In apparel industry production management,
"Please arrange the kabudashi."
"Please create a kabudashi slip."
"We're sending this out to the washing factory."
"Check on the progress of the kabudashi items."
phrases like these come up from time to time.
If you're new to manufacturing,
"What does kabudashi mean?"
you might find yourself wondering.
This article explains **"kabudashi"**, a term used in the apparel industry, in a way that's easy for beginners to follow.
What Is Kabudashi?
Kabudashi refers to
sending products or semi-finished goods to a partner factory and having them processed externally.
Not every step of making an apparel product happens at a single factory.
For example,
- Washing
- Dyeing
- Printing
- Embroidery
- Special processing
kinds of work are often outsourced to specialized partner factories.
In these cases, the task of sending the products to be processed off to the partner factory is what's sometimes called "kabudashi."
When Does Kabudashi Happen?
For example, let's consider the case of manufacturing jeans.
裁断
↓
縫製
↓
株出
↓
洗い加工（協力工場）
↓
自社へ戻る
↓
検品・仕上げ
↓
出荷
In this example, after sewing is finished in-house, the product is sent out to a factory that specializes in washing.
This step — "sending the goods to a partner factory and having them processed" — is kabudashi.
Why Do Companies Use Kabudashi?
Owning every piece of equipment in-house comes with a lot of cost.
So for processes like:
- Washing
- Dyeing
- Printing
- Embroidery
which require specialized skills and equipment, companies often turn to partner factories.
By using kabudashi, a company can draw on each partner factory's specialized expertise and produce high-quality goods efficiently.
What Is a Kabudashi Slip?
A kabudashi slip is
a document that records the details of the products being sent out for kabudashi.
When sending products to a partner factory, you need to communicate:
- Item number
- Item name
- Quantity
- Processing details
- Processing destination
- Shipping date
- Delivery deadline
among other details.
The kabudashi slip is what brings all of this information together.
Using the kabudashi slip, the partner factory checks which products need what kind of processing and proceeds with the work.
What Is Kabudashi Item Progress Management?
Once products are sent out for kabudashi, they temporarily leave the company.
Because of this, you need to keep track of:
- Which factory the products are currently at
- Whether processing has started
- When they're expected to come back
- Whether processing is complete
among other things.
This kind of management is called kabudashi item progress management.
By managing progress this way,
- Delays in processing
- Delivery delays
- Products whose whereabouts are unknown
problems like these become much easier to prevent.
How Kabudashi Differs from a Processing Instruction
A term often used alongside kabudashi is "processing instruction."
These two play different roles.
A processing instruction is,
telling the shop floor or the partner factory what kind of processing to carry out.
Kabudashi, on the other hand,
refers to the task of sending the product to a partner factory and requesting the external processing.
In other words,
- Processing instruction … instructions on what processing to do
- Kabudashi … the task of sending the product out to a partner factory
that's the difference between them.
Summary
Kabudashi is
the task of sending products or semi-finished goods to a partner factory to have them processed externally.
It comes into play when outsourcing processes the company doesn't perform in-house — such as washing or dyeing — to a specialized factory.
There's also:
- Kabudashi slip … a document that records the products being sent out and the processing details
- Kabudashi item progress management … the task of tracking the progress and whereabouts of products sent out for kabudashi
as related terms worth knowing.
Note that the meaning and usage of the term "kabudashi" can vary by company and system. It's important to check the details against your own company's business rules and production management system.