Textile manufacturing software: yarn, defects and shifts

Short answer: Textile manufacturing software for a knitting or sock factory tracks yarn consumption per pair, output per machine and shift, defects and piece-rate pay in one system. McKinsey estimates that digital monitoring can cut machine downtime by 30–50%, while most plants run at an overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of around 60% instead of the world-class 85%.

Ask the manager of a sock or knitwear workshop three questions and you rarely get exact answers: why is there less yarn in the warehouse at month end than the books say, which machine or shift produces the most defects, and was the knitter's piece-rate pay calculated correctly? In notebooks and Excel this data arrives late and never quite matches. This article explains which processes textile manufacturing software brings under control, what changes after automation, and how Deep Vision approaches these projects, with numbers and sources.

Where does a sock and knitwear factory lose money?

In knitting, losses rarely come from one big mistake; they build up from small gaps in every shift. In Uzbekistan the sector also serves export markets: according to the Statistics Agency, textile exports reached $1.5 billion in the first half of 2024, including $144.1 million of knitted fabric and $20.5 million of hosiery (Kun.uz, 2024). In a competitive market every percentage point of unit cost counts.

Typical loss points:

Yarn consumption: the standard may be 40 grams per pair, but a badly set machine, yarn breaks and leftover bobbins push actual use higher.
Machine stoppages: a broken needle, an empty cone, waiting for the fitter; a few minutes each, hours per shift.
Defects and seconds: a fault found after toe linking, dyeing or boarding cannot be traced to a machine or knitter.
Piece-rate pay: the count the knitter reports does not match what reached the warehouse.
Packing: 3-pair or 5-pair packs, barcodes and labels need their own records.

How does textile manufacturing software control yarn consumption?

A bill of materials (BoM) is the standard that defines how much raw material goes into one unit of product. For every sock style and size you enter the main yarn, elastane and extra yarns in grams. When a manufacturing order is closed, the system consumes the standard automatically, and any difference in actual use is recorded separately.

That gives you:

A "standard versus actual" variance per order: which style or machine is using too much yarn.
Stock by yarn lot and dye lot, so the same colour from different lots does not get mixed.
When yarn will run out, so purchasing can reorder on time using minimum stock rules.

For example, take a workshop producing 100,000 pairs of socks a month. If actual use is just 2 grams per pair above standard, 200 kg of yarn disappears every month unaccounted for. This is an illustrative calculation, but without a system the gap stays invisible until the month-end stock count. More on the warehouse side in how to run inventory accounting.

How do you measure output per machine and per shift?

Each knitting machine is set up as a separate work center. At the start of a shift the knitter logs in on a tablet or terminal, and at the end records the number of pairs and the reasons for any stoppages. Odoo's Manufacturing app reports OEE and productivity losses by work center.

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) combines a machine's availability, speed and quality into one percentage. According to OEE.com, 85% is considered world class, most manufacturers sit around 60%, and scores below 45% are common (OEE.com). Many workshop managers do not know their OEE at all, because nobody records stoppages.

Once shift data is in the system:

A daily report shows output per machine, shift and knitter.
Stoppage statistics (needle, yarn, power, setup) tell maintenance where to focus.
Planning is based on real capacity, not on "roughly".
Before promising a date to a wholesale buyer or an export customer, free capacity and yarn stock are checked on one screen.

Such a report often reveals surprises: the machine a manager believed was the most reliable can turn out to be the one that stops most often.

More about the module: Odoo Manufacturing.

How are defects and piece-rate pay connected?

Quality checkpoints (after knitting, after linking, before packing) are set up in the system. A defective item is logged with its cause and origin: which machine, which shift, which knitter. Seconds go into stock as a separate product and are sold at a lower price, never mixed with first-grade goods.

The basis for piece-rate pay is the quantity of good product confirmed in the system. In Odoo this is usually calculated from work order quantities and, with a small customisation if needed, passed into payroll. Knitters can see what they earned, and the accountant stops compiling tallies by hand.

Packing and marking: what do socks need?

Finished socks are often sold in packs of 3, 5 or 10 pairs. In the system a pack is its own product, and its contents are defined as a kit. A barcode and label for each pack are printed automatically.

On digital marking: the list on the Tax Committee's official page currently covers tobacco, alcohol, beer, household appliances, medicines and drinks, and textiles are not included (gov.uz). The list may expand, so keep an eye on aslbelgisi.uz. Deep Vision has a ready-made Odoo module for Asl Belgisi that can be connected when needed. More in our Asl Belgisi guide.

What changes after automation: in numbers

Machine downtime: according to McKinsey, predictive maintenance and remote monitoring can reduce total machine downtime by 30–50% (McKinsey, 2017).
Efficiency: the same study says digital solutions can create value equivalent to a 15–20% efficiency improvement (McKinsey, 2017).
OEE visibility: the gap between a typical 60% and world-class 85% (OEE.com) can only be measured and closed when stoppages and defects are recorded every shift.
Yarn use: the standard-versus-actual gap is visible on every order; in the example above, 2 grams per pair equals 200 kg of yarn a month.
Speed of data setup: in Deep Vision's Timsoll project, setting up a new product went from 6–8 months to 2–3 days (Timsoll case); the same approach applies when launching new sock styles and sizes.

How does Deep Vision approach automation for textile manufacturers?

Deep Vision is an official Odoo Gold Partner in Tashkent. Odoo's partner page lists 7 certified experts, 24 client references (mostly wholesale/retail and manufacturing) and 89% customer retention (Odoo partner page). The team of Deep Vision's founder Amon Olimov translated Odoo into Uzbek, so knitters and storekeepers use the terminal in their own language, which matters a lot on the shop floor.

A typical sequence:

We walk the shop floor and map the process from yarn receipt to packing.
Together with the technologist we set up styles, sizes and BoM standards.
We launch inventory, manufacturing orders and shift tracking first.
Then we add quality control, piece-rate pay, sales and reporting. A full rollout usually takes 2–6 months.

For the general approach see Odoo ERP for manufacturers and our Odoo implementation service. To have us look at your workshop, send us a brief.

Frequently asked questions

Does a small sock workshop need textile manufacturing software?

With more than 10–15 machines and two shifts, tracking yarn and piece-rate pay by hand becomes hard. Smaller workshops can start with inventory and manufacturing orders.

Do the machines have to be connected to the system automatically?

No. To start, it is enough for the knitter to enter the count on a terminal at the end of the shift. Direct data capture from machines can be added later if the equipment supports it.

How do I track yarn lots and colour differences?

Yarn is received with a lot number. The manufacturing order records which lot was used, so different dye lots are not mixed in one order.

Is digital marking mandatory for socks in Uzbekistan?

Textiles are not on the current list on the Tax Committee's page. If that changes, the system can be connected through the ready-made Asl Belgisi module.

How much does implementation cost?

It depends on the modules, number of users and integrations. We give an exact estimate after diagnostics: send us a brief.

Sources

Want to bring order to your sock or knitwear workshop? Send us a brief or call +998 77 093 00 07.

Back to blog