Josphat Igadwa
Moi University, MIT, Faculty Member
- I am a textile Engineer with over 25 years of expereinceedit
The data contains simulation models for garment assembly line: Simulation base model, simulation metamodel and simulation optimal design model. Simulation experimental data and processing time data for trouser assembly line were also... more
The data contains simulation models for garment assembly line: Simulation base model, simulation metamodel and simulation optimal design model. Simulation experimental data and processing time data for trouser assembly line were also included. This research aimed at designing an optimal trouser assembly line with the parameters' setting that maximizes the production throughput without violating the set constraints. Simulation model was developed using Arena simulation software (Academic research version 16). Simulation data for sixteen generated design alternatives was also presented. The data for optimization process performed with Optquest for Arena was also included. Discrete-event simulation developed on Arena simulation software is suitable for giving an insight of garment assembly line and optimization process performed with Optquest for Arena is suitable for achieving its optimal design. Optimization via experimental design (metamodel) results into high increase in produc...
Research Interests:
Some of the synthetic dyes and mordants are harmful to the environment. The aim of this research was to study the dyeing of cotton fabric using extracts from wild leek (Allium burdickii). The bark of mango tree was used as a mordant. The... more
Some of the synthetic dyes and mordants are harmful to the environment. The aim of this research was to study the dyeing of cotton fabric using extracts from wild leek (Allium burdickii). The bark of mango tree was used as a mordant. The pre-mordanting method was used and four treatments were investigated with respect to exhaustion of the dye. These were: temperature, time, pH and concentration of mordant. Dye exhaustion for 27 experiments was investigated by comparing the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The regression model obtained from the interactions was significant with an R2 value of 0.611. The effect of pH was insignificant while all the other three variables significantly influenced exhaustion of dye. The optimised conditions for temperature, time and concentration of mordant were: 600C, 90 minutes and 28.18% owf, respectively. The fabrics showed acceptable fastness properties ranging from 2/3-4/5 (fair to very good), 1.2-4 (slightly considerab...
Research Interests:
An Elman network model was trained using Fletcher-Reeves Update training algorithm, and used to predict the tensile strength of cotton yarns. The cotton yarn samples (consisting of rotor and ring spun yarns) were collected from four... more
An Elman network model was trained using Fletcher-Reeves Update training algorithm, and used to predict the tensile strength of cotton yarns. The cotton yarn samples (consisting of rotor and ring spun yarns) were collected from four textile factories in Kenya. The inputs ofthe network were the HVI characteristics of the cotton lint used to spin the yarns together with the fineness (Tex) andTwist per Inch (TPI) of the yarn samples. The output of the network was yarn tensile strength. The Elman network predicted the yarn tensile strength with a mean squared error (mse) of 0.0156 and a correlation coefficient between the network outputs and the targeted values (R-value) of 0.974. Keywords: Cotton fibers, HVI characteristics,cotton yarn, Elman network, ring and rotor spun yarns, Fletcher- Reeves Update
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the... more
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the Kenyan factories have to pay higher rates than their competition, for electricity, transport and labor, any effort taken to reduce the cost of running a textile process will be a boast to the industry. Furthermore vision 2030, envisages an increase in the manufacturing sector in Kenya. Therefore, the local production of cotton desizing enzyme will no doubt be a contribution to the industrialization process. It was with the aforementioned reasons in mind that a study of the performance of a locally produced enzyme during desizing was undertaken. The challenges reported during the use of the locally produced enzyme included the inability to determine the concentration of the enzyme. This paper reports the use of spectrophotometer to study the concentra...
Research Interests:
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could... more
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could contribute towards the revival of the Kenyan Textile industry could be the optimization of the cotton processing in Kenya. Cotton processing includes ginning, spinning, weaving and wet processing. In cotton spinning, the Kenyan industry uses ring and rotor spinning technologies. While ring spinning is the traditional spinning process, rotor spinning has established itself as a great competitor especially when dealing with course counts. This paper looks at the quality of cotton rotor spun yarns, in comparison with the uster standards. While the Kenyan cotton lint reported good quality characteristics when compared to Uster standards, the quality of the rotor spun yarn was poor especially for yarn evenness and hairiness. It is therefore recommended ...
