Impact of weather on U.S. apparel retail and wholesale sales

There is a huge gap in our comprehension on the effect of the weather on U.S. apparel retail and wholesale sales. This study was designed to uncover the relationships between weather and apparel retail and wholesale sales in the United States. For this purpose, the study used national-level U.S. apparel retail and wholesale sales and weather data from 1992 to 2015. The result of the study revealed that U.S. apparel sales are influenced by weather. The study found that during March and April, retail sales increase with warmer than normal temperature while sales decrease in September and November when the temperature is colder than normal. In June and December, the wholesale sales increase as the temperature increases. Again, higher precipitation causes higher retail sales in July but lower sales in June. Wholesale sales increase if there is higher precipitation than the normal in December and January but sales fall in May with the increase of precipitation. The study also revealed that change in weather affects the impact of wholesale sales on retail sales during the months of May, June, July, August, and November. As little study is available about impact of weather on apparel sales in the United States, this study results will assist U.S. apparel retailers and wholesalers to accurately predict the impact of weather on sales and help them to take corrective actions to mitigate the negative impact of the weather on business activities

An Investigation of Work-Related Risk Factors Among Sewing Machine Operators in Bangladesh

Working extended periods of time in front of sewing machines may cause discomfort to the operators of sewing machines. Sewing machine operators sit for extended periods of time and use their hands to control, handle, or feel objects and tools in repetitive processes which makes them vulnerable to musculoskeletal symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among sewing machine operators working in the apparel industry in Bangladesh while considering job characteristics, productivity, job satisfaction, workstation design, and working environment. The results showed that working in front of the sewing machines for a long period of time might cause musculoskeletal problems for the sewing machine operators in Bangladesh which is consistent with previous studies. Further, the environment of the sewing machine rooms, job characteristics, and workstation design were not satisfactory in some cases and might impact participants’ health

The Impact of Weather on U.S. Apparel Retail Sales

There is a huge gap in our comprehension on the effect of the weather on U.S. apparel retail sales. This study was designed to uncover the relationships between weather and apparel retail sales in the United States. For this purpose, the secondary data analysis was performed using the national-level U.S. apparel retail sales and the weather data from 1992 to 2015. The study found that when the temperature is higher than usual especially in April, the apparel retail sales will increase and when the temperature is lower in September and October, the sales will decrease. Again, higher precipitation in July expects higher sales in the United States. The U.S. retailers now can predict how the weather change will impact their sales and at what amount and take corrective actions to mitigate the negative impact of the weather on business activities

Launderability of Stitched Surface-Mount E-Textiles

E-textiles that contain distributed electronic components have advantages for wearable technology in that functionality, particularly for interactive applications that require sensing and actuating, can be spread over a much larger area. Integrating this kind of functionality into a textile architecture also offers advantages for power and networking as well as hand-feel and wearability. However, particularly for garment-based applications, textile-embedded circuitry often must be machine-washable to conform to user expectations for care and maintenance. In this study, we evaluate the robustness to home laundering of a previously-developed technique for assembling e-textile circuits. We performed a durability test based on machine washing and drying while varying the textile substrate, component size, and intensity of the laundering cycle. After around 17 hours of rigorous washing and drying, we measured a 1.5% failure rate for component solder joints. 1.25% of these failures occurred during the first wash/dry cycle. These results demonstrate the feasibility of this technique for machine-launderable e-textile garments

Manufacturing Cut-And-Sew Garment-Integrated Technologies: An Investigation Of Surface-Mount Fabrication For Electronic Textiles

