Proceedings of the 6th Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Bangladesh Conference

Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-28, 2023

Analysis Of Quality Control in Clothing Products

Using the Six Sigma Method
Tharisya Sanrio Putri, Ahmad, Mohammad Agung Saryatmo
Department of Industrial Engineering
Tarumanagara University
Jakarta, Indonesia
Email: tharisya.545200035@[Link], ahmad@[Link],
mohammads@[Link]

Abstract
This research is focused on collared and T-shirt products in the garment industry with various types of clothing,
especially for the upper middle market segment. High-quality products that meet consumer needs are highly
expected in today's competitive era. The results of observations of the products in this company found that there
were many defects. Types of defects include dirty defects, holed, cut, and oblique defects. The method used to
reduce defects is the Six Sigma method with fishbone diagram analysis, why-why analysis, and FMEA to improve
product quality with the research objective of identifying the largest types of defects that occur in the production
process, identifying factors that influence the biggest defects in the production process, providing suggestions for
improvements using the application of six sigma with the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)
stages which aims to reduce defects in the production process. The DPMO value obtained was 13619.5 for collared
shirts and 15376.3 for T-shirts with a sigma level value of 3.71 for collared shirts and 3.66 for T-shirts, which is
still far from what was expected. Suggestions for improving quality are making Check sheets, providing training
to operators, scheduling machine maintenance, and replacing equipment with more appropriate equipment.

Keywords
Six Sigma, Fishbone Diagram, FMEA, Why-Why Analysis

1. Introduction
The high volume of production demand often causes a company to ignore the quality of its products. With
increasingly tight competition and high consumer demand, business actors must think more about and improve
the quality of their products, starting from the initial manufacturing process until the goods are in the hands of
consumers. The company is engaged in the garment industry with a variety of clothing models, especially for the
upper middle market segment facilitated by automatic factory machines and supported by well-known textile
suppliers with superior quality fabric quality. This company produces clothes for well-known brands. By
collaborating with large companies, companies must provide the best quality products that have passed and passed
the quality control process so that the quality of the products produced is always guaranteed and customers can
feel satisfied.

Based on observations that have been made, in the clothing production process several types of product defects
were found which were quite high, namely collared shirts at 5.4% of total production, and T-shirts at 4.6% of total
production. Therefore, it is necessary to research to analyze the types of defects in the production process and the
factors that cause these defects so that efforts can be made to reduce the number of defects during production. For
this purpose, this research carried out an analysis of these defects with the aim of the research, namely identifying
the largest types of defects that occur in the production process, identifying factors that influence the largest
defects in the production process, providing suggestions for improvements that can be made to improve quality
in the production process. The production process uses the application of Six Sigma with the DMAIC (Define,
Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) stages which aims to reduce defects in the production process.

2. Literature Review
This study aims is to reduce the total of defects, and increase the quality of the product with the Six Sigma method
which uses a fishbone diagram, why-why analysis, and failure mode and effect analysis.

2.1 Six Sigma Method

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Six Sigma is a methodology used to enhance the quality of a product. It is a widely embraced and innovative
approach in the realm of quality management, serving as an alternative in quality control principles. The Six
Sigma method, also known as DMAIC, is an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control.

2.2 Fishbone Diagram

The fishbone diagram, also known as the Ishikawa diagram, is a tool utilized to identify the root causes of a
problem by examining its various symptoms. It is part of the seven basic tools of quality and illustrates the cause-
and-effect relationship of potential issues. The main problem is depicted at the head of the fishbone, with its causes
branching off into sub-categories such as environment, workers, machines, and management. In the context of
this research, the fishbone diagram will be employed to identify the primary causes of defects.

