The apparel manufacturing sector relies heavily on industrial engineering (IE). If you’re working or aiming to work in the IE department of a garment manufacturing company, understanding common interview questions can be very helpful. This guide covers interview questions and answers collected from top garment companies for various positions.
Basics of IE-Industrial Engineering
Here are some fundamental IE concepts you should know:
- Capacity Study, Time Study, Method Study, Motion Study, Work Study
- Line Layout, Line Balancing, Operation Bulletin
- SMV (Standard Minute Value), CM (Cost per Minute), Line and Efficiency Calculation
- Production Target Setting
- Creating Operation Breakdown from Sketch or Sample
- Removing Bottlenecks in the Production Line
- Following Up on Work in Progress (WIP)
- Thread Consumption
- Implementing Lean Tools: Kanban, Kaizen, TPM (Total Productive Maintenance), TQM (Total Quality Management), 5S
- Recruitment and Skill Assessment for Production Operators
Interview Questions for IE Jobs in the Apparel Industry
- What is SMV?
- Answer: SMV stands for Standard Minute Value, which is the time it takes for a standard worker to perform a task under predefined conditions. The formula is:
SMV = Basic Time + (Basic Time × Allowance)
For example, if a standard operator takes 1 minute and there is a 15% allowance:
SMV = 1 + (1 × 0.15) = 1.15 minutes.
- Answer: SMV stands for Standard Minute Value, which is the time it takes for a standard worker to perform a task under predefined conditions. The formula is:
- What is Efficiency?
- Answer: Efficiency compares actual production with potential production using the same resources (people, machines, materials). The formula is:
Efficiency = Earned Minutes / Available Minutes
Where Earned Minutes = Production (pieces) × SMV
and Available Minutes = Manpower (Helpers + Operators) × Working Time (minutes).
Efficiency is expressed as a percentage.
- Answer: Efficiency compares actual production with potential production using the same resources (people, machines, materials). The formula is:
- What is Production and Productivity?
- Answer: Production is the process of turning inputs into outputs (goods or services).
Productivity measures the efficiency of converting inputs into outputs, using the formula:
Productivity = Output / Input
- Answer: Production is the process of turning inputs into outputs (goods or services).
- What are Work Study, Method Study, and Time Study?
- Answer:
- Work Study: Systematic examination of work methods to improve efficiency.
- Method Study: Recording and critically examining ways of doing work to make improvements.
- Time Study: Measuring the time required for an operator to perform a task to set a standard time.
- Answer:
- What is Work Measurement?
- Answer: Work measurement assesses the time required for an operator to complete a task. Common techniques include:
- Time Study: Recording time with a stopwatch to find an average.
- Synthetic Data Analysis: Summing basic times for all steps of an operation.
- Work Sampling: Determining time spent on tasks through multiple observations.
- Predetermined Motion Time Study (PMTS): Using human motion data to calculate basic time.
- Analytic Estimation: Estimating time based on previous data and experience.
- Answer: Work measurement assesses the time required for an operator to complete a task. Common techniques include:
- What is CPM and CM?
- Answer:
- CPM (Cost per Minute): Total costs (labor + operational) divided by available minutes.
- CM (Cost of Making): Calculated using CPM. For example, with an SMV of 5.5, efficiency of 62.5%, and CPM of $0.03:
CM = (5.5 × 0.03) / 0.625 = $0.264 per piece or $3.168 per dozen.
- Answer:
- What is Rating?
- Answer: Rating measures an operator’s skill level. Factors affecting rating include work measurement technique, time duration, work quantity, and work quality. The formula is:
Rating = (Observed Rating × Standard Rating) / Standard Rating
- Answer: Rating measures an operator’s skill level. Factors affecting rating include work measurement technique, time duration, work quantity, and work quality. The formula is:
- Objectives of Work Study and Method Study?
- Answer:
- Work Study: Cost optimization, increased productivity, profitability, job security, standard procedures, and fair tasks.
- Method Study: Improved factory layout, better plant design, safety, work flow, quality, material handling, resource utilization, output, administration, and waste reduction.
- Answer:
- Principles of Motion Economy?
- Answer:
- Use of Human Body: Coordinated, simultaneous hand movements; natural rhythm.
- Workplace Arrangement: Fixed locations for tools, materials close to the worker, comfortable seating.
- Tool and Equipment Design: Hands-free work where possible, combined tools.
- Answer:
- What is a Bottleneck and Line Balancing?
- Answer:
- Bottleneck: A part of the process that limits overall capacity.
- Line Balancing: Distributing tasks evenly across a production line to avoid bottlenecks and improve productivity.
- Answer:
- What are the 8W Wastes in Garment Manufacturing?
- Answer:
- Motion: Excessive movement.
- Inventory: Stored materials and parts.
- Transportation: Moving people, materials, or information unnecessarily.
- Waste: Unused materials and parts.
- Overproduction: Making more than needed.
- Overprocessing: Doing more work than required.
- Defects: Rework and corrections.
- Skill: Underutilized workers.
- Answer:
- What is 6S?
- Answer: A method for workplace organization to create a safer environment:
- Sort: Separate necessary from unnecessary items.
- Set in Order: Organize items by necessity.
- Shine: Clean and eliminate unnecessary items.
- Standardize: Develop standard procedures.
- Sustain: Maintain standards.
- Safety: Ensure a safe work environment.
- Answer: A method for workplace organization to create a safer environment:
- What are Muda, Mura, and Muri?
- Answer:
- Muda: Waste that doesn’t add value. Includes necessary and non-necessary activities.
- Mura: Unevenness in production that can be smoothed out with Just-In-Time (JIT) systems.
- Muri: Overburdening workers or processes, avoidable through work standardization.
- Answer:
- What is Takt Time?
- Answer: The average time between the start of one unit and the next, aligned with customer demand. Formula:
Takt Time = Net Available Time / Demand
- Answer: The average time between the start of one unit and the next, aligned with customer demand. Formula:
- Differences between LT, TAT, and CT?
- Answer:
- LT (Lead Time): Time from order placement to fulfillment.
- TAT (Turnaround Time): Time from job start to output delivery.
- CT (Cycle Time): Time from job start to completion.
- Answer:
- What is Gemba?
- Answer: Gemba means “the real place,” referring to the production floor. Gemba Walks involve visiting the production area to see real conditions, identify issues, and make informed decisions.
- What is the Toyota Production System (TPS), Heijunka, and Jidoka?
- Answer:
- TPS: A system to eliminate waste and improve efficiency using JIT principles.
- Heijunka: Smoothing production to reduce unevenness.
- Jidoka: Automation with a human touch, focusing on quality control through detecting abnormalities and stopping production to fix issues.
- Answer:
- What are the 5D’s?
- Answer: The absence of 5S principles results in five devils:
- Delays
- Downtime
- Defects
- Dangerous (Unsafe) Workplace
- Demoralized Employees
These lead to dissatisfied customers and decreased profits.
- Answer: The absence of 5S principles results in five devils:
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