Let the scan be the record of where a garment is.

Use a factory scan station

At a scan station, scan the garment’s tag when work reaches the station or leaves it. The scan advances the individual garment and updates the shared database. Do not wait until the end of a shift to reconstruct what happened: the value comes from recording the hand-off as it occurs.

• Scan the garment tag, not merely the order paperwork.
• Check the garment description if the tag does not match the item in front of you.
• Use the station for every hand-off, including work returning from an alteration bench.
• Escalate a missing or damaged tag before moving the garment further.

Move garments through production

Factory scans advance garments through intake, clean, press, assemble, transfer and collect. The same order can have garments at different steps; that is expected when individual items require different work. Assembly is where garments can be checked back against the original order before the next transfer or customer collection.

1. Intake

   Scan when the factory takes custody so the source site can see the transfer has arrived.

2. Clean and press

   Advance the garment as it moves through cleaning and pressing rather than assuming all order items move together.

3. Assemble

   Use the order and garment tags to confirm the correct items are together before dispatch.

4. Transfer or collect

   Scan the next physical hand-off, whether that is a van, counter, agent or the customer.

Transfer garments between sites

Transfers are scanned out at the sending site and in at the receiving site. This is how a multi-site operation keeps an accurate location for each garment. It also prevents an item being treated as already in the factory just because it has left a counter.

Build and check a van manifest

A van manifest is the physical route list for garments moving between sites. Build it from the transfers being sent, then have the driver scan garments on when they take custody and off when they hand them over. Investigate any difference while the van and garments are still available.

Read a calculated due date

The due-date engine works from the production steps required and the current bench load. It is an operational promise, not a decorative date on the ticket. If a garment gains extra work, a fitting requirement or a production delay, review the promise and communicate early with the customer.

Resolve a scan exception

When a scan does not match the garment or expected step, stop and verify the tag, the item and the last known hand-off. Do not scan a different garment just to clear a queue. A small pause at the point of discrepancy is faster than searching across sites later.

1. Read the physical tag

   Compare its order and garment number to the item and any ticket attached to it.

2. Check the last recorded step

   Identify whether the item is at the wrong station, awaiting a transfer or simply grouped with the wrong order.

3. Correct the actual hand-off

   Use the right scan for the place where the garment truly is.

4. Escalate a true mismatch

   Provide the order number, garment tag, site and time of the issue so it can be traced without guesswork.

Related articles

• Print and attach garment tags
• Hand orders to a driver
• Review workload and production time