A Study on Process Mapping Of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Kit in Apparel Industries during Covid19 – India

Sachin Somappa Goudar (Operations and Supply Chain Management, Sri Balaji University Pune, India)

Abstract: This paper aims to review the process mapping of ppe kit in Indian Apparel industries during COVID19. A study was carried out in various dimensions such as data collection method and inquiry mode of research methodology (qualitative, quantitative and mixed). Supply chain process, mapping and various were considered. This paper has shown the direction for future research to develop an efficient and effective PPE kit well in advance. This paper also seeks to analyze the supply chain process by apparel manufacturers before Covid19 by considering some parameters/situations. This work provides an understanding of how supply chains can be structured to be more resilient to large variations in demand, such as those we are seeing for personal protective equipment in this covid19 pandemic. Here distributed line of HLL (HLL Lifecare Limited) in India is also studied. The outcomes of the study may also form a basis to decide direction of future research.Materials and Methods: Research method is quantitative and exploratory in nature. This research is based on the collection of both primary and secondary data. Primary data are gathered through closed ended Questionnaire and by interaction with the Apparel manufacturers in the PPE supply chain. Secondary data on the pandemic are gathered from World Health Organization (WHO), SITRA, DRDO and respective company sites. To test the hypothesis, 2 dependent groups (before covid19 and during covid19) with sample size of 27 is taken to perform the test in SPSS Software.Results: The null hypothesis is rejected and the alternate hypothesis which says “There is significant difference in the process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19 as compared to before”, is accepted. Now we can map the process of ppe kit in apparel industry during covid19.Conclusion: Existing supply chain procedure of PPE KIT in apparel industry is quite evident and performance effective but still if given suggestions are implemented than process of supply chain can be streamlined further.Key Word: PPE Kit, Apparel industries, Process Mapping, HLL

Introduction

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective kit which consists of gown, masks, gloves, head cover, and shoes to protect the wearer's body from virus. PPE is an important and necessary consideration in the development of a safety program. Once the safety professional decides that PPE is to be used by health workers, it becomes essential to select the right type of PPE and the management should ensure that the workman not only uses it but maintains it correctly. The ability of the PPE supply chain to provide adequate and consistent supply as outlined by GOI in this COVID19. It provides one approach for connecting pandemic and supply chain research of Apparel industry. There are 700+ certified companies manufacturing ppe in India out of which 290+ are the garment or the apparel industries. Apparel industries are widely present in all the states which is an additional advantage to manufacture and supply ppe kit to health workers all over the country. The paper along with several references also offers insights of the HLL distribution. And Government of India has tasked HLL Life care to procure PPE kits, under the ministry of health and family welfare it invites an open tender under single bid system from interested manufacturers and GOI authorized manufacturers. HLL had presence in 80 lakhs retail outlets here frontline team members are placed in every town, with offices in all metros and mini metros.

PPE Kit (Personal Protective Equipment)

PPE kit mainly consists of the following components manufactured by apparel industry,a. Maskb. Glovesc. Gownsd. Shoe coverse. Head CoversA brief introduction of each component is given below:a) Mask:Masks are designed to keep preventing germs entry from the mouth and nose of a wearer from contaminating an area. Although masks have seen a rise in demand among consumers during outbreaks such as the coronavirus. Nonwoven polypropylene material is used in manufacturing masks. Then other parts like ear loops or metal strips are attached before the masks are sterilized and packaged.b) Gloves:Gloves are disposable part of the PPE kit used during infectious outbreak to help prevent contamination between caregivers and patients. These gloves are made of different polymers including latex, nitrile rubber, polyvinyl chloride and neoprene. They come unpowered or powdered with corn starch to lubricate the gloves, making them easier to put on the hand.c) Gowns/coveralls:Gowns are medical safety suits worn by health care workers as a part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in order to provide a barrier between patient and professional. These gowns are made of High degree polyethylene. They may also be used to help prevent the gown wearer from transferring microorganisms that could harm patients. They are classified as disposable and reusable gowns. The basic raw materials used for gowns are various forms of synthetic fibers (example, polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene).d) Shoe covers:Shoe cover is part of the ppe kit which provides a barrier against possible exposure to airborne organism or contact with a contaminated environment. It reduces the spread of contaminations and helps to maintain a cleaner room environment.e) Head covers:Head covers protect the hair and scalp from possible contamination when sprays or airborne exposure is anticipated. Now a days the attached hood to the gown has been manufactured.

Research ProblemResearching the supply chain of PPE kit established by non-traditional manufacturers like apparels manufacturer. And answering the questions like Does the supply chain process of apparel industry changed in COVID19. How the process can be mapped such that it should be more resilient to large variations in demand and also to meet the requirements of government. The supply chain mapping is also plotted in order to show the whole process during the covid19 including the insights of distribution of HLL so that the product is reached to the end customers.

