuring that production has
a. The information that describes the characteristics of the product
b. The necessary work instructions,
c. Suitable equipment, and
d. The monitoring and measuring devices needed
3
23 Confirming regularly that production and service processes are capable of consistently
meeting the companies requirements
2
24 Proper handling of products during both production and delivery to the customer, by
providing suitable identification, packaging, storage, preservation and handling
3
25 Availability of instructions needed to identify inspection or monitoring activities to be
done during production or service delivery and the devices to be used
3
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 36
Table 3. 3 Analysis table
The analysis of table 3.2 shows that the total scoring of Ethiopian garment industries is
66 which is below 50%. Therefore, we can conclude that Ethiopian garment industries
have a wide gap compared to an ISO 9001: 2000 system.
26 Measuring equipment are:
a. Calibrated or verified at specified intervals, or prior to use
b. Adjusted or re-adjusted as necessary
c. Identified to enable the calibration status to be determined
d. Safeguarded from adjustments that would invalidate the measurement result
e. Protected from damage and deterioration during handling, maintenance and
storage
1
27 Monitoring customers’ information to assure customer satisfaction 2
28 Conducting internal quality audits at planned intervals 2
29 Use of suitable methods to monitor and, where practical, measure the performance of
processes
2
30 Inspection of finished products and record the results 2
31 Identifying nonconforming products and reviewing them for disposition 3
32 Collect and analyzing data to assess the suitability and effectiveness of the QMS 1
33 Using data to evaluate or identify where continual improvement of the QMS can be made 1
34 Continually improving the effectiveness of the QMS 1
35 Taking corrective action to eliminate the causes of problems and to prevent their
recurrence
1
36 Determining and eliminating potential nonconformities in order to prevent their occurrence 1
130-180 75% - 100% The company is almost ready to complete ISO 9001 QMS and apply for
certification/ registration.
80 -129 50% - 74% The company is ready to implement the QMS. This will likely improve
its business results.
0 -79 0% - 49% The company has a lot to do but should begin. You could consider
seeking help from a consultant or specialist.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 37
3.2.2 Benchmarking
For further analysis this research work has referred to the benchmarking done by UNIDO
taking selected reference countries and competitor countries as shown in Table 3.4 [12]
Reference countries
Romania: An important EU supplier of high quality garments mainly on Cut Make Trim
(CMT) basis using imported fabrics.
Turkey: 2nd major supplier of garments in EU after China. Turkey is well known for its
capabilities to deliver Free On Board (FOB) garments made from local fabrics.
Competitor countries
Bangladesh: An important FOB supplier for EU and US where 75% the country’s export
is textile and garment.
Egypt: An African country which has a policy to attract textile & garment companies.
Table 3. 4 Benchmarking of Ethiopian garment industries [12]
Ethiopia
Reference countries Competitor countries
Turkey Romania Egypt Bangladesh
1 Availability of technology 1 5 5 3 3
2 Average employees skills 2 5 5 3 3
3 Marketing abilities 1 5 4 3 3
3 Product development 1 5 4 2 3
4 Business environment 1 5 5 3 4
5 Certifications & testing labs 1 5 4 2 4
6 Technical flexibility 3 5 5 4 3
7 Productivity 1 4 5 2 3
8 Quality level 2 5 5 3 3
9 Management abilities 2 5 5 2 2
10 Value added 1 5 4 3 3
11 Availability of raw materials 2 5 3 4 4
12 Price competitiveness 1 5 2 5 5
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 38
Based on Table 3.4, this research work compares Ethiopian garment industries with
international best practice country (Turkey) and makes a performance gap analysis as
shown in Figure 3.4
Fig. 3. 4 Performance gap of Ethiopian garment industries with best practice country
From the benchmarking analysis, we can see that the gap between Ethiopia and best
performance country (Turkey) is very high.
3.2.3 COQ in NovaStar Garment PLC
This research work tries to look the total COQ in one of Ethiopian garment industries,
NovaStar garment PLC. Although the industry does not calculate its cost of quality, this
research work estimates its COQ for the fiscal year 2007/2008 based on the data collected
from document review.
Based on the components of COQ discussed in section 2.4, the total COQ is calculated as
follows:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Ethiopia
Turkey Mean
Ethiopia Mean
Gap = ‐3.4
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 39
Internal failure cost
Scrap: For the fiscal year 2007/2008 the industry consumed 285,000 m of fabric which
costs 285,000 m X 15 Birr = 4,275,000 Birr.
The amount of scrap was on average 175 m X 12 months=2,100 m
Therefore, the cost of scrap is = 2,100 m x 15 Birr = 31,000 Birr
Rework cost: The rework cost is the cost of re-processing the defective garments after
inspection. The industry produces on average 50,000 pcs of clothes per month and the
monthly production cost is 742,400 Birr.
Taking an average of 20% defective garments per month and the cost of reworking
defective garments per year is 1,776,000 Birr
External failure cost
Returns: According to the fiscal year 2007/08 the industry has lost a total of 332,000 birr
due to returned material.
Appraisal cost
Inspection cost: The industry has 8 inspectors with an a rage salary of 750 Birr
Therefore, the total inspection cost for the fiscal year 2007/08 is 750 Birr x 8 persons x
12 months = 72,000 Birr
Quality audit cost: The industry has 2 internal auditors with an average salary of 1,200
Birr
Therefore, the total quality audit cost for the fiscal year 2007/08 is 1,200 Birr x 2 persons
x 12 months = 28,800 Birr
Prevention cost
Quality related training: The industry does not have training cost and relies on training
given by MoTI
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 40
Total cost of quality
Total cost of quality = Internal failure cost + External failure cost + Appraisal cost+
Prevention cost
Therefore, the total cost of quality for the fiscal year 2007/08 is 2,239,800 Birr
Table 3. 5 Estimated COQ in NovaStar garment PLC
Quality cost element Total cost (Birr) Percentage
1 Prevention cost - -
2 Appraisal cost 100,800 4.5%
3 Internal failure cost 1,807,000 80.68%
4 External failure cost 332,000 14.82%
Total cost of quality 2,239,800 100%
From the analysis of total cost of quality in Table 3.5, the percentage of quality cost
elements is analyzed in Figure 3.5
Fig. 3. 5 Percentage of quality cost elements in NovaStar garment PLC
4.50%
80.68%
14.82%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
80.00%
90.00%
Appraisal cost Internal failure cost External failure cost
Qulaity cost elements
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 41
The analysis of Figure 3.5 shows that 80.68% of the total cost of quality is the result of
internal failure cost and the industry does not incur any prevention cost.
3.2.4 Application of SQC tools in NovaStar garment PLC
Statistical Quality Control (SQC) tools are used to monitor the existing process in the
manufacturing of women’s shirt in NovaStar Garment PLC. Table 3.6 and 3.7 show the
defect data collected during the inspection of style # 37500 for 31 days.