2.3 Why-why Analysis

Why-Why analysis is a problem-solving technique that involves iteratively asking "why" to delve into the
fundamental causes of an issue. While specific literature reviews on Why-Why analysis were not found, it is a
commonly utilized tool in quality management and problem-solving methodologies such as Six Sigma. The
process of conducting a literature review entails scrutinizing existing research to pinpoint knowledge gaps and
establish a theoretical basis for one's work. Critical analysis is pivotal in comprehending research evidence,
involving an assessment of its validity and relevance. Literature reviews can take various forms, each with its
distinct purpose and methodology, such as narrative reviews, scoping reviews, or systematic reviews. The primary
objective of a literature review is to ascertain the extent to which a body of knowledge reveals discernible trends
or aggregates empirical findings related to a specific research question, thereby supporting evidence-based
decision-making.

2.4 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic model utilized to identify and prevent problems within
a system. It involves discussions across different divisions in a company to analyze the causes of failure for
components and subsystems in a process or product. FMEA employs criteria such as occurrence, detection, and
severity to determine risk priority numbers (RPN) and risk score values (RSV), which are then used to determine
actions for prioritized risks.

3. Methods
Research was carried out with the aim of identifying the types and causes of defects in products. The research
process begins with field and literature studies, then identifying problems that occur and then formulating the
problem. Then collect data and analyse it in the Define stage, which involves creating a project charter, SIPOC
diagram, and Critical To Quality. The next step is the Measure stage, which includes calculating the P control
chart, process capability, and DPMO value. After that, it is analyzed at the Analyse stage using a fishbone diagram,
why-why analysis method, and failure mode and effect analysis, then recommendations for improvements related
to the causes of the problems that have been identified are proposed.

4. Data Collection
Production data and product defects used in this research are data from March 2023 to August 2023 with two
clothing models, namely T-shirts and collared shirts. Based on the data obtained, for the collared shirt model, it is
known that the production quantity from March 2023 to August 2023 for the collared shirt product type is 40,420
pcs with a total product defect of 2,202 pcs or 5.4% of the total production. It is known that there are 551 dirty
defects, 603 holed defects, 541 cut defects, and 507 oblique defects. Meanwhile, for the T-shirt model, it is known
that the number of production from March 2023 to August 2023 for the T-shirt product type is 32,344 pcs with a
total product defect of 1,492 pcs or 4.6% of the total production. It is known that there are 485 dirty defects, 508
holed defects, and 499 cut defects.

5. Results and Discussion

On T-shirts, the defects that exist are dirty, holed and cut, while on collared shirts there are defects in dirty, holed,
cut and oblique. The following is a table of accumulated defect data for collared shirts and T-shirt products which
can be seen in Table 1 and Table 2 below.

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Table 1. Accumulated Defect Data for Collared Shirt Products

Number of Cumulative
No. Defect Type Percentage (%)
Defects Percentage (%)
1 Holed 603 27.4 27.4
2 Dirty 551 25 52.4
3 Cutted 541 24.6 77
4 Oblique 507 23 100
Total 2,202

Based on the accumulation table above, the Pareto diagram for defects in collared shirts and T-shirts can be seen
in Figure 1 and Figure 2 below.

Figure 1. Pareto Defect Diagram for Collared Shirt Products

Table 2. Accumulated Defect Data for Oblong Clothing Products

Number of Cumulative
No. Defect Type Percentage (%)
Defects Percentage (%)
1 Holed 508 34 34
2 Cutted 499 33.4 100
3 Dirty 485 32.5 66.6
Total 1,492

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Figure 2. Pareto Defect Diagram for Oblong Clothing Products

5.1 Define Stage

The Define stage is the beginning of processing defect data in the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze,
Improve, Control) method. In this step, product identification and production processes will be carried out. The
"Define" will describe defect problems in the Project Charter, SIPOC diagram (Supplier, Input, Process Output,
and Customer), and Critical to Quality (CTQ).

5.1.1 Project Charter

Project charters a documents issued by the project initiator or sponsor that officially approve the continuation of
the project and authorize the project manager to allocate resources to project activities. In the project charter, there
is information such as the title of the project being worked on, the background behind the implementation of the
project, a description of the project, the goals to be achieved, the scope of the project, the parties involved, the
estimated duration of implementation, and so on. The following is Table 3 of project charters.