Research Interests:
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was... more
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was carried out. A total of 166 Chinese, 69 Americans and 114 other foreigners respondents were involved in the study. The other foreigners were of several nationalities which included Romania, Canada, Italy, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Zambia. The data collected in this research indicated that for the non-Chinese consumers, gender, age and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel. For the Chinese consumers, the results showed that while gender and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel, age of the consumer however affected the purchase of pet apparel. The results of the research indicated that the attitude of the Chinese consumer towards pet apparel is driven by fashion and aesthetic properties (fun) while that of the non-Chine...
Research Interests:
The nascent wave of disruptive competition in the current business environment brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (Fashion 4.0 or Apparel 4.0) is enormous. Therefore, it is paramount important to apparel industry to be... more
The nascent wave of disruptive competition in the current business environment brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (Fashion 4.0 or Apparel 4.0) is enormous. Therefore, it is paramount important to apparel industry to be flexible enough to respond quickly to the unstable customers' demand through continuous improvement of their process efficiency and productivity. This study aims at achieving an optimal trouser assembly line balancing using simulation-based optimization via design of experiment. The empirical study is conducted at Southern Range Nyanza Limited (NYTIL) garment facility and a complex trouser assembly line with 72 operations is considered. The discrete event simulation of the trouser assembly line is developed using Arena simulation software. The local optimal solution is obtained from simulation experimentation and is adopted for the optimization process. The OptQuest tool is utilized to solve a single objective function (throughput) optimization problem. The results show that average throughput increases from the existing design (490 pieces per day) to local optimal design (638) and global optimal design (762). Consequently, the line efficiency increases from 61.2% to 79.7% to 95.2% respectively. The high increase in line efficiency and average throughput confirms the suitability assembly line balancing using simulation-based optimization via design of experiment.
Research Interests: Computer Science, Animation, Conceptual Modelling, Apparel Production, Modeling and Simulation, and 15 moreKey Performance Indicators, Experimental Design, Assembly line balancing, Assembly Line, Cycle time optimization, Metaheuristic Optimization, Motion and Time Study, Garments Manufacturing, Cycle Time, Apparel Industry, Discrete Event Simulation, Garment Industry, Black Box Optimization, Assembly line balancing problem, and Complex garment assembly line
Research Interests:
Moisture transportation through fabrics is one of the important parameters which affect clothing comfort. The combination of different factors which include fiber, yarn and fabric structure will yield varying degrees of clothing comfort.... more
Moisture transportation through fabrics is one of the important parameters which affect clothing comfort. The combination of different factors which include fiber, yarn and fabric structure will yield varying degrees of clothing comfort. This research work concentrated on the use of viscose fibers spun on the vortex spinning system. Six knitted fabric samples were produced and tested for moisture transportation characteristics, which included air and water moisture permeability. The results indicate that all structures had high wicking levels in the wale than in the course direction. Similarly, all fabrics had poor drying abilities, but good water vapor permeability. There was a good correlation between air permeability and water vapor permeability of the fabrics. This was attributed to the fiber in the yarn not the fabric structure.