Table 3. 6 Types and number of defects (day 1-15)
Style #: 37500
Types of defects 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Fabric defects 7 3 -- - 4 1 - 17 4 - 5 5 2 - 1 Oil spots & stains - 3 2 6 3 4 6 9 - - - - - - - Pocket misalignment 14 18 5 8 11 6 6 25 71 18 17 8 - - - Seam pucker 18 4 - 14 12 9 5 18 21 40 12 11 7 12 2 Label setting 4 6 - 1 -- - - 19 24 - - 20 - 5 - Staggered stitches 13 6 8 8 3 4 - 13 12 19 7 24 3 4 1 Broken stitches 9 7 3 5 5 3 8 25 22 7 6 10 5 13 4 Skipped stitches 11 9 12 6 10 5 3 22 15 9 13 17 5 9 3 Size problems 6 - 1 - 4 2 7 4 5 2 3 9 6 4 1 0thers 7 5 8 10 9 11 5 9 26 17 11 11 4 11 6 Checked quantity 197 200 200 150 160 205 200 311 411 322 154 329 69 158 135Defect quantity 89 61 39 58 61 45 40 161 200 112 74 115 32 58 18
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 42
Table 3. 7 Types and number of defects (day 16-31)
Types of defects 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Fabric defects 1 - - - 2 3 1 - - 1 1 - 1 5 - - Oil spots & stains - 1 - - 7 - - - 2 2 1 - 3 - 3 1 Pocket misalignment - 1 1 4 2 1 - 6 7 5 8 6 9 10 10 1 Seam pucker 3 4 6 10 3 4 3 12 9 14 7 11 11 5 9 7 Label setting - - - - - - - - 2 7 3 9 7 4 6 1 Staggered stitches 1 2 4 5 3 4 5 11 9 8 3 2 5 3 - - Broken stitches 3 3 6 7 5 7 4 9 12 7 4 13 7 8 7 5 Skipped stitches 4 2 7 9 8 6 3 7 9 11 2 11 4 10 6 3 Size problems 2 3 5 2 3 2 1 3 7 5 1 22 3 5 10 4 0thers 5 9 7 9 6 5 8 4 12 6 5 10 6 11 12 7 Checked quantity 167 133 192 177 172 142 120 147 178 234 187 247 194 226 244 137Defect quantity 19 25 36 46 39 32 25 52 69 66 35 84 56 61 63 29
Based on the Pareto data sheet in Table 3.8, a Pareto diagram is constructed in Figure 3.6
so that priorities for process improvement can be identified by highlighting the vital few
in contrast to the useful many.
Table 3. 8 Data sheet for Pareto diagram
Type of defects Number of
defects Cumulative total Percentage of overall total
Percentage cumulative total
Seam pucker 303 303 15.95 15.95 Pocket misalignment 278 581 14.63 30.58 Skipped stitches 251 832 13.21 43.79 Broken stitches 239 1071 12.58 56.37 Staggered stitches 190 1261 10.00 66.37 Size problems 132 1393 6.95 73.32 Label setting 118 1511 6.21 79.53 Fabric defects 64 1575 3.37 82.89 Oil spots & stains 53 1628 2.79 85.68 0thers 272 1900 14.32 100.00
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 43
Fig. 3. 6 Pareto diagram for defective shirts
The analysis of the Parteo diagram shows that seam pucker and pocket misalignment are
major defects during the 31 days.
U-Chart
A u-chart has been constructed to understand the distribution of the number of defects per
shirt during the 31 days period and to evaluate whether the process is in or out of control.
The data sheet for the u-chart is prepared in Table 3.9
303 278 251 239 190132 118 64 53
27215.9%
30.6%
43.8%
56.4%
66.4%73.3%
79.5%82.9% 85.7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800N
umbe
r of
def
ects
Types of defects
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 44
The process average defect per shirts is calculated as:
3115.060981900
===samplestheallinshirtofnumbertotalsamplestheallindefectsofnumbertotalu
The value of standard deviation is given as:
niui =σ
From σandu values, we can determine the different control limits during each day
as follows:
UCLi = iu σ3+
iuUWLi σ2+=
iuUZCi σ+=
uiuCLi =+= σ0
iuLZCi σ−=
iuLWLi σ2−=
iuLCLi σ3−=
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 45
Table 3. 9 Data sheet for the construction of u-chart for defective shirts
Days Number of shirts
inspected
Defective shirts
Proportion defective
Standard deviation UCL UWL UZC CL LZC LWL LCL
1 197 89 0.4518 0.0398 0.4309 0.3911 0.3514 0.3116 0.3514 0.2321 0.1923 2 200 61 0.3050 0.0395 0.4300 0.3905 0.3511 0.3116 0.3511 0.2327 0.1932 3 200 39 0.1950 0.0395 0.4300 0.3905 0.3511 0.3116 0.3511 0.2327 0.1932 4 150 58 0.3867 0.0456
0.4483 0.4028 0.3572 0.3116 0.3572 0.2204 0.1749 5 160 61 0.3813 0.0441 0.4440 0.3999 0.3557 0.3116 0.3557 0.2233 0.1792 6 205 45 0.2195 0.0390 0.4286 0.3896 0.3506 0.3116 0.3506 0.2336 0.1946 7 200 40 0.2000 0.0395 0.4300 0.3905 0.3511 0.3116 0.3511 0.2327 0.1932 8 311 161 0.5177 0.0317 0.4066 0.3749 0.3433 0.3116 0.3433 0.2483 0.2166 9 411 200 0.4866 0.0275 0.3942 0.3667 0.3391 0.3116 0.3391 0.2565 0.2290
10 322 112 0.3478 0.0311 0.4049 0.3738 0.3427 0.3116 0.3427 0.2494 0.2183 11 154 74 0.4805 0.0450 0.4465 0.4016 0.3566 0.3116 0.3566 0.2216 0.1767 12 329 115 0.3495 0.0308 0.4039 0.3731 0.3424 0.3116 0.3424 0.2501 0.2193 13 69 32 0.4638 0.0672 0.5132 0.4460 0.3788 0.3116 0.3788 0.1772 0.1100 14 158 58 0.3671 0.0444 0.4448 0.4004 0.3560 0.3116 0.3560 0.2228 0.1784 15 135 18 0.1333 0.0480 0.4557 0.4077 0.3596 0.3116 0.3596 0.2155 0.1675 16 167 19 0.1138 0.0432 0.4412 0.3980 0.3548 0.3116 0.3548 0.2252 0.1820 17 133 25 0.1880 0.0484 0.4568 0.4084 0.3600 0.3116 0.3600 0.2148 0.1664 18 192 36 0.1875 0.0403 0.4325 0.3922 0.3519 0.3116 0.3519 0.2310 0.1907 19 177 46 0.2599 0.0420 0.4375 0.3955 0.3536 0.3116 0.3536 0.2277 0.1857 20 172 39 0.2267 0.0426 0.4393 0.3967 0.3542 0.3116 0.3542 0.2265 0.1839 21 142 32 0.2254 0.0468 0.4521 0.4053 0.3584 0.3116 0.3584 0.2179 0.1711 22 120 25 0.2083 0.0510 0.4645 0.4135 0.3626 0.3116 0.3626 0.2097 0.1587 23 147 52 0.3537 0.0460 0.4497 0.4037 0.3576 0.3116 0.3576 0.2195 0.1735 24 178 69 0.3876 0.0418 0.4371 0.3953 0.3534 0.3116 0.3534 0.2279 0.1861 25 234 66 0.2821 0.0365 0.4211 0.3846 0.3481 0.3116 0.3481 0.2386 0.2021 26 187 35 0.1872 0.0408 0.4341 0.3932 0.3524 0.3116 0.3524 0.2300 0.1891 27 247 84 0.3401 0.0355 0.4182 0.3826 0.3471 0.3116 0.3471 0.2406 0.2050 28 194 56 0.2887 0.0401 0.4318 0.3918 0.3517 0.3116 0.3517 0.2314 0.1914 29 226 61 0.2699 0.0371 0.4230 0.3859 0.3487 0.3116 0.3487 0.2373 0.2002 30 244 63 0.2582 0.0357 0.4188 0.3831 0.3473 0.3116 0.3473 0.2401 0.2044 31 137 29 0.2117 0.0477 0.4547 0.4070 0.3593 0.3116 0.3593 0.2162 0.1685