Table 3. Project Charter

PROJECT CHARTER
1. Business Case 3. Constraints & Assumptions 4. Project Scope
This company produces T-shirts and collared shirts, 3.1 Constraints This research was conducted in the
where in the production process there are several production division at This company located
The limitation for students is that
factors that produce defects in the product. Defects in North Jakarta. This company is a garment
the data provided is data for six
from March to August 2023 reached 2,202 pcs on company that produces clothes. Researchers
months with collared shirts and
collared shirt products, and 1,492 pcs on T-shirt took collared shirts and T-shirts because
T-shirts.
products. Therefore, analysis was carried out using these products were the most widely
the Six Sigma method to improve quality and produced. The data studied is production
reduce the number of defects. data and defect data for six months from
March-August 2023.
2. Project Statement 3.2 Assumptions 5. Preliminary Plan
2.1 Problem Statement The assumption of the research Timeline Start Date End Date
carried out is that the number of
There are defective products in the production Define 29-09-2023 06-10-2023
defects can be reduced.
process of collared shirts and T-shirts, such as dirty Measure 09-10-2023 20-10-2023
cloth, holey cloth, cut cloth, and slanted plackets. Analyze 23-10-2023 27-10-2023
The total production of collared shirts was 40,420 Improve 30-10-2023 10-11-2023
pcs with defects of 2,202 pcs, and the total Controls 13-11-2023 08-12-2023
production of T-shirts was 32,344 pcs with defects
of 1,492 pcs.
2.2 Opportunity Statement 6. Benefits
Make efforts to reduce the number of product This research can be useful for the company for improvements so that they can
defects using the Six Sigma method with the hope be applied to the company and it is hoped that it can reduce the number of product
of reducing the number of defects. defects.

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PROJECT CHARTER
2.3 Goal Statement Signature
The target of this research is reducing defects in Leader Production Director
products. Tharisya Niko Jerome

5.1.2 SIPOC diagram

The SIPOC diagram describes information about Suppliers, Input, Processes, Output, and Customers involved in
the production process can be seen in Figure 3 below.

Figure 3. SIPOC diagram

5.1.3 Critical To Quality

Critical to Quality is the next step used to determine whether a process or product complies with standard
specifications in order to meet consumer needs and demands. This step is used to determine the types of defects
found in the production of collared shirts and [Link] to Qualitycan be seen in Table 4 below.

Table 4. Critical to Quality (CTQ)

CTQ Description CTQ Measurement

Voice of
Factor Measuring
Customer Standard Items Standard
instrument
Visual There are no The condition of Physical The condition of Visual check
product defects collared shirts collared shirts collared shirts
and T-shirts is and T-shirts and T-shirts is
free from free from
physical defects physical defects
Design Appropriate Design, size and Physical Selection of Visual check
product design, raw materials for collared shirts fabric for raw
clothing sizes clothes and T-shirts materials and
and raw according to measurements in
materials consumer the patterning
demand process

5.2 Measure Stage

The next stage is measuring. The data that has been obtained at the defined stage is then measured to determine
the process capability to take corrective action that can be implemented using several tools, namely P control
charts, DPMO, and process capabilities can be seen in Figure 4 and Figure 5 below.

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0.100

0.080

0.060

0.040

0.020

0.000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Proporsi Cacat
Defect Proportion CL UCL LCL

Figure 4. Control Map P for Collared Thirt

Based on the control chart p above, it can be concluded that there is still data that is outside the control limits or
is still not good, namely on March 17 2023, April 14 2023, May 12 2023, July 14 2023, July 21 2023. This means
that the number of defects in production still needs to be there are improvements to improve the quality.