Objective:1. To check whether there is change in process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19.2. Study and Analysis of Existing Process of PPE kit by Apparel manufacturers.

Hypothesis:Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference in the process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19 as compared to before.Alternate Hypothesis (H1): There is significant difference in the process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19 as compared to before.

Research Methodology 1. Research Design

The Purpose of this research is to check whether there is change in process mapping of ppe kit in apparel industry during COVID19. If yes then Study and analysis of existing process of PPE kit in apparel industry.

Research work is quantitative and exploratory in nature.

2. Target Population of Study.Questionnaire prepare for study was exposed to 30+ professionals who are directly related to Apparel industry.

3. Method of Data AnalysisExploratory Method An exploratory case study method is used for 2 reasons in this paper. Firstly, it is used because the phenomenon explored (sudden large demand for PPE) is rare and has only been experienced in several unique cases such as the outbreaks of SARS, Ebola and Covid19 – infectious disease outbreaks that have strict PPE requirements for responding healthcare workers. Secondly, it is used because there is no existing repository of accessible pre data. The insights gained on the PPE supply chain are generalizable to other (non-coronavirus) infectious disease outbreaks (but restricted to apparel manufacturers).

AS IS Model (Process Mapping)The descriptive analysis performed to plot the supply chain process of ppe kit during the outbreak shows how and to what extent pandemic distribution method is changed. These supply chain mapping used to study the supply chain theory and its functionality during the COVID19 outbreak. These results can also be used to draw the boundaries of feasibility for a supply chain design that could be realistically implemented to improve pandemic response. The information gathered from various sources including the communication between the distributors tell us about the time delays that were present in the PPE supply chain. This model can also be used to depict the behavior of the PPE supply chain during the outbreak and test the efficacy of certain alternative supply chain strategies and improvements.

4. Type and Source of DataThis research is based on the collection of both primary and secondary data. Primary data are gathered through closed ended Questionnaire and by interaction with the Apparel manufacturers in the PPE supply chain. In questionnaire, questions were also framed in such a way that their responses can be used for the theoretical justification (limited to certain respondents). Secondary data on the pandemic are gathered from World Health Organization (WHO), SITRA, DRDO and respective company sites.To test the hypothesis, 2 dependent groups (before covid19 and during covid19) with sample size of 27 is taken to perform the test in SPSS Software.

5. Tests PerformedTo check weather data is reliable, Reliability Test is conducted.And further to prove one of the hypothesis, Paired t test is conducted by gathering primary data, collected through the questionnaire.

6. Method of Data Collection

Closed ended Questionnaire.

Data Analysis

Pie Chart Below are pie charts plotted by analyzing the data collected from the respondents using SPSS. The number of responses achieved for the data analysis is 27(only people working in the Apparel industry is given preference)

Pie Chart 1Here in the fig according to the survey 63% of the respondents has opted for YES and 37% has opted for NO in the COVID19. During this pandemic amid lockdown People have tried reaching their customer by arranging theirown logistics set up and some of them by their regular 2PL or 3PL services.

Pie Chart 2By observing the fig we can say that 67% of the people are supplyingTheir PPE product to HLL which is a set up by Government of India to Procure ppe kit from manufacturers and deliver it in more efficient mannerto the end customers. However it depends on the company to choose this or they can distribute on their own around 33% of the respondents or the manufacturers are distributing ppe kit on their own.

Pie Chart 3By observing the fig, 85% of the respondents has answered NO to theQuestion asking them “were they using the same distribution method as before” So in the below bar graph we can see the new distribution method applied by the Apparel manufacturers to distribute PPE in COVID19.

Bar graph (a) explains the segment wise reply of the manufacturers in choosing the Distribution method during COVID19.

Supply Strategy

Distribution Network

Government Norms(GOI)

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

30%

63%

44%

Reasons for being Supplier to HLL

0%30%60%90%

78%

33%15% 26%

Distribution Method

Bar graph (b) explains the Apparel industries reason behind opting the HLL as a core distributor of the PPE Kit. As per recent information shahi exports alone supplied 9lakhs pieces to HLL.

Reliability Test

Interpretation:The relevant results for the reliability test are in bold.Cronbach's alpha reliability normally ranges between 0 and 1.The closer the coefficient is to 1.0, the greater is the internal consistency of the items (variables) in the scale. From the table of Reliability statistics test, the Cronbach’s Alpha value is 0.757, which is greater than 0.7(refer right table). So when the Alpha value is between 0.7-0.8 we can say that the data collected is acceptable and further tests can be conducted.