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 46
Based on the data sheet in Table 3.9, a u-chart is constructed in Figure 3.7
Fig. 3. 7 u-chart for the number of defects per shirt
Analysis of the pattern of the u-chart
The u-chart indicates an out of control condition either when one or more points fall
beyond the control limits, or when the plotted points exhibit some non-random pattern of
behavior. Therefore, Table 3.10 shows the evidence of causes of variations in the u-chart.
0.000
0.100
0.200
0.300
0.400
0.500
0.600
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Def
ects
per
shir
t (u)
U
Average
UCL
+2 Sigma
+1 Sigma
-1 Sigma
-2 Sigma
LCL
Zone C
Zone C
Zone B
Zone A
Zone B
Zone A
Days
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 47
Table 3. 10 Evidence of causes of variations in the u-chart
S.N Evidence of special causes Points (Days)
1 Points falling outside ±3σ 1,8,9,11,15,16,26
2 Seven successive points on the same side of the central line 8,9,10,11,12,13,14
15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22
3 Seven successive points that increase or decrease -
4 2 of 3 successive points are on the same side of the central line and are outside ±2σ
4,5,6,7
5 4 of 5 successive points are on the same side of the central line and are outside ±1σ
-
6 Oscillatory trend -
7 Linear trend -
8 Avoidance of Zone C
9 Run in Zone C
Table 3.10 shows that 71% of the points are out of control. Therefore, the industry does
not control its production. In order to determine the causes for these problems during the
identified particular days, defect data of each day is used and analyzed. For instance a
Pareto diagram is constructed for day 1 from the data sheet in Table 3.11
Table 3. 11 Determination of the causes of variation in day 1
Types of defects Number of
defects Cumulative total Percentage of overall total
Percentage cumulative total
Seam pucker 18 18 20.27 20.27 Pocket misalignment 14 32 15.72 35.99 Staggered stitches 13 45 14.60 50.59 Skipped stitches 11 56 12.35 62.94 Broken stitches 9 65 10.11 73.05 Fabric defects 7 72 7.86 80.91 Size problems 6 78 6.74 87.65 Label setting 4 82 4.49 92.14 0thers 7 89 7.86 100.00
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 48
Fig. 3. 8 Pareto diagram of defective shirts of day 1
From the Pareto diagram we can analyze that the major cause of defective shirts in day 1
is seam pucker which constitutes about 20% of the total defects. Hence, Figure 3.9
shows that after removing the significant cause of the defect (seam pucker) during day 1,
the process will be in control. Figure 3.10 shows the Cause-and- Effect diagram of seam
pucker.
1814 13 11 9 7 6 4 7
20.2%
36.0%
50.6%
62.9%
73.0%80.9%
87.6%92.1%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80N
umbe
r of
def
ects
Types of defects
By: A
Def
ects
per
shir
t (u)
lem Gemech
Fig. 3. 9 u
Inc
Unskilled op
0.000
0.100
0.200
0.300
0.400
0.500
0.600
1 2
p(
)
Quality im
u
u-chart after
correct operator handling
Unsuita
perator
Elastic thre
Fig. 3.10
2 3 4 5 6 7
provement i
significant c
Tight tthr
able thread
ead
High fe
Cause and e
8 9 101112
n Ethiopian g
cause of var
tensionread
Problem fabric feed
eeding speed
effect diagram
21314151617
garment indu
iation during
inding
High stitch density
m of seam-p
18192021222
ustries
g day1 is avo
Seam puck
Feed dog teethproblems
pucker
23242526272
Page 4
oided.
ker
28293031
49
U
Average
UCL
+2 Sigm
+1 Sigm
-1 Sigma
-2 Sigma
LCL
ma
ma
a
a
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 50
4. PROPOSED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT MODEL
There are a number of methods and techniques employed by different companies in the
world to initiate a quality improvement program. As a result, the quality improvement
model developed for Ethiopian garment industries considered the specific nature of the
garment industry, present technology, culture, financial ability, organizational structure
and personnel involved.
There is good evidence that the full implementation of TQM increases competitiveness
and customer satisfaction, reduces waste and improves the working lives of employees
[28]. However, as Japanese industries have demonstrated, provision of quality requires
continuous improvement grounded in culture and founded on practices conducive to such
changes. Different countries have different cultures. Some of them are inborn from their
tradition and ethical values system, and these often influence their organizational
structure [29]. TQM by itself is a culture and it should be adapted to different economies.
Therefore, when trying to implement TQM in Ethiopian garment industries, we must
consider culture and organizational structure.
For successful TQM implementation, some studies argue that a cross-functional matrix
organizational structure would expedite and coordinate across cross-functional interfaces.
A flatter organizational structure is often preferred with less social distance between
manager and workers [20]. From the survey result, it is more difficult to achieve in
Ethiopia because dominant Ethiopian culture reflects concentration of power, paternalism
and personalization.
An ISO implementation can also serve as basis for a TQM implementation. Where there
is an ISO system, about 75% of the steps are in place for TQM [30]. The requirements for
TQM can be considered ISO plus. However, the cost of ISO implementation and
certification by third party systems is a major factor for Ethiopian garment industries.
