ENHANCING KNIT JACKET SEWING QUALITY THROUGH PARETO AND FISHBONE DIAGRAM ANALYSIS

Abstract

In the highly competitive landscape of the Vietnamese textile industry, the quality of knitwear products is paramount, yet production errors frequently lead to waste and diminish competitiveness. This study presents the application of basic quality control tools – the Pareto chart and the fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram – to analyze and propose solutions for quality improvement within a major textile enterprise, utilizing a case study approach on a specific knit jacket order (code 0513). Pareto analysis identified three primary defects accounting for 80.1% of total failures: broken stitches on the placket edge (30.1%), skipped stitches on the hem (26.5%), and puckered zipper seams (23.5%). Subsequent root cause analysis using fishbone diagrams revealed core factors related to equipment (suboptimal settings for parameters like thread tension, presser foot pressure, needle-hook distance), personnel (inadequate operational skills in handling fabric elasticity, material feeding speed), and materials (incompatibility in shrinkage between fabric and zipper, fabric thickness). Based on these findings, proposed solutions include optimizing machine settings, standardizing processes and operations via visual guides and fabric handling techniques, enhancing worker training, and thoroughly checking material compatibility. The research confirms that the systematic application of quality control tools effectively identifies critical issues and root causes, providing a solid foundation for effective and sustainable quality improvement actions in knitwear production.