TECHNOLOGY
Gerber Lands Innovation Award for Design and Cutting-Room Integration
Tolland, Conn.–based equipment and software solutions provider Gerber Technology received the gold-level award for product innovation from the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership Inc. (CQIA) for integration of Gerber’s computer-aided design software and manufacturing systems “to accelerate apparel manufacturing, minimize human error and provide clear visibility to work in process.”
This is the second consecutive year Gerber has won the award, according to Gerber President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Elia.
Gerber’s technology enables its AccuMark CAD to share data with Gerber’s spreading and cutting systems. For example, a manufacturer can enter order details such as garment sizes, quantities, colors and fabric types to the AccuMark CAD system, which will create all patterns and translate production data into a bar code. This information can also be imported from the manufacturer’s ERP system. When scanned, the barcode will relay material details to the spreader and cutter so the correct material is stacked and the correct file is cut.
Gerber’s new Paragon cutter can also track individual cuts and complete garments, which give the cutting-room manager up-to-date information about work in process.
“Manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to trim a few cents from every garment,” Elia said. “To achieve this, they look for material and labor savings, productivity enhancements, and quality improvements. Gerber’s integration technology helps manufacturers squeeze out a few more pennies per garment by eliminating human error and, therefore, material waste. It also enables manufacturers to produce garments faster by eliminating manual data entry and gives managers critical visibility to work in process.”
Founded in 1987, the CQIA Partnership is an affiliate of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and uses the same set of quality standards to assess award applications.
Gerber Technology is owned by San Francisco private equity firm Vector Capital. Founded in 1967, Gerber Technology has 25,000 customers in the aerospace, apparel, retail, composites, packaging, furniture, technical textiles and transportation interiors industries.