Most of these industries are not strong financially. Therefore, the cost of upgrading their
infrastructure to meet international standards and the cost of certification is unbearable.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 51
Taking these into consideration, in this research we developed a hybrid model that has
the potential to overcome the stated problems. Based on the assessment of these
industries, we indentified seven major potential areas for quality improvement. These are:
leadership, supplier improvement, self evaluation, garment design, garment quality
control, education and training activities and external customer focus. The details of the
components may vary for different garment industries depending on the size and
complexity of products.
4.1. Leadership
In a country like Ethiopia where power is traditionally centralized, the role of
management is vital for quality improvement. Therefore, the management of Ethiopian
garment industries has the responsibility of defining how the requirements for quality will
be met. There is no way that Ethiopian garment industries can implement quality
improvement activities if the top managers are bystanders.
Top management should make quality improvement plans to establish the objectives and
requirements for quality and the application of quality system elements. The plans should
be made in such a way that they can be implemented in practice, and should focus on
eliminating the major problem areas. When quality improvement plans are drawn up,
how to implement them should be well developed. Therefore, Ethiopian garment
industries need to arrange sufficient resources in order to ensure that the quality
improvement plans can be implemented.
Quality system documentation is one of the essential components for quality
improvement. However, most of Ethiopian garment industries do not have quality system
documentation. Therefore they shall implement and maintain a documented quality
system as a means of ensuring that garment products and services conform to specified
requirements. This documented system shall include quality manual (quality policy
manual, quality procedures manual) and work instructions supported with detailed
procedures and specifications of the industry. In Ethiopian garment industries, top
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 52
management is responsible for developing and communicating the quality policy and the
importance of meeting customer requirements to the employees. The quality policy
should be brief, clear, and believable. It should be used as a criterion for all employees to
measure whether actions are in conformance with the standards. Ethiopian garment
industries should set quality goals based on their quality policy. Hence, top management
shall ensure that it is understood and applied to the daily work of the organization
through the establishment of goals and quality objectives.
Top management should also strongly encourage employees’ involvement in quality
improvement activities, attach great importance to employees’ suggestions, take
responsibility for employees’ actions and be open and willing to listen to the voices of
employees. The responsibilities and authorities of different functional departments should
be clearly defined by system procedures. Quality system procedures should cover all the
applicable elements of the quality system standard. They should describe the
responsibilities, authorities, and interrelationships of the personnel of the garment
industries.
4.2. Supplier Improvement
The primary cause of poor quality products in Ethiopian garment industries is poor
quality fabric. Garment industries must obtain from their fabric and accessory suppliers
sufficient information to judge whether they have the capability to provide products and
services that meet all fitness-for-use requirements. The selection of suppliers must be
based on the reputation of the supplier, the investigation of its manufacturing facility, and
other relevant information about the supplier. Product quality should be regarded as the
primary factor in selecting suppliers.
Garment industries should frequently evaluate the performance of products and services
that they receive from fabric and accessories suppliers and give feedback on the
performance of suppliers’. In order to conduct supplier performance evaluation, the
garment industries should have a supplier information system that stores detailed
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 53
performance information about different suppliers. Supplier rating can be used in supplier
performance evaluation which is an index of the actual performance of a supplier in terms
of its product quality, service quality and delivery performance.
Figure 4.1 demonstrates the customer-supplier relationship in Ethiopian textile and
garment industries
Fig. 4. 1 Supply chain of textile and garment sector
4.3. Self Evaluation
In order to have a continuous improvement, it is essential that Ethiopian garment
industries monitor their performance on regular basis. Self-assessment allows the
garment industries to discern clearly their strengths and weakness. As a result,
improvement areas can be identified and proper actions can be taken.
One of the self-assessment techniques used is quality auditing which is a systematic and
independent examination to determine whether quality activities and related results
comply with planned arrangements and whether these arrangements are implemented
effectively. Through quality audits, Ethiopian garment industries can identify their
problems and take necessary measures to solve them. The outputs of quality audits are
very valuable for quality improvement activities.
Ethiopian garment industries should also use benchmarking which is an effective catalyst
for change and an effective tool for continuous improvement. Through benchmarking, the
garment industries will be able to compare their practice and performance against that of
international competitors. As a result, the industries will understand their gap and can
improve their overall performance.
Cotton farming Ginning Spinning Weaving
& KnittingDyeing & Finishing
Garment Production Distribution
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 54
It was noted that most of the Ethiopian garment industries do not measure their COQ.
COQ data is useful a measurement tool for Ethiopian garment industries. This data can be
used very effectively to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities. The strategy
for using COQ data for improvement is to attack the failure costs and drive them to zero.
Implementing this strategy results in problem solving and improving the processes that
produce a garment product. The cost of investigating and correcting the problems that
result in failure costs are prevention costs.
Appraisal costs activities should be minimized, as they are non-value adding. They are
defined as non-value adding as they do not change the quality of the garment. The more
inspectors or verifications conducted the less likely poor quality will be shipped to the
customer; however these activities do not prevent the poor quality from being produced.
By spending more money on prevention activities, appraisal activities can be reduced and
this leads to lower failure costs.
With reference to the garment industries COQ are classified into four as shown in Figure
4.2
Prevention Cost: The costs of all activities specifically designed to prevent poor quality
garment or associated processes.
Appraisal Costs: The costs associated with measuring, evaluating garment products or
auditing related production factory to assure conformance to quality standards and
performance requirements.
Internal Failure Costs: Failure costs that arise before a garment industry supplies its
product to the customer i.e. prior to delivery or shipment of the product. These are due to
deficiencies discovered before delivery and are associated with the failure (non-
conformance) to meet the needs of customers. If internal quality failures of defective
merchandise are identified before shipping then optimistically there may be no external
failure costs.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 55
External Failure Costs: These are typically due to errors found by customers. Failure
costs arise after a garment product is supplied to the customer. These costs can be much
higher than internal failure costs. Table 4.1 shows the external failure costs of Ethiopian
garment industries and the departments incurring the costs.
Table 4. 1 COQ of Ethiopian garment industries
Types of COQ Quality cost elements
Prevention cost Education and training costs Continuous improvement efforts Process control Market research Preventative maintenance
Appraisal cost Quality audit Fabric and accessories inspection In-process and final garment inspection Salary of quality administration staff Supplier evaluation cost
Internal failure cost Scrap Rework Re-inspection Overtime cost due to non-conforming product
External failure cost Returned garment Warranty charges Processing customer complaints Loss of good will
4.4. Garment Design
The garment industry is a consumer-oriented industry that exhibits interactive and
dependent relationships. Consequently, consumer behavior deeply influences the
operations of the garment industry. Garment designers should cooperate with
manufactures, so that they can design and manufacture products that meet customers’
needs. The integration between new product development and consumer support
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 56
requirements should also to be considered. Therefore, Ethiopian garment industries
should use concurrent engineering and quality function deployment (QFD) systems
during the design stage in order to translate the customer requirements into final product.