Paired t Test Table 1

Table 2

Table 2

Interpretation:The relevant results for the paired t-test are in bold.From the row of sig. of 2 tailed test observe the p value of all pairs (except pair 9) p value is closer to zero. Thus the null hypothesis is rejected, since p < 0.05 for pairs 1-8 and pair 10, But the p value of pair 9 is greater than 0.05 .i.e. p=0.148 which accepts the null hypothesis. Higher the t value (ignore the sign) higher is the preference rank and more the effect on that parameter during covid19. (Example restrictions on import and export is ranked 1, rate of production ramp up is ranked 2) these parameters are the most affected in this pandemic.

Test Result: By looking at the above interpretation we can say that the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternate hypothesis which says “There is significant difference in the process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19 as compared to before”, is accepted. Now we can map the process of ppe kit in apparel industry during covid19.

AS IS Model (Process Mapping)After the acceptance of alternate hypothesis (H1) and by analyzing the data, below is the basic and most significant model adopted by apparel industries to manufacture PPE kit during covid19. As already mentioned in the research methodology this is the model used to map all processes of an apparel industry in India. This study helps us to understand the all shortcomings in more comprehensive way about the information flow and material flow. The main purpose to use this technique in this pandemic is to make clear about entire process and clear visibility of all the flows of supply chain.

Interpretation:The relevant results for the paired t-test are in bold.From the row of sig. of 2 tailed test observe the p value of all pairs (except pair 9) p value is closer to zero. Thus the null hypothesis is rejected, since p < 0.05 for pairs 1-8 and pair 10, But the p value of pair 9 is greater than 0.05 .i.e. p=0.148 which accepts the null hypothesis.

Higher the t value (ignore the sign) higher is the preference rank and more the effect on that parameter during covid19. (Example restrictions on import and export is ranked 1, rate of production ramp up is ranked 2) these parameters are the most affected in this pandemic.

Test Result: By looking at the above interpretation we can say that the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternate hypothesis which says “There is significant difference in the process mapping of Apparel manufacturers in COVID19 as compared to before”, is accepted. Now we can map the process of ppe kit in apparel industry during covid19.

AS IS Model (Process Mapping)

After the acceptance of alternate hypothesis (H1) and by analyzing the data, below is the basic and most significant model adopted by apparel industries to manufacture PPE kit during covid19. As already mentioned in the research methodology this is the model used to map all processes of an apparel industry in India. This study helps us to understand the all shortcomings in more comprehensive way about the information flow and material flow. The main purpose to use this technique in this pandemic is to make clear about entire process and clear visibility of all the flows of supply chain.

The map is divided into 3 steps Apparel Manufacturer Wholesaler Customer point.

Apparel ManufacturerThis area consists of Raw Material and Production process. The type of raw material used is already discussed in the introduction part. The raw material of particular type is procured from the polymer industries, textile industries etc. from the available suppliers and then the material is replenished and transferred to production chamber.The PPE kit is commonly made from the materials like polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester and cotton blends are formed to non-woven fabric that allows seat to exit and prevent liquids, viruses from entering it. The material is assembles using mechanical seaming or manual sewing. On an average the apparel industries manufactures 15000 ppe kit per day to meet the demand in such outbreaks. The following are few step done in the Production hub before transporting the final product to the company warehouse.1. Obtaining the material required (non-woven fabric, polyester etc.) and to cut it into the particular design.2. Then the particular team will work on the sewing machine or any mechanical seaming and stitch those accordingly if it’s manual.3. Then further it is laser treated by which seams are closed by doing hot air seam sealing or taping on them to strengthen them and keep them from leaking and any micro things can’t enter.4. And in the final step the zippers cuffs edge of the gown are made liquid tight to prevent the viruses entering it. Depending on the company the cuffs of the hood can be elastic or liquid tight seal. And same is the case with the shoes and head covers.The final product is then packed, sanitized and air treated before transporting it to the company warehouse.

WholesalerHere the process from Transporting final product from company warehouse to Retailers, Hospitals etc. is understood by the mapping including the insights from HLL (Hindustan latex limited) to complete the ppe distribution. Below is the flow chart of the HLL distribution Strategy,

Flow Chart of HLL Distribution

Customer Point

Here the Inventory is checked, read and if there is sufficient quantity to fulfil the demand than the PPE Kit is distributed to the end customers.

