Check a textile supplier's capacity by counting the looms or machines on the floor, confirming how many shifts they run, and asking for monthly output of the article you want, then comparing that with the orders already booked. A brochure figure is the theoretical maximum of every machine the group has ever owned. The number that matters is how many metres of your construction the mill can finish per month after existing customers are served.
Capacity failure is one of the quietest ways a textile order goes wrong. The mill accepts the order, takes the deposit, then subcontracts half of it or delivers in three partial shipments. Both outcomes cost more than the discount that made the mill attractive.
What to count on site
- Looms by type. Air jet and rapier looms run at different speeds and suit different constructions. Count the machines that are threaded and running, not the ones under covers.
- Machine age and condition. Older shuttle looms and second-hand machines are common in Saurashtra and parts of Surat. They can produce good cloth, but at lower speed and with more stops.
- Processing capacity. If the mill dyes and finishes, count the jets, jiggers, continuous ranges and stenters, and ask the width each stenter can handle. If it does not, find out who processes for them and visit that unit too.
- Shifts. Most mills claim three shifts. Ask to see the attendance register and the power bill, which show whether the night shift exists.
- Monthly output per article. Ask for metres per month of your specific construction, in greige and in finished form, and ask how they arrived at the figure.
- Order book. Ask what is already booked for the next three months and for which customers, without names if they prefer. A mill that is 90 percent booked cannot take a large new order on time.
- Utilities. Power supply and backup, water source and quantity, and whether the effluent treatment plant is running and holds a valid consent. A processing house without working effluent treatment can be closed by the pollution board at short notice.
- Subcontracting. Ask directly which stages are done outside and by whom. The answer is often honest when the question is specific.
- Workforce. Number of permanent staff, number of contract workers, and whether skilled operators are available for the night shift.
- References. Two or three current overseas customers for a similar article, and permission to speak to them.
Working out the real number
Take the loom count, multiply by a realistic picks per minute for that loom type, by the hours actually run, and by an efficiency factor. Weaving efficiency in a well-run air jet shed is usually 85 to 90 percent, and on older machines it can be 70 percent or lower. Divide by the picks per inch in your construction and you have metres per day. Compare the result with the mill's claimed monthly figure. A large gap means the claim includes machines or shifts that do not exist.
Then subtract the order book. If the mill says it has 300,000 metres per month and is 70 percent booked, the capacity available to you is about 90,000 metres, not 300,000. Finishing is often a tighter bottleneck than weaving, because one stenter serves many looms, so run the same calculation on the finishing side.
Signs that capacity is being overstated
Be cautious if the mill cannot name a monthly figure for your article without checking, if the quoted delivery time is much shorter than peers quote, or if the sales manager changes the subject when asked about subcontracting. A mill that shows you the planning board and the running order list is usually telling the truth. A mill that shows only a presentation is usually not.
A visit of half a day is enough for a weaving unit. A composite mill with spinning, weaving and processing needs a full day. Plan the visit for a working day, call in on the night shift unannounced if possible, and photograph the machine plates, which carry the make and the year.
How we help with capacity checks
We visit the mill and count the machines ourselves, check the power bill and the order book, and visit the processing house if the work is subcontracted. The report comes with photographs and a capacity calculation you can check. We normally recommend one approved supplier plus one backup so a capacity shortfall does not stop your programme, and we offer a free 20-minute sourcing review to start.