QFD should be used to link manufacturing techniques and market demand from the
consumer’s perspective. QFD uses matrix charts to define and prioritize customer wants
and needs, and to focus efforts on meeting the customer’s true desires. The QFD method
can eliminate unnecessary redundant designing and manufacturing by subsuming
consumers’ demand in designing procedures. Therefore, Ethiopian garment industries
should use QFD to improve the quality of garment design.
Concurrent engineering emphasizes the establishment of cooperative relationships
throughout the garment design process. Representatives of different garment departments
as well as external suppliers and customers should meet with the design staff to articulate
the details of product design. At planning meetings, designers should use concept boards
to present their ideas to the management teams. These concept boards should be typically
collages of color and fabric swatches, fashion sketches, and magazines photos that
capture the theme or mood of the design ideas. Previous season’s sales figures, sales
forecasts for the new season, and the overall outlook of upcoming seasons should also be
discussed in these planning sessions. After the design team reviews the line, designers
transform those final designs destined for actual production into sample garments. If the
product meets customer requirements, the final designs are translated into garment
specification sheets. A garment specification sheet consists of all the important
information required to complete a pattern and prototype of the design.
Concurrent engineering can ensure that fewer problems occur during the subsequent
production or assembly process. The skills of the pattern designers are critical to the
success of new garment design. Garment designers should also have marketing
experience so that they need to go out into the marketplace and acquaint themselves with
customers’ needs and expectations.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 57
4.5. Quality Control
Most of Ethiopian garment industries spend most of their time detecting the defects of the
products rather than preventing the defects. As a result, the quality control activities are
inspection-based instead of prevention-based. However, inspection actually does not
build quality; quality is built into the process. Inspection itself is not a value-adding
process, but a waste of human resources and cause of extra cost. If quality can be ensured,
it is not necessary to implement inspections. In fact, defective products cannot be reduced
merely by making improvements at the inspection stage, although such improvements
may eliminate defects in delivered goods. When a defect shows up, the information
should be sent back to the work stage so that processing can be corrected. Thus, defects
occurring are prevented in the first place. For inspection to be effective, the entire
inspection loop shown in Figure 4.2 must be completed.
Fig. 4. 2 Inspection loop
Garment inspection should be done at three stages i.e.
1. Raw material inspection: The inspection of fabric and accessories delivered from
suppliers.
2. In-process inspection: The primary purpose of the in-process inspection is to
identify problems as early as possible
3. Final inspection: The inspection of finished garment.
Inspection
Detection of defects
Feedback of these defects to appropriate
personnel
Determination of causes of
defects
Correction of the defects
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 58
Ethiopian garment industries should continuously use quality control tools for measuring,
prioritizing and improving their processes. Therefore, the applications of the seven
quality control tools – flow chart, pareto diagram, cause and effect analysis, scatter
diagram, check sheet, histogram, and process control chart, statistical process control is
mandatory.
4.6. Education and Training
It was noted that the general awareness of quality in the garment factories is low.
Therefore, quality awareness education should be provided to ensure that employees have
a common understanding of the importance quality. The quality awareness program
should aim to ensure that employees know their roles within the firm, and build a desired
organizational quality culture.
The frequency of trainings given to Ethiopian garment employees is very low. As a result
the overall skill of the employees is poor. Training is the critical for the success of
Ethiopian garment industries. It enables the workforce to acquire the skills needed to
improve and maintain the quality of the production process.
Education and training should be given in the garment industries on continual basis to
improve the performance of workers. Job training is specific training for different
employees to meet the requirements of their jobs. Every employee in the garment
industries needs to accept necessary job training so that they can perform their jobs better.
Different employees need different skills and should accept different training. Therefore,
the garment industries need to develop criteria for job requirements and identify
characteristics and skills needed by employees. The development of employees’ skills
and capabilities should be harmonized with the development of technology in the
industries. In order to make the Ethiopian garments more productive and competitive,
managers should invest further in training employees, as this can result in more
competent and committed employees.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 59
4.7. Customer Focus
There is a large gap between customer requirement and the products of the Ethiopian
garment industries. This is because the degree of communication with the customers to
understand their requirement and translating into products is not satisfactory. Hence,
Ethiopian garment industries should make faster and more flexible response to their
customers.
Market investigation can obtain various suggestions for improving the quality of the
products of Ethiopian garment industries. The garment industries should be sensitive to
changing and emerging customer and market requirements, competitors’ offerings, and
the factors that drive customer satisfaction. Through market investigation, the strengths
and weaknesses of their products and their competitors can be identified. Such
information can be used for benchmarking so as to determine the improvement areas.
Hence, obtaining valuable information through market investigation is vital to the success
of the garment industries.
Ethiopian garment industries must also make frequent customer satisfaction surveys to
obtain the customer satisfaction level with the products and services that they provide.
Methods used to conduct the customer satisfaction survey include questionnaire surveys,
formal and informal feedback from customers, personal interviews and telephone surveys.
Regular customer satisfaction surveys can track customer perceptions of the quality of the
industries and their competitors. This information can be used to improve the quality of
products of Ethiopian garment industries.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
Fig. 4. 3 Quality improvement model for Ethiopian Garment Industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 60
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 61
The proper implementation of the proposed quality improvement model in Ethiopian
garment industries will result in cultural transition to an atmosphere of continuous
improvement. The process of implementing the suggested quality improvement model
depends on the size of the garment industry, the available human resource, complexity of
the processes, financial ability and the organizational structure.
There are 8 stages which must be considered in the implementation of the proposed
quality improvement model as shown in Figure 4.4.
Step 1: Top Management Commitment
Top management of the garment industries should demonstrate a commitment and a
determination to implement the proposed quality improvement program. Without top
management commitment, no quality initiative can succeed. The top management should
provide evidence of its commitment to the development and implementation of the
continuous quality improvement program by communicating to the organization the
importance of meeting customer requirements.
• Defining the organization's quality policy and make this known to every
employee
• Ensuring that quality objectives are established at all levels and functions
• Ensuring the availability of resources required for the development and
implementation of the quality management system
• Appointing a management representative to coordinate quality management
system activities
• Conducting management review
Step 2: Establish Implementation Team
The next step is to establish implementation team to plan and oversee implementation. Its
members should include representatives of all functions of the organization - marketing,
design and development, planning, production, quality control, etc. The members of the
implementation team should be well trained.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 62
Step 3: Provide company-wide training
Quality awareness programs should be conducted to communicate to the employees the
aim of the quality improvement, the advantage it offers to employees, customers and the
organization. It also shows the roles and responsibilities of the employees within the
system. A top-to-bottom briefing exercise is often the best way to explain about quality
within the garment industries. The awareness program should emphasize the benefits that
the garment industry gets through quality improvement. The programs could be run either
by the implementation team or by experts hired to talk to different levels of employees.
