In this guide 6 sections
Every month, track pieces at each fabricator by size, fabric used per lay against the marker plan, and rejections by unit. Add piece-rate wages against pieces counted, and finished stock by style, colour and size. Each is a number you can check on the floor. Together they show where cost and delay build up.
Pieces lying at each fabricator, size by size
The challan book records bundles sent out. It rarely shows how many pieces of each size should come back. Start the month by listing every open challan, with pieces sent, returned, rejected and pending against each size.
Read the pending column unit by unit. A large balance at one fabricator may be normal for a big lot. A small balance that has sat for weeks usually means lost or damaged pieces. Ask about it now.
Embroidery and washing units belong on the same list. Bundles often travel from one outside unit straight to the next, and that hop is where counts slip.
- Pieces sent by size on each challan
- Pieces returned and rejected by size
- Balance pending at each unit
- Days since the bundle left the factory
Fabric consumed against the marker plan
Every lay has a planned consumption from the marker. The cutting master knows what the table actually used. Write both down for each lay, against the order and the colour.
Compare the two at month end, style by style. A steady gap on one style points to the marker, the fabric width or the way the lay was spread. Weigh and record leftover rolls and end bits. Otherwise they vanish from cost.
Rejections, alterations and shade mix-ups
Lots come back from fabricators with rejections and alterations. Count them by unit and by reason, not as one monthly total. Repeated stitching faults at one unit need a conversation. Shade complaints point somewhere else.
Shade problems start in the fabric store. Rolls of one colour from two dye lots look alike until they sit side by side in a finished garment. Record the dye lot against each roll, and note which lot went into which lay.
- Rejections by fabricator and reason
- Alterations sent back for rework
- Rolls issued by dye lot and shade
- Lots flagged at packing for shade variation
Piece-rate wages against the count
Tailors on piece rate are paid weekly, and the counts are often kept by different people. Once a month, compare the pieces paid for with the pieces that actually moved forward to finishing.
The two figures should match. Where they do not, look for pieces counted twice, rework paid as new work, or rejections paid in full. Fix the counting rule before the next settlement, and write it down.
Disputes shrink when everyone counts alike.
Finished stock by style, colour and size
A marketplace order for a size the register shows, but the godown does not hold, ends in a cancellation. Count finished stock by style, colour and size, and compare it with the books every month.
Marketplace returns arrive weeks after dispatch. Inspect them, grade them and put saleable pieces back into size-wise stock. Note the rest separately. Then read wholesale dues buyer by buyer, before next season’s orders take everyone’s attention.
- Finished stock counted against the books
- Marketplace returns graded and restocked
- Packing lists matched to dispatches
- Wholesale dues by buyer and age
Monthly apparel count sheet
Five rows on a single page cover pieces pending at each unit by size, fabric used against plan, rejections by unit, wages against pieces, and finished stock by size. Fill it on the last working day. Circle any row that moved the wrong way since last month.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Does any of this need CAD or marker software?
No. Pattern making, grading and marker work stay in the CAD software you already use. These counts begin after the marker, with the lay, the bundles and the fabric each lay consumed.
Can a paper register handle size-wise job work?
For a few fabricators and small lots, yes. It gets hard when bundles hop between stitching, embroidery and washing units, because every challan needs a balance by size that someone totals by hand.
Can software count pieces by size at each fabricator?
Yes. In the order, cutting and job work set-up GullySystem builds for apparel units, every challan holds pieces sent, returned, rejected and pending by size. The balance at each unit is read without a phone call.
Will these counts lower fabric cost on their own?
Not on their own. They show where the gap sits. Changing the marker, the lay or the cutting practice is still a decision for the cutting master and the owner.