History
Development of Production Methods
With the gradual development of the sewing machine, radical changes were brought about in the textile industry. In the old days, workers came to the homes of their employers where the "parlor" or some other spare room had been converted into a sewing room. If women willing to do some sewing could not leave their families, the work was sent to their homes.
Even after the introduction of the sewing machine, it was necessary to send work out because there were not sufficient machines in factories to meet the demands for clothing and household furnishings. Each seamstress, whether working by hand or by machine, performed all operations and completed the sewn article.
As a consequence, much of the sewing of those days was handled in large bundles from which was derived the term "bundle" system. Gradually, as sewing machine manufacturers made available more and more machines, home and community production gave way to the factory system. However, the lack of foresight and progressiveness which prevented the tailors of Thimonnier's time from recognizing and·quickly accepting the sewing machine, seemingly was passed on from generation to generation.
Garment manufacturers were painfully slow to adopt new ideas and methods. The old "bundle" system continued for many years. It was not until some time after the founding of Union Special Machine Company in 1881 that sewing operations were generally broken down.
The 401 stitch as first produced in a bag seaming machine was not acceptable from an appearance standpoint for all types of sewing, especially the finishing operations. Thus, to broaden its scope, the company improved the appearance of the stitching and studied the various fields and operations where the "double-locked" stitch might be acceptable.
This resulted in the development of special machines designed for specific purposes and was responsible for breaking down the garment into individual sewing operations. Operators obtained their work from a central bin, performed the specified operation, and returned the bundle to the bin for subsequent operations by other operators.
Because the work was·tied in bundles, the method was still referred to as the "bundle" system, although it was more generally termed the "school" system. Later, as machines became more specialized practically every operation was performed on a machine intended for one specific operation, the term "piece work" evolved and formed the basis for the method bearing that name, wherein the operator is paid according to his/her ability.
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An example of a bundle system
Adoption of this method localized machine performance and encouraged machine manufacturers to greater efforts. Quality in the equipment was important, but speed was paramount. As a result, speed reached a temporary ceiling, chiefly because greater speed was of no particular advantage. Handling time – moving garments from one machine to another – had formed a "bottleneck.'' Manufacturers began to realize how far behind other mass-production industries were in their methods. At the same time, industrial engineers, who had given much study to efficient operation, approached the sewing industry with the idea of modernizing its antiquated methods.
It was then that piece by piece progression from one machine to the next was adopted and became known as "progressive line assembly". By this method, the work moves through the various stages of production, piece by piece, from assembly to inspection, pressing, and shipping.
A later development of this has been the "progressive bundle" system. Here the parts move in pre-determined equal quantities to assembly in bundles, each operator performing her specific operation. These modern production methods enabled the sewing industry to meet the heavy wartime production demands of the past few years. Clothing and sewing equipment for our Armed Forces, lend-lease for our Allies, and essential civilian goods were turned out in tremendous quantities on high-speed sewing equipment.
What the future of the sewing machine and the sewing industry is to be is unpredictable. The joining of cloth is probably the oldest art in the world; however, it would require a closed mind to say definitely that needle and thread will not someday be replaced. Nevertheless, before that time, there will be many improvements and developments in the industry that would amaze our engineers today. Just as our present equipment differs vastly from yesterday's, so tomorrow an idea for a new product will involve the use of a sewing machine not yet designed.
It was then that piece by piece progression from one machine to the next was adopted and became known as "progressive line assembly". By this method, the work moves through the various stages of production, piece by piece, from assembly to inspection, pressing, and shipping.
A later development of this has been the "progressive bundle" system. Here the parts move in pre-determined equal quantities to assembly in bundles, each operator performing her specific operation. These modern production methods enabled the sewing industry to meet the heavy wartime production demands of the past few years. Clothing and sewing equipment for our Armed Forces, lend-lease for our Allies, and essential civilian goods were turned out in tremendous quantities on high-speed sewing equipment.
What the future of the sewing machine and the sewing industry is to be is unpredictable. The joining of cloth is probably the oldest art in the world; however, it would require a closed mind to say definitely that needle and thread will not someday be replaced. Nevertheless, before that time, there will be many improvements and developments in the industry that would amaze our engineers today. Just as our present equipment differs vastly from yesterday's, so tomorrow an idea for a new product will involve the use of a sewing machine not yet designed.