At the completion of the awareness program it is necessary to measure the effect. This
can be done by the simple expedient attitude survey test. This is because of the fact that
surveying people increases the awareness of the issues in question.
Step 4. Formulate a quality planning
Ethiopian garment industries should plan before they do anything so that they don’t get
mixed up when they do it. From the initial outline plan, there should be a series of
projects, which have to be identified. These should cover education and training on a
more extensive scale as well as the actions needed. For each project, there should be a
time-phased plan identifying targets and milestones, resources required, costs and
projected benefits.
Step 5. Implement quality improvement plan
Once the plans are prepared, it is the task of the team is to prioritize them and to allocate
resources. It is a good idea to put into effect some projects, which will show quick and
clearly visible benefits. This helps to build up enthusiasm.
Step 6. Observe and check of results
The implementation of the improvement plan needs to be continually monitored to
understand whether things are going according to the plan and causing the expected
change. This process also includes checking immediate results by implementing the
improvement plan in order to understand whether the system is functioning. If necessary,
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 63
corrective measures should be taken to ensure that the plan is effectively implemented.
The effects of implementing the improvement plan on overall business performance
should be checked.
Step 7. Investigate and analyze results
After the implementation of the quality improvement practices are checked, the garment
industry can obtain a great deal of information about its implementation and its effects on
overall business performance. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the results obtained
from the check stage. The analysis of results shows whether the implementation of the
plan effectively improves the overall business performance.
Step 8: Implement the result on a wider scale:
If the analysis concludes that the implementation has not been effective, the PDCA cycle
returns to the plan stage to search for other improvement plans that may have better
effects. If the implementation of the improvement plan has produced the desired results,
the firm should consider how to consolidate the results. Hence, the PDCA cycle
continues forever in the never-ending improvement.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 64
Fig. 4. 4 Quality improvement implementation model for Ethiopian Garment Industries
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 65
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion
Based on the survey from 11 Ethiopian garment industries, this research work addresses
the current situation of quality related problems in Ethiopian garment industries. The
surveyed industries are located in Addis Ababa and Oromia region which represent 95%
of the total national garment industries. Therefore, it is believed that the samples from
these regions can give directions on the whole situation of garment industries in Ethiopia.
The data analyses revealed that there are a number of quality related problems in
Ethiopian garment industries. These problems can be broadly summarized as: poor
supplier relationship, lack of proper education and trainings, poor leadership, weak
external customer focus, unavailability of self evaluation techniques, poor quality control,
poor quality design, low technological level, lack of teamwork and lack of recognition
activities. Though, most of these problems are potential areas for quality improvement,
problems pertaining to technological upgrading and teamwork may not be feasible to the
Ethiopian garment industries for various reasons. These industries have financial
constraints to renovate their technology in order to improve the quality of their products.
On the other hand the current Ethiopian dominant work culture does not encourage
teamwork.
In order to overcome the stated problems of the sector, a quality improvement model
consisting of seven components is developed. These components are improving supplier
relationship, provision of education and trainings, improving leadership, proper external
customer focus, implementing self evaluation techniques, proper quality control,
implementing quality system activities and improving quality design which are identified
as potential areas for quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries. The proper
implementation of the proposed quality improvement model is believed to make the
sector competitive in the global market. This research work can serve as a basis for future
research works in areas such as quality improvement in Ethiopian textile industries,
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 66
supply chain of Ethiopian textile and garment sectors and quality improvement in
Ethiopian garment training centers.
5.2 Recommendation
To be competitive in today’s market, it is essential for Ethiopian garment industries to
provide more consistent quality and value to their customers. Now is the time to place
behind the old adversarial approach to management style. It is time to develop better and
more direct relationships with customers, initiate more teamwork and produce better
quality work. Continuous quality improvement can definitely keep Ethiopian garment
industries at the leading edge in the marketplace.
All the garment industries should be engaged in the implementation of the proposed
quality improvement model as soon as possible. The implementation process requires the
commitment of top management and continuous trainings. These will result in profound
achievement such as reduction in cost of production, better relation with customers and
suppliers, more committed and motivated workforce which will make the sector
competitive in the global market. Government and non-governmental organizations
should also play a vital role in the support of the implementation process. These bodies
can be involved in financial supports, upgrading the domestic textile industries,
improving the quality of garment training institutes and so on.
This research work recommends the following points in order to adopt the proposed
quality improvement model:
• Top management should sustain their commitment to quality improvement
initiatives and take an active role in all quality management activities. The high
level of visibility of top management will reinforce the organization’s
commitment to quality and provide the much needed motivation to lower level
employees.
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 67
• A program of on-going, on-the-job education and training needs to be developed
and implemented. This will require substantial resources to be allocated both in
terms of people and facilities. Top level managers must first learn the philosophy
and methods of quality improvement and then teach these to lower level
employees.
• A culture of teamwork and cooperation must be developed throughout the
organization. Education and training will play a key role in this respect. An
atmosphere of trust and sharing must be developed where all employees respect
each other and willingly participate in activities.
• The application of the appropriate tools and methods of quality control must be
encouraged by all employees. The positive effects of the use of these tools and
methods on both operational and financial performance must be demonstrated to
all employees.
• ISO 9000 registration must be encouraged for export oriented garment industries.
In addition going through the certification process helps identify potential areas
for improving quality and efficiency. Acquiring a better understanding of the
internal quality management process
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 68
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[4] Yu Ronggeng, 2004, Study report on the development strategy of Ethiopian
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Apparel Industry, National Institute of Fashion Technology
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Quality and Process Improvement, Chapman & Hall
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management performance, The TQM Magazine Vol. 20 No. 6, pp. 636-650
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Process Approach, Elsevier Science, USA
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models, Library Management Volume 18 · Number 3,pp. 148–150
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Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 71
APPENDIX 1
LIST OF ETHIOPIAN GAREMENT INDUSTRIES
No Company name Location Region Telephone No Status
1 Adei Abeba yarn
S.Co.
Saris Addis Ababa 011-4423455
011-4420618
Operational
2 Addis Garment
S.Co.
Old Air Port Addis Ababa 0113712200
011-3711791
Operational
3 Akaki Garment
S. Co
Akaki kaliti Subcity Addis Ababa 011-4340154
011-4340693
Operational
4 Ambassador
Garment
Yerer Addis Ababa 011-6461427
011-6461448
Operational
5 Concept
International
Ethiopia
Addis (Saris)
Industry Village
Addis Ababa 011-6615586 Operational
6 Edget Garment
factory
Addis Ababa 011-1236300
011-1236320
Operational
7 Elthabet Garment 011-5523691
0115512106
Operational
8 Feleke Garment Lafto Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 011-4196168
0911-669923
Operational
9 GG Super
Garment
Debrezeit Oromia 0116292329
0116292330
Operational
10 GMM garment
plc
Lafto Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 0114197374
0114197375
Operational
11 Gullele Garment
S.Co.
