The present disclosure relates in general to capacity management systems and methods for supporting sustainable production of garments. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems for estimating production costs for garments.

Background

The clothing trade of today is to a large extent a global industry involving fashion development, clothing design, production, transportation and distribution to consumers with operations spread over several different countries. In the current trend of increased social and environmental awareness clothing companies work with an increasing effort to improve sustainability in all parts of their value chain operations.

With regard to social aspects of sustainability work there is a need to ensure that workers in manufacturing countries receive a relevant salary. Decisions affecting the possibility to achieve production of clothing balancing market pricing for consumers with manufacturing costs enabling relevant salaries are taken at several stages in the value chain and forms a part of a company's capacity management process.

The overall complexity in the clothing industry calls for technical solutions to support capacity management. As indicated, capacity management involves different company functions and staff contributing to the overall capacity planning. In order to improve sustainability there is a need to enable company staff to understand required capacity, resources and costs for production of clothing products.

An important component in the capacity management is to enable company staff, for example those that are close to production offices, to calculate the production costs for clothes of a proposed design as a basis for estimating capacity requirements. An established basis for production cost calculation is standard minute value measurements. Standard minute value SMV is defined as the time required for a qualified worker working at standard performance to perform a given task ( source : www.QsdhQ.com/defininQ -standard-time).

Related Art

U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0055255 shows an example of a method and a system for estimating the production time of garments that relies on measurement of operator motion times and operator sewing times, similar to the standard minute value SMV. In a computer system, different parts of a piece of clothing or garment are selected and a total production time is calculated by summing the production time for the individual selected parts.

There is a need for technical tools that give relevant and accurate output with regard to capacity management and are simple to use for company staff in different parts of the clothing industry value chain. Object

The general object of embodiments herein is to provide a technical support system for determining required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products. Aspects of embodiments has the more specific object to accelerate the capacity management process, enhance internal efficiency and support improved sustainability.

Summary

The objects of the present disclosure are solved by embodiments of a system comprising a terminal, a computer processor and computer program code portions, of a method and of a computer application program comprising computer program code portions configured to direct a computer processor to determine required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products comprising and configured to:

i. presenting, on a terminal screen, a set of selectable base products and receiving a base product selection command;

ii. presenting, on the terminal screen, a set of selectable additional style features and receiving an additional style feature selection command for adding a selected style feature to the base product;

iii. presenting, on the terminal screen, a set of selectable materials and receiving a material selection command for a base product and/or for additional style features;

iv. forming and storing in a memory a configured product based on received selection commands for selected materials, selected base product and possibly selected additional features;

v. presenting, on the terminal screen, a visual representation of the configured product;

vi. determining a complexity material sewing level for the configured product based on selected material for base product and possible additional style features of the configured product; vii. determining and storing in a memory a standard minute value for the configured product based on a preset standard minute value for the selected base product, on a preset standard minute impact value for the selected additional style features and on a complexity material sewing level SMV impact rate for the determined complexity material sewing level;

viii. generating, storing in a memory and presenting on the terminal screen an estimate of the required production capacity for manufacturing the configured garment product based on the determined standard minute value.

Embodiments comprises a selection of:

- Presenting, on the terminal screen, the selectable garment products and the selectable additional style features as icon images on the visual interactive user interface;

- Realizing and presenting on the terminal screen the icon images as clickable icon images forming selection command input fields.

- Realizing and presenting on the terminal screen the selection command fields:

- as clickable icon images configured to be drag-and-dropped on the garment product presentation field on the visual interface to indicate a selection and to enter a selection command;

or

- as tapping sensitive icon images configured to be tapped to indicate a selection and to enter a selection command.

- Associating each selectable garment base product with a preset garment base product SMV;

- Associating each selectable additional style feature with a preset additional style product SMV impact value;

- Associating each selectable material with a preset complexity material sewing level impact rate; and storing each association as a parameter in a memory. - Calculating and storing in a memory the standard minute value for the configured product as the sum of the garment base product SMV associated with the configured product and additional style product SMV impact values of one or more selected additional features times the complexity material sewing level impact rate of the selected material.

Embodiments of a system and a computer application program for determining required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products and realizing selections of the above recited method steps , comprise computer program code portions to realize and/or perform:

- a garment product configuration engine having a visual interactive user interface;

- a standard minute value calculator;

- a result presentation generator configured to present an estimate of the required production capacity for manufacturing the configured garment product based on the determined standard minute value.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments are explained further below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG 1 shows an overview of an embodiment of a sustainability support system;

FIG 2 shows a schematic view of embodiments of a computer application program for determining required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products; and

FIG 3 shows a flow chart of embodiments of method steps and functional operations for determining required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products based on determined standard minute values.

