There are three problems that must be solved in the factory to understand the automatic cutting of fabrics:
1. The automatic method is not simply the purchase of an automatic cloth cutting machine.
“Hi, Cliff. I feel like your product is very good, but I’m afraid it’s not going to work for me.”
“Why not, Tom?”
“Because my workers aren’t into computers, and they may not be able to operate the machine.”
Initially, in answer to customer concerns, I always said that the machine is simple to operate and easy to learn. And I was telling the truth! I found, however, that our customers needed to be able to use the product without delay. So “operation simplification” became our most important principle in terms of configuring the program, particularly in regard to software control. We then introduced the “three steps to complete” method of operating the software. By using a form of the multiple-choice question, customers can easily decipher the once-mysterious software.
However, when fabric cutting changes from manual to CNC, it is not only a matter of an equipment change. The resources involved in the entire production process need to be reintegrated according to the customer’s needs. But the fabric cutting machine is not as difficult as that may sound.
The organizational structure of factory personnel changes. In this climate of industrial automation, the company now needs both workers who can use scissors and workers who can use computers to cut fabric. That doesn’t mean that upgrading the processes results in eliminating workers—not unless the worker is unwilling to accept change.
In fact, in many factories with the automated cutting of fabrics, many machine operators are long-term workers. They may not know about digital cutting, but their rich experience in cutting fabrics is priceless. The “missing link” of knowing the technology needed to operate the machines can be filled in. We give our customers superior training, and they are pleased to discover that the technology is not as intimidating as they had anticipated. The fear of automation transforms into a reliance on automation, with the added benefit of more relaxed, more efficient workers.
2. “Hey, Cliff, how am I supposed to choose one of these machines? I don’t know which will take care of my production problems.”
Three years ago, a customer said this, because the entire automation solution was still in the development stage. No wonder he was confused: there was no perfect automation solution for him. Now that industrial automation has entered the 4.0 era, automated solutions have matured greatly. Customers can choose according to their actual production conditions.
In sofa manufacturing, a small and medium-sized sofa factory has an annual output of about 4,000 sets. Orders are divided into a small batch and customized. The factory needs to meet its own production and the requirements when selecting cutting equipment. We are noticing that most sofa manufacturers now choose single-cut fabric cutting solutions for two reasons:
1. In a factory that produces small and medium-sized sofas, the total annual output is not enough to support the high cost of purchasing and using multi-layer cutting equipment, particularly since it is totally unsuitable for that sort of production. That type of purchase would be a great investment error and possibly an irrevocable one.
2. Sofa factory orders are batch orders or customized orders. The production of customized orders is cumbersome due to the change of size and type, particularly with manual typesetting. When customized orders are a single set of orders, labor costs are greatly increased. In this situation, the best choice is the single-layer fabric cutting machine, which enables the manufacturer to meet the order requirements of individual customers without the need to pay increased labor costs.
The cloth cutting machine is not only equipped with an automatic spreading system, but it also provides an intelligent software control system that can be customized. It completes the change of order size in less than three minutes and manages multiple SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely) layouts in about one minute. The overall layout scheme saves 5% more material than manual labor, and customers can set the direction of the discharge and the distance between the pieces according to their own needs. Once customers set up their own databases, producing customized and bulk orders could not be simpler nor more efficient.
3. “Cliff, I’m in trouble. I’m losing workers.”
“I have the cutting-workers, but they give me a headache. The scheduling program wasted a meter more of fabric than I expected. I can’t afford that with the way fabric costs have been skyrocketing.”
“Hi, Cliff. It’s getting impossible to recruit cutting workers.”
All I can do is see how I can help my distraught customers.
Many factories are encountering these problems. Increased costs of labor and materials have already affected the industry. If you are still reluctant to get with the program and accept automatic cutting programs, then all I can say is: The day is coming very soon when you will welcome the power of technology.
You either face the problems that traditional cloth cutting brings to you every day, or you actively seek solutions. That’s it—those are your only two choices. Automated production is inevitable. Some factories may have difficulties in the first month after bringing in automated cutting. It is a transformative stage of production and glitches are to be expected. Dispose of them as they arise, and you will be able to celebrate once the equipment is up and running. You have simplified production. You no longer fret about workers resigning nor about wasted material. With AMOR’s automated cutting program, our customers establish an efficient, standardized and easy-to-operate production line.