Gullele Addis Ababa 0112702101
0112702266
Operational
12 Haile
G/Egzthiaber
Garment
Lafto Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 011-6532992 Operational
13 Kebire Enterprise
P.L.C.
(Ma'a garment)
Mekele Tigray 034-4420502
034-4420501
Operational
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 72
14 Knit to finish
PLC
Gelan Oromia O114450036
O114450037
Operational
15 Lusi Garment 0115525285 Operational
16 Meloyem General
Clothing
PLC
0115506578
0113770439
011-5507979
Operational
17 Mulat Garment Addis(Saris)Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 0114403615
0114403616
Operational
18 Nazareth Garment
S. Co
Nazareth Oromia 0221113361
Operational
19 NovaStar
Garment PLC
Gelan Oromia 0116638280
0116638282
Operational
20 N and N Garment Gelan Oromia 0116638280
0116638282
Operational
21 Oasis Abisinia
PLC
Addis(Saris)Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 011-4404898
011-4422074
Operational
22 Progress
Garment PLC
011-6460917
011-6613904
Operational
23 Soney Garment
PLC
0114404898 Operational
24 Spectrum
Business
Group
0115557328 Operational
25 Tays Garment
P.L.C.
011-5517733
011-5531994
Operational
26 Unis Grament Addis(Saris)Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 0114403450
Operational
27 Wossi Garmnet Addis(Saris)Industry
Village
Addis Ababa 011-4422440 Operational
28 Wow
International
Garment
Gelan Addis Ababa 011-1157756
011-6520218
Operational
29 Abdurehiman
Nure
0911222377 On project
phase
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 73
Garment Factory
30 Abreham Molla
Garment Factory
0911217093
0911201153
On project
phase
31 Alemgasha PLC 0113205057
0911618031
On project
phase
32 Axum garment
industry Plc
0116187460
0911215251
On project
phase
33 Birihanu sahillie
Garment Factory
0911205590 On project
phase
34 EAE family PLC 0112755451
0911209667
On project
phase
35 Hagay plc 0115526922
0911204405
On project
phase
36 Kedija Ahmed
Garment Factory
0115524428
0911222197
On project
phase
37 Mekonen Betru
Garment Factory
0911230335 On project
phase
38 Mulugeta Adugna
Garment Factory
0911665293
0911207726
On project
phase
39 Rekik Girma
Garment Factory
0911605329 On project
phase
40 Saftomaz
Interlational
PLC
0911202785 On project
phase
41 TAAS
International PLC
0911646801 On project
phase
42 Tariku Argaw
Garment Factory
0911220109 On project
phase
43 Tiruwork Kere
Garment Factory
0911223011 On project
phase
44 Wudinesh
Shimekit
Garment Factory
0116454871
0911803670
On project
phase
45 Yabets Garment
Factory
0911208562 On project
phase
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 74
APPENDIX 2
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SURVEY
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTEMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
GRADUATE PROGRAM IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
Acknowledgement
With sincerity we would like to extend our deep appreciation to your company and the staff for the
willingness and cooperation in undertaking this valuable research. This questionnaire is developed to
conduct a scientific research by one of our students, Alem Gemechu on Quality Improvement in
Ethiopian Garment Industries. Therefore, we assure you that the information obtained from this
questionnaire will be kept confidential and will not be transferred to other parties for any other purpose. In
case you need, please feel free to verify these statements from us personally. For other questions pertaining
to this project, please contact Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Technology, and Department of
Mechanical Engineering Tel: +251111232414
Yours Sincerely
Thank you for your assistance!
By: A
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Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
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c. Lack of consistency in the action being taken.
d. Fear and resistance of the management.
e. Lack of the required knowledge and skill.
9. What are the causes of poor quality products in your company? (Mark all that are applicable).
a. Poor quality of raw materials delivered from suppliers.
b. Inadequate training of workers in the company.
c. Lack of top management commitment to quality.
d. Low quality awareness of workers in the company.
e. Unavailability of proper technology.
10. In your view, what are the quality related problems faced by your organization?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
1 2 3 4 5
11 How high is your role and participation in quality activities?
12 Employee job satisfaction
13 Frequency of training given to employees
14 Overall skill of the operators in the company
15 Placement of the right person in the right job
16 Frequency of feedback provided by managers to employees about their work
17 Existence of strong cooperation and teamwork in the company
18 Motivation of workers
19 Incentives/ recognition for best performance of workers
20 Response of the company to market change
21 Compatibility of the quality of your products with the products
manufactured by the market leaders in the global marketplace
22 Technological level of the company
23 Rate of rework
24. Is there a quality circle in the company? Yes No
25. What seems to be management's biggest concern?
a. Cost
b. Schedules
c. Quality
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
By: Alem Gemechu Page 77
5 4 3 2 1
26 Degree of identification of customer requirements
27 Level of linkage of the objectives of the company to customer needs and
expectations
28 Incorporating customer expectations into the design of new products and
services
29 Consideration of customers' satisfaction in strategic planning of your
company
30 Degree of communication of your company with its customers
31 Existence of favorable system for customers to express their feeling about
your products
32 Extent of handling customer complaints quickly and positively
33 Understanding customers' expectations concerning your products
34 Customers' satisfaction with the quality your products
35 Follow up of product sales to determine customers’ satisfactions
36 Degree of availability of proper inspection techniques for fabrics, sewing
threads, zippers, buttons and so on
37 Level of availability of in-process inspection techniques
38 Degree of availability of proper inspection techniques for finished
products
39 Extent to which inspection, review or checking of work is automated
40 Extent to which quality data are used as tools to manage quality
41 Level of recognizing and solving quality related problems in the company
42. Does the company use statistical control charts for process control? Yes No
43. Are data for cost of quality available in the company? Yes No
44. Does the company plan for quality? Yes No
45. Does the company have quality policy manual? Yes No
46. Does the company have quality objectives? Yes No
47. Does the company set its goals and targets? Yes No
48. Does the company establish its clear vision of the future? Yes No
49. Does the company have documentations of quality procedures, inspection
systems, and quality analysis?
Yes No
50. If yes, are the records properly filed and easily retrievable? Yes No
51. Does the company evaluate its activities? Yes No
52. Does the company have an internal/external audit system for its overall Yes No
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
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activities?
53. Does the management take timely action on deficiencies found after auditing? Yes No
54. Does the company have a procedure for evaluating raw material suppliers? Yes No
55. Is the company taking action for continuous process improvement to improve
the way things are being done?