Detailed Description

FIG 1 shows an overview of an embodiment of a computer based sustainability support system 100 with a plurality of subsystems connected by means of a data communications network 160. The sustainability support system 100 comprises a capacity management system 110, a standard minute value (SMV) estimation application 120, a production parameter database 130, a logistics system 140 as well as design and manufacturing systems 150, all being communicatively couplable through the data communications network 160. The data communications network 160 is in embodiments for example a virtual private network communicating over the Internet.

The production parameter database 130 is configured to accommodate parameter data supporting production. For example, production parameter data may comprise data for garment product designs, material and the like. The logistics system 140 supports management of logistics e.g. for work processes, material, garment products and human resources. The design and manufacturing systems 150 may comprise such components as CAD systems (computer aided design systems) or CAM systems (computer aided manufacturing systems). The different component systems are configured to exchange data and coordinate processes to support the overall sustainability work in the operations in the garment value chain.

The SMV estimation application 120 may be comprised in the capacity management system 110 or may be a standalone component (as shown with intermittent lines in FIG 1) communicatively couplable to the data communications network 160. The SMV estimation application 120 is a software application program executing on a computer processor for automatically calculating the Standard Minute Value SMV as an estimation for production costs. In embodiments this software application is configured to interact with other software systems in the sustainability support system used for sustainability work and support for example such currently important aspects as ensuring that workers in manufacturing countries receive a relevant salary.

The methods for capacity management of embodiments described herein comprises capacity measurement functionality based on standard minute value estimation. As mentioned in the background section, Standard Minute Value (SMV) Estimation Application (SEA) is the time required for a qualified worker working at "Standard Performance" to perform a given task. The SMV includes additional allowances for Rest and Relaxation, Machine Delay and anticipated Contingencies. In prior art, SMV is calculated by a qualified Industrial Engineer and therefore merchandisers depend on them to estimate SMV of the product for CMT (Cut, Make & Trim) calculation and evaluate the capacity required by the supplier to book and place the order with them. In global garment companies thousands of products per season are developed and placed in each market and it is difficult for Industrial engineers to keep providing SMVs quickly to cater to speed requirements of such businesses.

Embodiments disclosed herein solve these problems and enable staff in different parts of the garment trade value chain to make standard minute calculations in order to accelerate the capacity management process, enhance internal efficiency and support improved sustainability.

FIG 2 shows a schematic view of a system and a computer application program for determining required production capacity for the manufacturing of garment products in the form of an SMV estimation application 210 having a visual interactive user interface 200 presented on a terminal screen available for a user.

Embodiments of the system comprises a terminal having a terminal screen, one or more computer processors and computer program code portions configured to direct the one or more computer processors to realize or perform the functions and steps described herein. Similarly, embodiments of the computer application program comprises computer program code portions configured to direct the one or more computer processors to realize or perform the functions and steps described herein.

In different embodiments, the computer program code portions realizing the SMV Estimation Application 201 may for example be executed on the terminal, on a different computer unit connected to the terminal and with presentation on the terminal screen, or partly on a different computer connected to the terminal and partly on the terminal with presentation on the terminal screen.

A terminal may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet, a mobile phone or other computing device.

Embodiments of the system and the computer application program comprises realizing or performing a garment product configuration engine 215, a standard minute value calculator 260 and a result presentation generator 272. The SMV estimation application 210 further comprises or is communicatively coupled to a production parameter database 270.

Typical users of the application program would for example be merchandisers, product developers, capacity assurance managers and others. These users would typically have access to functions of the application program where the user can modify and alter products for automatic calculation of standard minute values. Administrative users, typically industrial engineers, would have access to administrate product artifacts, for example to add, edit or inactivate product categories, garment base products and style feature types, materials and associated information. In embodiments described herein the production parameter database 270 is configured to store a selection of:

- A set of garment base products, for example represented by name and an image icon. The set of garment base products may for example be represented in main product category groups each comprising subgroups with selectable garment base products. Examples of main product groups are woven, jersey, accessories and underwear/nightwear and examples garment base products are men's half sleeve shirt, men's casual full sleeve shirt, women's shirt with collar.

- A set of additional style features, for example represented by a selection of name, function and an image icon. Examples of additional style features are different collar types, different sleeve types and different seam details.

- Standard minute values SMV associated with each of the stored garment base products. This is also called a default SMV value for the garment base product. For example, a garment base product in the form of men's half sleeve shirt may have a SMV of 15.40.

- SMV impact values associated with each of the stored additional style features. For example, an additional style feature in the form of a single V-pocket may have an SMV impact value of 1.30 and a Chinese collar replacing a base collar may have an SMV impact value of -1,55.

