ABSTRACT
With the current competitive and aggressive world market, manufacturers are facing invariable pressure to minimise costs, propose product styles and deliver products quickly. The important aspect of achieving better efficiency in the apparel industry is to minimise the raw material costs, which often go up to 70% of the total manufacturing costs (Glock and Kunz 2004). The method of handling cutting orders and planning economic cutting lays is of extreme significance for better utilisation of materials and for increasing the efficiency of the cutting process (Aldrich 2002; Beazley and Bond 2003). To reinstate a competitive spot in the international marketplace, the garment industry is looking to upgrade its responsiveness to customer needs.