Yes No
56. Is your company certified for ISO 9000 standards? Yes No
57. If not, is there a plan to be certified in the near future? Yes No
58. Is your company implementing total quality management, BPR or any other
improvement programs?
Yes No
59. In your view, has the quality of the products of your company improved
during the last one to two years?
Yes No
60 Do you propose for quality improvement? Yes No
Quality improvement in Ethiopian garment industries
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APPENDIX 3
SURVERY RESPONSES SUMMARY TO QUESTIONNARIES FOR QUALITY MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES IN ETHIOPIAN GARMENT INDUSTRIES
General Information
Total number of questionnaires distributed 110
Number of respondents 58
Response in percent 53%
1. Quality is a measure of goodness of a product that can be defined as fair, good, excellent.
Yes 80% No 20%
2. The economics of quality require that management establish acceptable quality levels as
performance standards. Yes 91.4% No 8.6%
3. The cost of quality is the expense of doing things wrong. Yes 37.14% No 62.85%
4. Inspection and test should report to the concerned body so that the body can have the proper tools
to do job. Yes 80% No 20%
5. Quality is the responsibility of the quality department. Yes 31.42% No 68.6%
6. Workers attitude about quality are the major cause of defects. Yes 71.4% No 28.57%
7. The biggest problem today is that customers have low understanding about quality. Yes 65.7%
No 34.28%
8. Which of the following are the obstacles to improve quality in your company? (Mark all that are
applicable).
f. The system of the organization ( policy, rules, procedures, etc) 40%
g. The internal working environment. 8.8%
h. Lack of consistency in the action being taken. 20%
i. Fear and resistance of the management. 11.11%
j. Lack of the required knowledge and skill. 20%
9. What are the causes of poor quality products in your company? (Mark all that are applicable).
f. Poor quality of raw materials delivered from suppliers. 27.27%
g. Inadequate training of workers in the company. 23.63%
h. Lack of top management commitment to quality. 5.45%
i. Low quality awareness of workers in the company. 18.17%
j. Unavailability of proper technology. 20%
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10. Summary of quality related problems in the company
• Lack of quality awareness
• Lack of proper training
• Lack of skilled manpower
• Lack of motivation of workers
• Low technological level
• Customer dissatisfaction because of late delivery
• High rate of rework/rejects
• Low quality fabric
• Unavailability of Quality Management
1 2 3 4 5
11 How high is your role and participation in quality activities? 10% 53.7% 36.3% - -
12 Employee job satisfaction 15% 26.25% 35% 23.75% -
13 Frequency of training given to employees 10% 8.75% 22.5% 35% 23.75%
14 Overall skill of the operators in the company - 23.75% 51.25% 13.75% 11.25%
15 Placement of the right person in the right job 18.75% 45% 33.75% 12.5% -
16 Frequency of feedback provided by managers to employees
about their work
8.75% 45% 33.75% 12.5% -
17 Existence of strong cooperation and teamwork in the
company
36.25% 28.75% 35% 23.75% -
18 Motivation of workers - 22.5% 15% 38.5% 23.75%
19 Incentives/ recognition for best performance of workers - 12.5% 30% 35% 22.5%
20 Response of the company to market change - 16% 18.75% 34% 31.25%
21 Compatibility of the quality of your products with the
products manufactured by the market leaders in the global
marketplace
3.75% 11.25% 67.5% 17.5% -
22 Technological level of the company 6.25% 23.75% 38% 32% -
23 Rate of rework 67.5% 20% 12.5%
26. Is there a quality circle in the company? Yes 80% No 20%
27. What seems to be management's biggest concern?
d. Cost 53%
e. Schedules 20%
f. Quality 27%
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5 4 3 2 1
26 Degree of identification of customer requirements 6.25% 8.75% 40% 45% -
27 Level of linkage of the objectives of the company to
customer needs and expectations
- 40% 50% 10% -
28 Incorporating customer expectations into the design of new
products and services
8.75% 28.75% 35% 27.5% -
29 Consideration of customers' satisfaction in strategic planning
of your company
13.75% 40% 22.5% 23.75% -
30 Degree of communication of your company with its
customers
23.75% 43.75% 15% 17.5% -
31 Existence of favorable system for customers to express their
feeling about your products
7% 11% 30% 52% -
32 Extent of handling customer complaints quickly and
positively
18.75% 53.75% 12.5% 15% -
33 Understanding customers' expectations concerning your
products
21.25% 33.75 31.25% 13.75% -
34 Customers' satisfaction with the quality your products 43.75% 28.75 13.75% 15% -
35 Follow up of product sales to determine customers’
satisfactions
15% 33.75% 28.75% 8.75% 13.75%
36 Degree of availability of proper inspection techniques for
fabrics, sewing threads, zippers, buttons and so on
8.75% 28.75 62.5% - -
37 Level of availability of in-process inspection techniques - 7.5% 27.5% 65% -
38 Degree of availability of proper inspection techniques for
finished products
18.3 63.7 11.8 6.2% -
39 Extent to which inspection, review or checking of work is
automated
6.25% 22.5% 33.75% 8.75% 28.75%
40 Extent to which quality data are used as tools to manage
quality
- 22.5% 28.75% 13.75% 35%
41 Level of recognizing and solving quality related problems in
the company
3.75% 26.25% 50% 20% -
60. Does the company use statistical control charts for process control? Yes 3.75 % No 96.25%
61. Are data for cost of quality available in the company? Yes 13.75% No 86.25%
62. Does the company plan for quality? Yes 32% No 68%
63. Does the company have quality policy manual? Yes 23% No 77%
64. Does the company have quality objectives? Yes 52% No 48%
65. Does the company set its goals and targets? Yes 32% No 68%
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66. Does the company establish its clear vision of the future? Yes 41.25% No 58.75%
67. Does the company have documentations of quality procedures, inspection systems, and quality
analysis? Yes 22.5% No 77.75%
68. If yes, are the records properly filed and easily retrievable? Yes 17.75% No 82.5%
69. Does the company evaluate its activities? Yes3 % No 68%
70. Does the company have an internal/external audit system for its overall activities? Yes 15%
No 85%
71. Does the management take timely action on deficiencies found after auditing? Yes 56% No 44%
72. Does the company have a procedure for evaluating raw material suppliers? Yes 28% No 72%
73. Is the company taking action for continuous process improvement to improve the way things are
being done? Yes 77.5% No 22.5%
74. Is your company certified for ISO 9000 standards? Yes 0% No 100%
75. If not, is there a plan to be certified in the near future? Yes 66.25% No 33.75%
76. Is your company implementing total quality management, BPR or any other improvement programs?
Yes 13.75% No 86.25%
77. In your view, has the quality of the products of your company improved during the last one to two
years? Yes 60% No 40%
78. Do you propose for quality improvement? Yes 93.3% No 6.7%