Findings

The Apparel manufacturers have diversified network of availability so that they can fulfill demand of PPE KIT in each and every state.(Availability)

Looking at the current situation of AS IS model we can say that if slight variation in demand than this model is having adapted network to fulfill the demand.(Adaptability)

Apparel manufacturers are coming together with healthcare distributors like HLL to minimize the impact on public health and to limit the disruptions in supply chain.(Agility) (for example PPE Manufacturers want HLL to collect the PPE kit and complete the supply distribution so that the movement of product is open and continuous in this pandemic)

The importance and weightage of each parameter/situation is known and its effect on apparel manufacturers in such disease outbreak is found out by conducting paired t test.

From AS IS Model we can see that the inventory is common interface lying between organizations and parties from both the side stock the buffer inventory in order to overcome the scarcity after which it leads to the disruption in supply chain during covid19. There should be proper communication and clear information between two parties so that there is continuous movement of products.

Suggestions and Future Research Design

Manufacturers must work in the combined network to overcome the problem, as here in COVID19 ppe manufacturers choose HLL because of two main reasons one is HLL has its distribution network widely spread in both urban and rural which is most important in such pandemic situation and Government has set an extremely well fair on this product if they supply ppe to HLL. Which thereby boost the ppe manufacturers to come front and choose this distribution method. Suggestion can also be given in following aspects,

Variability: If there is a variation in lead time, then you can fulfil demand with the specified time period by having collaborative network.

Visibility: Visibility can improve the performance of supply chain of ppe kit by Tracking and Tracing where your order is when you will be able to get that product.

Velocity: If you achieve variability and visibility then you overall inventory replenishment i.e. order fulfilment cycle will speed up.

Variety: Variety of ppe kit like from low cost to high cost, age etc. variation in product.In the future such outbreaks government and private distributors should work in combine to keep shipping products open and continuous. In any such worst cases government should come up with air service to maintain the supply chain. The quick we respond the less the strain on system. In order to be prepared for the production ramp up, demand, supply, production capacity etc. further analysis is needed to find out the effectiveness and make the contracts flexible enough to reduce the problems. In the collaborative network the Apparel corporation should allot the product (i.e. for example head cover and face masks should be allotted to one company , gloves and shoe cover to other and gown/coverall to another) by this type of collaborative work the disruption in supply chain can be overcome. By doing this the manufacturers can plan production perfectly and ensure the baseline capacity for customers so that they do not have to stock the inventory- both of which could improve the pandemic response and the manufacturers.

Limitations The restrictions on the logistics service has directly affected the supply chain of ppe kit.

Compulsion to work only on 50% capacity by government in pandemic situation. Need of implementing quality standard in order to give approval to the manufacturer to carry on the

manufacturing activity of PPE kit.

Conclusion

This Research paper has given answers to the questions like- Was there a change in the supply chain process of Apparel manufacturers during covid19? How the supply chain is designed by Apparel Manufacturers in such disease outbreak? Here the Exploratory study is also done to analyze the theoretical part like mapping and graphical study to justify it. Thus We can conclude that existing supply chain procedure of PPE KIT in apparel industry is quite evident and performance effective but still if given suggestions are implemented than process of supply chain can be streamlined further.

References

[1]. Healthcare Supply Chain In Novel Coronavirus (Covid 19) Crisis-CSCR Resource[2]. GOI, AERB Safety Guidelines No AERB|SG|IS-3, PPE.[3]. Study on Validation of Wholesaler Selection of Personal Protective Equipment to Improve Safety Performance in India[4]. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 2008, Vol. 14, No. 1, 107–115,PPE Protection Provided by

Clothing and Textiles Against Potential Hazards.[5]. Personal Protective Equipment U.S. Department of Labour Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 3151-12R 2004–

Article [6]. A Time Efficient Supply Chain Model For An Apparel Company by Annika Gustafson, Alice von Schmiesing-Korff and Sze Lit Ng

(Philip) (2004).[7]. New Distribution Initiatives at HLL (Publication Year: 2005) by Abhijit Sinha & Bitan Chakraborty.[8]. shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/chapter-9

Appendix

(Below are the Sample Questions posted to the Respondents)1. Your name and Company Name2. Are you professionally associated with this Apparel Company?3. Do you agree or disagree with following parameters/situation faced by the apparel manufacturers in the

supply chain process before and during covid19?(Scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree) (Parameters/situations: Ease of procuring raw material, Complication in Inventory systems, Production ramping up, Manufacturing Variety of products, Shortage of labor, sudden demand rise, Quality issue, Information and communication disruptions, Ease of sale of manufacturing products, Export and Import restrictions)

4. Do this company has its own logistics service? 5. According to you what type of distribution method is well suited in this pandemic?6. Do you supply your PPE Kit to HLL Lifecare (Hindustan Latex Limited) for further distribution?7. What attracts you to be the supplier to HLL in this Pandemic?