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2020. Major: Design, Housing and Apparel. Advisor: Lucy Dunne. 1 computer file (PDF); xxii, 373 pages.The current wearable industry often uses custom made techniques (e.g., craft-based, hobbyists) that utilized proprietary equipment in a laboratory setting with specific applications in mind. While craft construction of textile-integrated electronics is common, these methods are typically not efficient enough for larger-scale production. For larger-scale production, the barriers to textile- and garment-integration have restricted the ability to spatially distribute technology over the body surface, particularly sensing and actuating components that may rely heavily on or be strongly affected by their specific location on the body. Industrial fabrication of e-textiles requires an efficient and scalable process that allows spatial distribution of components with a careful balance of automation and human labor. This research project aims to develop, characterize, and assess a scalable manufacturing method for garment-integrated technologies that preserve user comfort and work within the constraints of typical apparel manufacturing processes while providing required electrical performance and durability needed by the system. We have developed a method for attaching discrete surface-mount components and characterized the method. The method uses an industrial pattern stitching machine to stitch conductive traces onto a fabric surface in a 2D pattern and a reflow technique to integrate electronic components. Several prototypes from small fabric swatches to completed e-textile garments were made and tested to evaluate the durability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the method. We show a durability of 3% joint failure after a 14-hour wear test with no insulation and 0% failure rate after a washability test with insulation for the best manufacturing conditions. To investigate the scalability of the method at a garment scale as compared to manufacture of non-electronic garments, forty pieces each of regular and temperature sensing fire-fighter turnout gear coat liner garments have been produced. This manufacturing case study was used to evaluate the successful functionality of the manufactured garments as well as the impact of integrating electronic technology on labor, equipment, and cost. The study results show that the average manufacturing time to produce a sensor-integrated thermal liner was 3.27 times higher than producing a regular thermal liner garment, given that all the materials, labor, and machines remain constant. The sensor-integrated thermal liner garment cost around 3.44 times more to produce compared to the regular thermal liner garment. However, further analysis showed that by optimizing some of the processes, and using fully functional machines and skilled laborers, the production cost of the same sensor-integrated garment could be cut down by almost 51% and if the production takes place in a developing country where labor cost is much lower than in developed countries, the cost of production could be cut down to as much as 72%. Moreover, it would require more skilled laborers and better training of the laborers to produce e-textile garments compared to regular garments. We show that with strategic design and using existing machines and tools, technologies could be integrated into clothing during the assembly process using existing apparel manufacturing technology without a significant impact on labor, equipment, and cost. Furthermore, results of this case study were used to identify the more abstract challenges including machine optimization, human errors, and process variables involved in transitioning from one-off production to a larger-scale context in a Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) factory setting. The manufacturing method could be potentially used as an alternative for manufacturing e-textiles in mass

An Investigation of Work-Related Risk Factors Among Sewing Machine Operators in Bangladesh

Working extended periods of time in front of sewing machines may cause discomfort to the operators of sewing machines. Sewing machine operators sit for extended periods of time and use their hands to control, handle, or feel objects and tools in repetitive processes which makes them vulnerable to musculoskeletal symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among sewing machine operators working in the apparel industry in Bangladesh while considering job characteristics, productivity, job satisfaction, workstation design, and working environment. The results showed that working in front of the sewing machines for a long period of time might cause musculoskeletal problems for the sewing machine operators in Bangladesh which is consistent with previous studies. Further, the environment of the sewing machine rooms, job characteristics, and workstation design were not satisfactory in some cases and might impact participants’ health.</p

An investigation of work-related risk factors among sewing machine operators

Working extended periods of time in front of sewing machines may cause discomfort to the operators of sewing machines. Sewing machine operators sit for extended periods of time and use their hands to control, handle, or feel objects and tools in repetitive processes which makes them vulnerable to musculoskeletal symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to identify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among sewing machine operators working in the apparel industry in Bangladesh while considering job characteristics, productivity, job satisfaction, workstation design, and working environment. The results showed that working in front of the sewing machines for a long period of time might cause musculoskeletal problems for the sewing machine operators in Bangladesh which is consistent with previous studies. Further, the environment of the sewing machine rooms, job characteristics, and workstation design were not satisfactory in some cases and might impact participants’ health

The Impact of Weather on U.S. Apparel Retail Sales

There is a huge gap in our comprehension on the effect of the weather on U.S. apparel retail sales. This study was designed to uncover the relationships between weather and apparel retail sales in the United States. For this purpose, the secondary data analysis was performed using the national-level U.S. apparel retail sales and the weather data from 1992 to 2015. The study found that when the temperature is higher than usual especially in April, the apparel retail sales will increase and when the temperature is lower in September and October, the sales will decrease. Again, higher precipitation in July expects higher sales in the United States. The U.S. retailers now can predict how the weather change will impact their sales and at what amount and take corrective actions to mitigate the negative impact of the weather on business activities.</p

Launderability of Stitched Surface-Mount E-Textiles

E-textiles that contain distributed electronic components have advantages for wearable technology in that functionality, particularly for interactive applications that require sensing and actuating, can be spread over a much larger area. Integrating this kind of functionality into a textile architecture also offers advantages for power and networking as well as hand-feel and wearability. However, particularly for garment-based applications, textile-embedded circuitry often must be machine-washable to conform to user expectations for care and maintenance. In this study, we evaluate the robustness to home laundering of a previously-developed technique for assembling e-textile circuits. We performed a durability test based on machine washing and drying while varying the textile substrate, component size, and intensity of the laundering cycle. After around 17 hours of rigorous washing and drying, we measured a 1.5% failure rate for component solder joints. 1.25% of these failures occurred during the first wash/dry cycle. These results demonstrate the feasibility of this technique for machine-launderable e-textile garments.</p