Product Assembly

1. Product Assembly

2. Garment Preparation and Coloration

3. Garment Printing

4. Garment Washing and Finishing

5. Pre-Assembly Footwear

6. Stockfitting

7. Assembly

8. Finishing – Footwear

9. Disposal Modes

Product Assembly

The following product assembly processes are available in the Higg Product Module:

  • Cutting should be selected when product pattern pieces or material panels are cut from larger rolls of material. The unit of cutting is “per cm” and the total linear length (in centimeters) that needs to be cut for the product should be entered as the amount. Types of semiautomatic machines considered include straight knifes (most commonly use in the garment industry for detailed cuts), round knifes (edge cut), and band knives (to cut a large piece of fabric before more detailed cuts). Material-spreading prior to cutting was also included. This dataset is based on cutting of 80 stacked layers into a simple shape (t-shirt) with an approximate perimeter (cutting length) of 250 cm. Users can correct the linear length that is to be cut for the actual number of stacked layers that is used in their production process (i.e. if stacks of 20 are used, the linear length can be multiplied by 4). It is recommended to only do this if this information is readily available. As the impact of cutting is limited, efforts to start collecting this information are better put in other areas.
  • Gluing should be selected when pattern pieces are bonded or joined together using an adhesive. The unit of gluing is “per cm” and the total linear length (in centimeters) that needs to be bonded for the product should be entered as the amount. This process is assumed to be a combination of the two processes: seam taping and welding. 0.00001232 kg of PU seaming tape per cm is included in this process as well as electricity consumption and polyurethane resin.
  • Seam Taping should be selected when a seam tape is applied over a seam to create a waterproof seal. The unit of seam sealing is “per cm” and the total linear length (in centimeters) that is seam taped should be entered as the amount. The process includes 0.00001232 kg of PU seaming tape per cm, electricity consumption and paper. Users that apply a seaming tape with a width of up to 25mm can apply this process as-is. We recommend including wider tapes separately in the Bill of Materials. One way to estimate the length that is seam taped is to look at the total consumption of seam tape from the Bill of Materials, and divide that by the weight of seam tape per cm.
  • Sewing should be selected when pattern pieces are joined together using a stitched seam. The unit of sewing is “per cm” and the total linear length (in centimeters) that needs to be sewn for the product should be entered as the amount. The process includes 0.0000009049 kg of 100 denier polyester thread per cm, as well as electricity consumption. While there are many different types of seams and stitch types, this process is considered representative for all sewing options as it includes the following machine types: double chain stitch machines, lock stitch machines and zigzag sewing machines.
  • Welding should be selected when pattern pieces are joined using heat to weld synthetic materials together. The unit of welding is “per cm” and the total linear length (in centimeters) that needs to be welded for the product should be entered as the amount. While the welding process is modeled based on ultrasonic welding, this process is considered representative for radio frequency (RF) welding as well.
  • Embroidery should be selected when stitched embroidery is added to the product. The unit of embroidery is “per cm2” and the embroidered area (in square centimeters) should be entered as the amount. This embroidery process includes using an industrial automatic embroidery machine to apply yarn according to an average design. 0.0000023 kg of 100 denier cotton thread per cm2 is included in the process. The amount of thread needed is based on assumptions for a simple embroidery pattern. As the impact of embroidery is predominantly dependent on the energy consumption, the embroidered area is the key determinant for this process. This means this embroidery process is also well applicable to embroidery processes using different yarn counts, other thread materials, and technology types. It is therefore not necessary to add the embroidery materials to the bill materials of the product, except when special embroidery operations are performed (e.g. silk threads, beads and/or pearls). In this case, these materials are to be added to the bill of materials in the MSI. Embroidery is also available in the Garment Washing and Finishing processes; ensure each embroidered area is only accounted for once to avoid double counting. The exact area of complex shapes may be difficult to measure; simple geometric representations (e.g. length x width) are suitable to approximate the total area.
  • Sundries Application should be selected when individual sundries such as buttons or beads are attached to a product. The unit of sundries application is “per cm2” and all sundries should be included in the amount. A cotton thread of 0.0000128 kg per cm2 is included in the process. Sundries (measuring an average of 10 mm in diameter and weighing an average of 0.09 g) are also included, as well as energy consumption. This process is considered representative for rivets and set-in snaps. When selecting this process, it is not necessary to add the sundries to the bill materials (BOM) of the product, except when special, high-end sundries are added (e.g. golden buttons, pearls).  In that case, you can create the sundries in the MSI Trims and Components section, and add them to the BOM.