- A set of materials. Examples of materials or material categories are material with no Spandex, material with less than 5% Spandex and material with more than 5% Spandex.

and/or

- A set of complexity material sewing levels dependent on material selected for the garment base product and/or for the additional style features. Examples of complexity material sewing levels are Level 1 for material with no Spandex, Level 2 for material with less than 5% Spandex and Level 3 material with more than 5% Spandex. Each complexity material sewing level has a preset complexity material SMV impact value or SMV impact rate. For example, the complexity material sewing level 2 may have an SMV impact rate of 1.1.

- Combination allowability indication codes associated with each selectable base product and/or each selectable additional style feature and/or selectable material. The combination allowability indication code are provided to enable the control of allowable combinations when a user configures a garment product by adding, replacing or removing features.

The combination allowability indication codes may for example comprise a data set according to a certain data model with one or more parameters that characterizes or stipulates what operations may be performed with a base product, a style features, an additional style feature and/or selectable material. This data set is a solution to technically enable configuration, visualizing and editing of a piece of garment on the visual interactive user interface 200 in accordance with a set of rules that are applied in dependence of the parameters in the data set.

For example, a base product may be a shirt with certain base product style features such as short sleeve. This would for example be characterized with a data set comprising a selection of:

Base product - Shirt

Base Product Style Feature - Sleeve:

Front, Back, Left, Right

Associated with images - Image l(front right), Image 2(front left), Image 3(back left), Image 4(back right)

Replacable

Type = Sleeve

Single Deletion allowed

SMV for style feature

An additional style feature may for example be a slanted decoration strip for a sleeve. This would for example be characterized with a data set comprising a selection of:

Style Feature - Decoration strip slanted:

Front, Left, Right

Associated with images - Image l(front left), Image 2(front left)

Replacable

Type = Decoration strip

Double

Deletion allowed

For example, the database may be stored with information relating to a company's key products or key product groups such as woven, jersey, accessories, intimate garment products, with selections of base products and selections of additional style features for each product group. The computer application program supports a user in configuration of a garment product by adding, replacing or removing style features to a selected garment base product, and automatically calculates an SMV estimation for a configured garment product.

The garment product configuration engine 215 shown in FIG 2 has an interactive visual interface that comprises a selectable base products field 220, a selectable additional style features field 230, a selectable materials field 240, a configured product generator 250, a configured garment product presentation field 250, a revised product SMV presentation field 272, a base product SMV presentation field 274 and a style features field 280.

The configured garment product presentation field 250 comprises a front side presentation field 252 and a back side presentation field 254. In embodiments, the configured garment product presentation field 250 is realized as a configuration work pad where a selected base product is presented with its front side and back side in the correspondingly dedicated fields 252 and 254. In Fig 2, the front side 256 and the back side 258 of a garment is exemplified by a short sleeved shirt.

The selectable garment products, the selectable additional style features, the selectable materials and possible other selections may for example be presented as icon images on the visual user interface and/or in a text based menu system. In embodiments, these icon images may be realized as clickable icon images forming selection command input fields. In embodiments, for example for web applications, selection command fields are realized as clickable icon images configured to be drag- and-dropped on the garment product presentation field on the visual interface to indicate a selection and to enter a selection command. In other embodiments, for example for mobile device

applications, they are realized with tapping functionality.

Embodiments disclosed herein comprises computer program code portions configured to direct a processor to perform a set of actions associated with each a command input via the interface in accordance with predetermined rules and dependent on the data sets associated with base products, base product style features, additional style features and other parameters.

The style features field 280 comprises an added style features field 282 for presenting style features added to a selected garment base product, a removed style feature presentation field 284 for presenting style features that are removed from a selected garment base product and a replaced style features field 286 for presenting style features replaced in a selected garment base product. FIG 3 shows a flow chart of embodiments of method steps and functional operations realized in conjunction with embodiments of the SMV estimation application program 210 shown in FIG 2.

Embodiments of the garment product configuration engine 215 have a visual interactive user interface 200 realized by means of computer program code portions executing on a processor and configured to:

310 Present, on a terminal screen, on a selectable garment base products field 220, a set of selectable garment base products stored in and retrieved from the production parameter database 270. This step may in embodiments be preceded by steps for presenting, on the terminal screen, and selecting a product group each comprising a set of selectable garment base products. In these embodiments, a selectable product groups field 212 is provided on the visual interactive user interface.

320 Receive, in the processor, a base product selection command from a user actuating one or more command input fields provided for selecting a presented selectable garment base product.

330 Present, on the terminal screen, on the selectable additional style features field 230, a set of selectable additional style features stored in and retrieved from the production parameter database 270.

340 Receive, in the processor, one or more additional style features selection commands for adding a selected style feature to the base product from a user actuating one or more command input fields provided for selecting additional style features. This may be repeated until the user is satisfied with the configuration of a garment. Actions such as adding, removing or replacing may also be comprised.