0.080
0.070
0.060
0.050
0.040
0.030
0.020
0.010
0.000
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Defect Proportion
Proporsi Cacat CL UCL LCL

Figure 5. P Control Map for T-Shirt

Based on the p control chart above, it can be concluded that there is still data that is outside the control limits or
is still not good, namely on May 5 2023, June 9 2023, July 14 2023. This means that the number of defects in
production still needs improvement to improve quality.

Next, we obtained a calculation of the defect proportion capability, resulting in the production of collared shirts
with a Cp of 1.21 and a Cpk of 0.53. Meanwhile, in the production of T-shirts, the Cp is 1.20 and the Cpk is 0.56,
so both products still need improvement proposals to increase quality because they do not meet the good Cp
values, namely <1.33 and Cpk <1. Next, the DPMO and Sigma values will be calculated. Based on the calculations
that have been carried out, the DPMO value obtained for collared shirts is 13619.5 or it can be said that there are
13619.5 defects in 1,000,000 possibilities. Next, the DPMO value is converted into a sigma value, namely 3.71.
For T-shirts, based on the calculations that have been carried out, the DPMO value obtained is 11532.3 or it can
be said that there are 11532.3 defects in 1,000,000 possibilities. Next, the DPMO value is converted into a sigma
value, namely 3.77.

5.3 Analyze Stage

After the measurement stage, the next stage is the analysis stage. At this stage, the aim is to detect problems by
determining how to close the performance gap between the current system or process and the expected results. At
this stage, an analysis will be carried out to explore the factors that cause defects. This is done using fishbone
diagrams and FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis).

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5.3.1 Fishbone Diagram

A fishbone diagram is a tool used to identify root causes or factors that contribute to a particular problem or effect.
There are factors in this diagram, namely 6M or People, Machines, Methods, Materials, Measurements, and
Environment for further analysis to be carried out to analyze the impact and relationship between these factors.
The following is a fishbone diagram for collared shirt products in the table below based on discussions with the
head of production. Fishbone diagram of collared and T-shirt can be seen in Figure 6 below.

Figure 6. Fishbone diagram of collared and T-shirt types

5.3.2 Why-Why Analysis

Why-Why Analysis is a simple investigative method used to identify the root cause of a problem or undesirable
event. The focus is to continually ask "why" sequentially until reaching the fundamental root cause. The following
is a why-why analysis of collared shirt products in the table below based on discussions with the head of
production. Why-Why Analysis can be seen in Table 5 below.

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Table 5. Why-Why Analysis

5.3.3 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) is a systematic function that functions to identify the failure mode
when a failure occurs. Assessments are carried out on the level of damage (severity), possibility of occurrence,
and detection. The following is a why-why analysis of collared shirt products in the table below based on
discussions with the director, head of production, and production employees. FMEA Analysis can be seen in Table
6 and Table 7 below.

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Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-28, 2023

Table 6. FMEA Analysis of Collared Shirt Products

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Table 7. FMEA analysis of T-shirt products

Based on the results of analysis using the FMEA method, it is known that defects in the fabric with holes for both
clothing models have the highest level. Next, recommendations for improvement are given regarding each defect at
the improve stage.

5.4 Improve Stages

The improvement stage is carried out to provide solutions to problems that cause defects in the product. In this
research, the proposed improvements are proposed by considering the results of the fishbone diagram, why-why
analysis, and FMEA, namely as follows:
1. Creation of check sheets for follow-up inspections.
2. Provide training on the use of sewing machines.
3. Schedule sewing machine maintenance every 25 dozen.
4. Create new regulations in writing regarding the cleanliness of the production environment.
5. Adding large fabric scissors with claw thread scissors to make it easier to cut parts that are more difficult to
reach during the sewing process.
With this recommendation, it is hoped that the company can improve quality control and reduce the number of defects.

5.5 Control Stages

The control stage is the final stage in the Six Sigma method. At this stage, a double check is carried out regarding the
proposals that have been given to the company by comparing the results of observations on product defects before and
after implementing the proposed improvements. The comparisons made were on control charts, DPMO calculations,
and the company's sigma value after implementation for 4 weeks. Based on production data and product defects for
collared shirts and T-shirts after implementation, a control chart was obtained. The P control chart can be seen in
Figure 7 and Figure 8.

