Merchandising Job for Lab Dip Approval Process in the Apparel Industry

Merchandising Job for Lab Dip Approval Process in the Apparel Industry

Noor Ahmed Raaz
Specialized in Apparel Manufacturing
Owner and Editor in chief Textile Merchandising
Asst. Prof., Department of Textile Engineering
Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology
Email: mnnabi@adust.edu.bd

Lab Dip:

Lab Dip or Lab Dye is a small piece of fabric or swatch that is taken from an apparel style, colored to a particular shade. Before bulk production of fabric and garment manufacturing, lab dip approval from the buyer is essential. There are different types of lab dip shade matching methods in garments lab such as tube light matching, sunlight matching, ultraviolet matching, sodium light matching, etc. Those methods give different results at different times. Normally merchandisers are follow up on this process and lab dip methods are applied as per buyer requirements.

Importance of Lab Dip Approval in Garments:

We all know that fabric is the main raw material in a garment, therefore; fabric color matching with buyer desired garment is an important task before the bulk manufacturing process of garments. Fabric manufacturers normally give lab dip samples to the buyers for approval before the bulk production of fabric. Generally, lab dip will help to visualize the total fabric color after bulk production. Therefore, lab dip approval from a buyer is essential for order execution.

Lab Dip Approval Process in Apparel Industry:

The lab dip is usually made on a small swatch of fabric, whose length and width should be 6”X 6″. The apparel lab test unit uses their sample color, particular reference number or Pantone number for every lab swatch to define the color standard. Generally, garments use their color shade as section-wise. An example, shade A, B, C, D in 3 to 6 options of a color shade, but lab approval will be better if use minimum four options, therefore, buyers can find an accurate color which is closer to standard with sample color. Some buyers can be recommended for spectrometer and light box to match color. The spectrometer machine finds out of all electrical data and similar color, tone or hue. But this process is very expensive and not user-friendly. On the other hand, light box has special light sources which provide the right environment with options of viewing angles for color matching and comparing with the sample. There are different types of light box in the market, but most of the buyer recommends D-65 and TL-84 lightbox for shade matching.

In a garment industry lab dip process is done following flow chart-

Order Lab Dip from Buyer

↓

Computer Analysis

↓

Recipe Swatch Card or Pantone Number

↓

1st Correction

↓

2nd Correction

↓

Sample Grading (A, B, C, D)

↓

Sample Send to Buyer

↓

Get Buyer Approval

↓

Start Bulk Production

Merchandising Tasks for Lab Dip Approval:

Each and every apparel merchandiser has done different types of important tasks for an order execution. Lab dip approval from the buyer is also an important task. Before sending the lab dips to the buyer, the merchandiser should confirm closer required shade and arranged for the swatch paper carefully step by step and Keep them in a plastic bag. After that, send it to the buyer for lab dip approval.

The Merchandising working procedures for lab dip approval from the buyer are as follows-

1. At first, the merchandiser receives the color standard or sample standard from the buyer.
2. Then analyze that standard to the manufacturer for producing lab dips.
3. After that manufacturer takes time to make that.
4. After making the manufacturer sends it to the merchandiser.
5. The merchandiser reviews and cross-checks it.
6. Then merchandiser finally sends it to the buyer.
7. After that buyer receives the lab dip from the buyer and gives the comments.
8. If everything is OK then buyer approves lab dip to the merchandiser.
9. After buyer approval, merchandiser starts to prepare bulk production.
10. Start bulk production.

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