The Importance of Needle Points and Number of “SPI”
Using the correct needle point and Stitches per Inch (SPI) can make the difference between a good strong seam and on the “tears along the dotted line”.
Needles come with several point designs, three of which are shown below:
All three have specific uses, but for stitching fabric, fabric backed materials, “side” (or “garment tanned”) leather or skived (reduced) edge materials, the round point is generally the best.
The reason for this, is that in stitching woven materials (fabric and fabric backed materials), with the Chisel Point of Tri-Point shapes generally threads get cut or broken as the needle passes through the material. This makes for a weakness in the seam (and a small “pucker” in stitched fabrics). Round point needles tend to “push” the individual threads out of the way, rather than cut them.
In non woven materials (Leathers, non woven backing materials, etc.) the sharp corners of the (needle) hole will create a weak spot where tears can start.
This is particularly true in stitch lines of tight (or short) stitches (14 Stitches or less per inch [2.5Cm]).
Good Stitching
ShoeTemps Tip of the Week – Pattern Splitting
So you have a Moccasin Stitch in a one piece vamp. How do you reduce the leather to allow for a well defined mocc?
Try a process known as Pattern Skiving, or sometimes called Pattern Splitting.
It’s really quite simple, in that you make a template (quite often from obsolete insole material). This template is placed on the finished side of the piece of upper material, the material and template are fed through a properly adjusted splitting machine, and only the area needed is skived (split) off.
The Case for Supplier Audits and Factory Visits
When talking with a U.S. footwear manufacturer recently about their product sourcing strategies, I discovered that they had just started sourcing product from China, and further discovered that no one from the company had actually visited the vendors or factories, and they were relying solely on their agents to take care of matters such as QC, Vendor Compliance, etc. My comment was, “you’re playing a dangerous game, and you need to get someone from your company over there on a regular basis to audit your suppliers.”
While using an agent gives the company a certain level of comfort in that they agent should be responsible for providing a good quality product, at the end of the day, you, as the importer and brand owner, will be liable if something happens with one of your products. If it comes to a legal battle, it will be important that your company can prove it took all the necessary precautions such as evaluating the factories on a regular basis, inspecting the goods before shipment from the factory and inspecting them again upon arrival at your warehouse
If you can prove due diligence, even if a court should conclude you do have product liability, they won’t be able to add a negligence charge that can lead to punitive damages or even criminal liability.
In addition, because of the shipping times, in many cases the agent has already been paid if a problem is found during incoming warehouse inspection. The agent has your money, you have a claim, and you can wind up being involved in a lengthy negotiation before you arrive at a settlement.
Another reason for factory visits is maintaining relationships with existing suppliers, while spending your time in China visiting and vetting new suppliers. Business culture here in China favors frequent personal contact with your overseas partners, and factory visits are one preferred method.
At the very least, there are several reasons why you should regularly visit your Chinese factories:
• You really want to see for yourself to whom you’re giving the orders.
• You wan to meet the management, and see if they are competent and trustworthy.
• You want to see if the factory is technically competent, and see what QC standards and practices they have implemented.
• You want to see if they are complying with your company’s Social Compliance policies, and Chinese Labor Laws.
• You want to find out who else is working with the factory, versus what you’ve been told by the sales department.
• You want to find out the actual production capacity, versus what you’ve been told.
• You want to see what part of the production is subcontracted out, and if so, visit the subcontractors.
Now, in the case of the above mentioned manufacturer, where they may not have experience in China, a company such as ShoeTemp Associates can provide services including reports on suppliers, arranging your visits, hotels, transportation, and translation services.
Or, as an alternative measure, we can act on your behalf, visiting suppliers for compliance audits, and send a full report back to your company with our evaluations. This saves your time and expense of traveling overseas. We can be your “eyes and ears” here in China. See the other areas of our website for further information.In future articles we will cover areas of what to look at when visiting factories, QC issues, and social compliance issues.
Shoemaking Tip of the Week – Skiving/Skarf
Question : Do you know what a scarf is ?
Answer : Sure, it’s something your Mom wore around her neck when she got dressed up to go out.
O.K., but in Shoemaking terms, it also means the type of cut a Skiving Machine makes.
A Skiving Machine can be set up to make two basic Skarf’s, a bevel and a shoulder.
The Bevel Skarf is used to make lapped seams smoother, or for making a joint in a strip or belt (see sketches below)
The Shoulder Skarf is used for folded edges (see sketches below), and when the fold is done correctly, the skived material is folded back on itself with the edge fitting tight to the shoulder (see sketch below)
Examples of types of skiving or skarfs
Need Extra Help After the Holidays?
O.K., so we’ve got the holidays behind us, and most companies have made adjustments to their staff, but have these adjustments been made in the right places?
No matter how carefully we plan staff reductions, it always seems that something gets lost in the planning, and we find that we’re left without coverage in some area. That’s one area where Shoetemp Associates can be a benefit to your Southeast Asian operation.
We offer associates with several decades of needle trades experience, located in the region, that can be used as needed without the loss in efficiency of Jet Lag, or costs of sending someone from the “Home Office”, at very attractive rates.
We also can offer longer term programs in Efficiency Engineering (making your operation more efficient, without the addition of new machinery), and also spotting problems that people working in a factory full time overlook.
For more information, please Contact Us.