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Defect Proportion

Figure 7. P Control Map for Collared Shirts After Implementation

Defect Proportion

Figure 8. P Control Map for T-Shirts After Implementation

This is a comparison between the percentage of defects, DPMO value, process capability, and sigma level, before and
after implementation which can be seen in Table 8 and 9 below.

Table 8. Comparison of Process Performance Levels Before and After Implementation of Collared Shirt Products

Criteria Before Implementation After Implementation

Percentage 5.4% 5.1%
Cp 1.21 1.22
Cpk 0.534 0.545
DPMO 13619 12965
Sigma Levels 3.71 3.73

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Table 9. Comparison of Process Performance Levels Before and After Implementation of T-shirt Products

Criteria Before Implementation After Implementation

Percentage 4.6% 4.3%
Cp 1.20 1.21
Cpk 0.561 0.572
DPMO 15376 14368
Sigma Levels 3.66 3.69

6. Conclusion
Based on the results of the research that has been carried out, several conclusions can be drawn as follows:
1. Processed research data, it can be seen that the types of defects found in the production of collared shirts are
dirty fabric, holey fabric, cut fabric and slanted plackets. Meanwhile, in the production of T-shirts, namely
dirty cloth, holey cloth, cut cloth
2. Holed defect in collared shirts and T-shirts is the type of defect with the highest RPN value.
3. Corrective action plan to reduce defects in production, namely making check sheets for follow-up inspections,
providing training on the use of sewing machines with people who are experts in the field, scheduling sewing
machine maintenance every 25 dozens of productions, making written regulations regarding the cleanliness
of the production environment, adding large fabric scissors with thread scissors claws to make it easier to cut
parts that are more difficult to reach during the sewing process.
4. The percentage of defects in collared shirt products decreased from 5.4% to 5.1%. Meanwhile, T-shirt
products fell from 4.6% to 4.3%.
5. The sigma level for collared shirt defects increased from 3.71 to 3.73. Meanwhile, T-shirt defects increased
from 3.66 to 3.69.

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Biography
Tharisya Sanrio Putri is a student of Tarumanagara University's industrial engineering study program, she was born
in Jakarta on June 2002. She was active in student organization activities for two periods at faculty level, in the first

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Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 26-28, 2023

year she served as a member of research and development commission, and in the second period she served as
chairman of research and development commission. The work programs she chaired include Comparative Studies
with Indonesian University, Social event for charity events to orphanages, and also activities to welcome new members
to the organization. He was also active as a writer for a community service journal with lecturers for one year.

Ahmad born in West Nusa Tenggara, November 1, 1970, is a student in the Transportation Management Doctoral
program. He is also currently a lecturer in the Industrial Engineering Study program at Tarumanagara University. He
teaches the areas of expertise in Operation Research, Factory Design and Industrial Modeling & Simulation. This 11th
of 12 children is a postgraduate graduate of Masters in Product Design, University of Indonesia. He spent his
undergraduate degree in the student city of Jogjakarta. Apart from being a Permanent Lecturer, he is also on the Board
of Trustees of a foundation, Member of the Central ISTMI Management (Industrial Management Engineering
Association), and Member of PEI (Indonesian Ergonomics Association). He is also active in research and provides
product design and entrepreneurship training workshops. He also writes for journals or research proceedings and
services in journals including ISIEM, TICATI, SNMI, SNTS, SERINA, Bhaktimas, and JITI.

Mohammad Agung Saryatmo is a full-time lecturer at Universitas Tarumanagara's Department of Industrial

Engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from Universitas Gadjah Mada in
Indonesia and a Master of Management from Universitas Diponegoro in Indonesia. He also holds a PhD from Asian
Institutue of Technology, Thailand. His research interests are in the areas of digital supply chain management, quality
management, strategic human resources management and service quality.

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