Why More and More Companies Are Choosing to Digitize Their Pattern Making and Marker Planning Process

In the textile industry, efficiency does not begin on the cutting room floor, nor in the sewing process.

It begins much earlier, at the moment when a product is designed, modified and prepared for production.

Yet in many companies, the product development process continues to be treated as a separate stage, without a direct impact on costs and delivery deadlines.

In reality, this is often where the most resources are lost.

An apparently simple modification can delay the launch of an order. An inefficient marker can generate material waste with every production run. A last-minute change can force the team to redo stages that seemed already completed.

When these situations repeat themselves daily, they are no longer exceptions. They become part of the hidden cost of production.

 

The Problem Is Not Making the Pattern. The Problem Is Everything That Happens After.

Many companies do not consider pattern making to be a problem.

They have external collaborators.
They have experienced pattern makers.
They have methods that have worked for years.
And, to a certain extent, they are right.

The problem arises when changes occur.

A client requests an adjustment.
A measurement needs to be changed.
An existing product needs to be adapted for a new material.
A new series needs to be graded.
A pattern piece needs to be modified after a fitting.

That is when the real time consumption begins.

Files sent back and forth.
Different versions of the same product.
Waiting time.
Additional checks.
Corrections.
Confirmations.
Approvals.

None of these activities actually produce value for the end client.
But all of them consume time and resources.

 

The Costs You Do Not See in the Production Report

When discussing the investment in CAD software, most companies immediately compare the cost of the program with the cost of pattern making.

In reality, the comparison is incomplete.

The real cost appears elsewhere.

• How many hours are lost for a simple modification?
• How many products are delayed because an adjustment cannot be made immediately?
• How much time does the team spend searching for the latest version of a pattern?
• How many markers are redone because modifications have appeared in the meantime?

These costs are rarely calculated.
But they exist in every company.

 

Is Outsourcing the Wrong Solution?

No.
And this is an important point.

Outsourcing can be a very good choice.
Especially for companies that are just starting out or for those that develop new products only occasionally.

The problem is not outsourcing.
The problem is total dependency.

The moment every modification, every adjustment and every decision has to go through an external resource, the company's reaction speed begins to decrease.

And in the textile industry, reaction speed can make the difference between a won order and a lost one.

 

Why Companies Choose to Bring the Process Closer to Production

Not because they want to replace pattern makers.
Not because they want to eliminate external collaborators.
And not because they want to transform the entire organisation into a software company.

The reason is much simpler:
they want more control.

• Control over modifications.
• Control over deadlines.
• Control over data.
• Control over the process.

The moment information is held within the company, the time between idea and production begins to decrease.

 

CAD Software Does Not Have to Turn the Pattern Maker Into an IT Operator

This is probably one of the most common concerns.

Many managers imagine that implementing a CAD system requires months of training and a complete change in the way of working.

In practice, this is not the case.

Well-designed software does not try to replace the experience accumulated by the pattern maker.
It tries to eliminate repetitive activities and provide better control over the process.

The pattern maker continues to think through the product.
Continues to make decisions.
Continues to model.

The difference is that they work in an environment that helps them do this faster and in a more organised way.

 

Why Does the Speed of Modifications Matter So Much?

Because very few products reach production exactly as they were originally conceived.

Adjustments almost always appear.

• Sometimes it is a simple length modification.
• Other times it involves changing a pattern piece.
• Sometimes it involves adapting the product for a different size.
• Other times it involves an entire collection.

In these situations, the difference between a few minutes and a few hours begins to matter.
Not just for the pattern maker.
For the entire company.

 

From Pattern to Marker: Where the Most Money Is Lost

Many manufacturers pay attention to the pattern.
Fewer pay the same attention to the marker.

And yet, this is where some of the most significant savings appear.

A difference of just a few percentage points in material utilisation can have a significant impact when multiplied across hundreds or thousands of products.

For this reason, the marker planning process should not be viewed as an administrative stage.
It is a stage that directly influences profitability.

 

How Does PolyPattern Address These Challenges?

Digitising the product development process does not simply mean replacing paper with a computer. It means a more organised way of working, better control over modifications and more efficient integration between design and production.

PolyPattern has been developed for companies that work with products made from textile materials and that need flexibility, precision and speed in their day-to-day operations.

The solution consists of two main components: PolyPattern Design Pro and PolyPattern Marker.

 

PolyPattern Design Pro – Pattern Development in a Digital Environment

PolyPattern Design Pro is a CAD program dedicated to the design and development of patterns for textile products, used both in garment manufacturing and in fields such as the automotive industry, upholstery production or the manufacture of textile equipment such as backpacks, covers and similar products.

The program provides a logical and organised working environment in which patterns can be constructed, modified and developed in a fast and controlled manner.

Creating a basic pattern is just the beginning of the process. Modifications, adjustments and model development can be carried out directly within the program, without the need to redo the entire pattern piece. This allows for a reduction in working time and better control over each stage of development.

PolyPattern provides dedicated tools for checking seam lines, controlling meeting points between pattern pieces and managing notches, contributing to correct joins and reducing errors before production launch.

Compatibility with industry-standard formats and direct integration with a wide range of cutting machines and plotters allow continuity of workflow from design through to production.

 

PolyPattern Marker – Automatic Markers and Material Consumption Optimisation

Once the pattern is finalised, real efficiency begins at the marker planning stage. The way in which pattern pieces are positioned directly influences material consumption and the final cost of the product.

PolyPattern Marker automates the marker planning process and allows for the rapid generation of optimised variants. The system can automatically position pattern pieces, reducing the time required to create markers and contributing to more efficient material utilisation.

The program provides dedicated functions for different types of materials, including fabrics with repeating patterns, tubular materials or folded materials, adapting the marker planning process to real production conditions.

The user can also manually position certain pattern pieces, while the system automatically fills the available spaces with the remaining pieces, contributing to efficient results without unnecessary interventions.

Direct compatibility with a wide range of cutting machines and plotters allows rapid integration into the production workflow, without additional conversion stages.

 

Implementation, Training and Support

Implementing a new system does not have to be a complicated process.

AllStitch provides full support throughout the implementation process, from installation and configuration through to integration into the production workflow.

We provide dedicated training for using the application, adapted to the experience level of the team, so that users can work efficiently from the very beginning.

In the long term, we provide technical support and consultancy for the optimal use of the solution and its integration into the specific processes of each company.

 

Conclusion

Digitising the product development process does not simply mean using new software.

• It means reducing response times.
• It means more control over modifications.
• It means faster access to information.
• It means optimising material consumption.
• And ultimately, it means a more efficient process from idea through to production.