350 Present, on the terminal screen, on a selectable materials presentation field 240, a set of selectable materials stored in and retrieved from the production parameter database 270. In embodiments, each selectable material has an associated preset complexity material sewing level. In such embodiments the material may be selected by selecting a complexity material sewing level coupled to a specific material, material properties or group of materials.

360 Receive, in the processor, a material selection command for a base product and/or for additional style features from a user actuating one or more command input fields provided for selecting a material.

370 Form, in the processor, by a configured garment product generator 250, a configured product based on received selection commands for a selected garment base product, possibly selected additional style features and selected material.

380 Present, on the terminal screen, on a configured garment product presentation field 250, a visual representation of the configured product.

Embodiments of the standard minute value calculator 260 are configured to 390 calculate a standard minute value estimation realized by means of computer program code portions executing on a processor and comprising:

400 Determining, in the processor, a complexity material sewing level for the configured product based on selected material for the garment base product and/or for possible additional style features of the configured product. In embodiments, as mentioned above, each selectable material has an associated preset complexity material sewing level. In such embodiments the material may be selected by selecting a complexity material sewing level coupled to a specific material, material properties or group of materials. In these embodiments, the step of determining complexity material sewing level may entail retrieving the selected complexity level.

410 Determining, in the processor, a standard minute value for the configured product based on a preset standard minute value for the selected base product, on a preset standard minute impact value for the selected additional style features and on the determined complexity material sewing level.

In embodiments, the standard minute value for the configured product is calculated as the sum of the garment base product SMV associated with the configured product and additional style product SMV impact values of one or more selected additional features times the complexity material sewing level impact rate of the selected material. Expressed with mathematical operators, the standard minute value for the configured product is calculated as (the garment base product SMV + the additional style product SMV impact value) x the complexity material sewing level impact rate.

Embodiments of the result presentation generator 272 are configured to 420 generate a result presentation realized by means of computer program code portions executing on a processor and comprising:

430 Presenting, on the terminal screen, on the revised product SMV presentation field 272, an estimate of the required production capacity for manufacturing the configured garment product based on the determined standard minute value. In embodiments this may be an unprocessed standard minute value estimation. In further embodiments the result may be processed and presented as other values or parameters describing the required production capacity.

The above mentioned method steps and functions may be performed in different orders, repeating different step cycles or omitting steps.

When a garment base product has been selected and presented on the configured garment product presentation field 250, the default SMV value for the base product is determined in the processor and presented on the terminal screen to the user on the base product SMV presentation field 274. Additional style features that are selectable for the currently selected garment base product are presented in the selectable additional style features presentation field 230. Additional style features that are added, removed or replaced are tracked and presented on the style features presentation field 280. A user may then select an additional style feature and drag-and-drop it to the garment base product presentation. For example, a single piece collar may be selected as an additional style feature to replace a base collar of the garment base product. A revised product SMV is calculated and presented in the presentation field 272 whereas the base collar is presented in the replace presentation field 286. In a similar fashion additional style features can be added and base features can be removed from the base product, and revised product SMV values are calculated and presented. The user may also select material and/or complexity material sewing level by actuating a selection in the selectable materials field 240, whereupon a correspondingly revised product SMV is calculated and presented.

Further embodiments comprise a CMT (Cut, Make & Trim) calculation functionality. In such embodiments the interactive visual interface shown in FIG 2 comprises a command input field 290 and/or a CMT value presentation field (not shown in FIG 2). The CMT calculation is based on the determined SMV calculations and possibly additional information and calculation factors for example stored and retrieved from the database 130,270. Other embodiments

The computer application program and a processor executing the computer application program, in accordance with one or more embodiments, may be configured to perform a selection of any or all of the method steps described herein.

In one or more embodiments, there is provided a computer-readable medium on which is stored:

- non-transitory information or computer program code portions configured for performing a method according to any of the embodiments described herein; and/or

- non-transitory information or computer program code portions configured to control a

processor/processing unit to perform any of the steps or functions of embodiments described herein.

In one or more embodiments, there is provided a computer program product comprising code portions adapted to control a processor to perform any of the steps or functions of any of the embodiments described herein. Software in accordance with the present disclosure, such as program code portions and/or data, can be stored in non-transitory form on one or more machine-readable mediums. Further, software identified herein can be implemented using one or more general purpose or specific purpose computers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise.

Where applicable, one or more embodiments provided by the present disclosure can be

implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardware and software. Also where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein can be combined into composite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both. Where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein can be separated into sub-components comprising software, hardware, or both. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated that software components can be implemented as hardware components, and vice-versa. Where applicable, the ordering of various steps described herein can be changed, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-steps to provide features described herein.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present embodiments to the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. It is contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modifications to the present embodiments, whether explicitly described or implied herein, are possible in light of the disclosure.