A RFID-based resource allocation system for garment manufacturing

The emergence of fast changes in fashion has given rise to the need to shorten production cycle times in the garment industry. As effective usage of resources has significant effects on the productivity and efficiency of production operations, garment manufacturers are urged to utilize their resources effectively so as to meet dynamic customer demand. In usual practice, decision makers determine the required level of resources by evaluating technical requirements of garments, subjectively. Since their decision making processes involve concepts which are uncertain and vague, such as "long" and "short", an attempt is made in this paper to apply fuzzy logic for handling imprecise information for determining resource allocation plans. In addition, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is adopted to capture data which is useful for improving the intelligence associated with the fuzzy logic. This paper presents a RFID-based Resource Allocation System (RFID-RAS), integrating RFID technology and fuzzy logic concept for achieving better resource allocation with particular reference to garment manufacturing. To confirm the viability of the RFID-RAS, a case study is conducted in a Hong Kong-based garment manufacturing company to help manage its resource utilization. Results indicate that the RFID-RAS outperforms conventional approaches with improved effectiveness and efficiency in resource allocation. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.