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Research Interests: Computer Science, Textiles/Fiber Markets, Fibres and textiles, Cotton Industry, Cotton fiber development and guality improvement, and 9 moreCluster Analysis, Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering, Hierarchical Clustering, Principal component analysis (PCA), Natural Fibers, Textile Fibers, Food Sciences, K means Clustering, and High volume Instrument
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Triumfetta Tomentosa B(TTB) is one of the plants that grow naturally in the Kenyan forested regions of Mt. Kenya, Aberdares ranges, Kakamega and theMau forest. Traditionally TTB leaves have been used as food, the bark is used to make... more
Triumfetta Tomentosa B(TTB) is one of the plants that grow naturally in the Kenyan forested regions of Mt. Kenya, Aberdares ranges, Kakamega and theMau forest. Traditionally TTB leaves have been used as food, the bark is used to make ropes or weave baskets and the stem is used as firewood. Among the farmers living in theMt. Kenya region, the TTB bark is normally treatment with a bleaching agent (used for general laundry purposes), with an aim of getting a stronger fiber. The objectives of this research work included the study the properties of TTB bast fibers. Comparison with jute fibers was also undertaken to gauge its suitability for use as grain (maize) packingmaterial. TTB stemswere harvested fromMountKenya region, step retted and then characterized. Surface and chemical characterization of the TTB fibers was undertaken using modern equipments such as FT-IR, SEM, XRD and tensile propertymeasurement equipments. The chemical ingredients of the fibers were also determined. The resu...
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Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle) is grown in Kenya for its flower and calyx, which are used in the beverage industry. Roselle bast fibre has, however, not been commercially exploited. After harvesting the flowers and calyx the stem... more
Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle) is grown in Kenya for its flower and calyx, which are used in the beverage industry. Roselle bast fibre has, however, not been commercially exploited. After harvesting the flowers and calyx the stem together with the bark is used as firewood. This paper reports the characteristics of bast fibres in Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle) grown in Kenya. The bast fibre was characterised by studying its physical and chemical characteristics. The physical characteristics investigated included tensile properties, fineness and surface morphology. An investigation into the type of chemical ingredients present in the fibre was also undertaken. The data obtained in this study indicated that the roselle plant grown in Kenya can produce bast fibres of comparable properties to the kenaf grown in Asian countries.
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Research Interests:
The Quality of Silk Yarn Is Affected by the Reeling Process. the Silk Reeling Process Is Affected by Several Factors which Include the Reeling Temperature and Silk Cocoon Boiling Time. the Aim of this Paper Was to Investigate the Effect... more
The Quality of Silk Yarn Is Affected by the Reeling Process. the Silk Reeling Process Is Affected by Several Factors which Include the Reeling Temperature and Silk Cocoon Boiling Time. the Aim of this Paper Was to Investigate the Effect of Reeling Temperature and Cocoon Boiling on the Silk Filament Strength and Frequency of End Breaks during Reeling by Using Regression Models. the Results of this Research Work Indicated that Boiling Time and Reeling Temperature Were Positively Correlated with Filament Strength. on the other Hand the Number of End Breaks Increased with Boiling Time. as Reeling Temperature Increased the Number of End Breaks Showed a Decreasing Trend.
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Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Although gradient based Backpropagation (BP) training algorithms have been widely used in Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) models for the prediction of yarn quality properties, they still suffer from some drawbacks which include... more
ABSTRACT Although gradient based Backpropagation (BP) training algorithms have been widely used in Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) models for the prediction of yarn quality properties, they still suffer from some drawbacks which include tendency to converge to local minima. One strategy of improving ANN models trained using gradient based BP algorithms is the use of hybrid training algorithms made of global based algorithms and local based BP algorithms. The aim of this paper was to improve the performance of Levenberg-Marquardt Backpropagation (LMBP) training algorithm, which is a local based BP algorithm by using a hybrid algorithm. The hybrid algorithms combined Differential Evolution (DE) and LMBP algorithms. The yarn quality prediction models trained using the hybrid algorithms performed better and exhibited better generalization when compared to the models trained using the LM algorithms.
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Research Interests:
The today competitive advantage of Ready-made garment industries depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industries have long historically adopted fewer technological... more
The today competitive advantage of Ready-made garment industries depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industries have long historically adopted fewer technological and process advancement as compared to automotive, electronics and semiconductor industries. Simulation modeling of garment assembly line system has attracted a number of researchers as one way for insightful analysis of system behaviour and improving its performance. However, most of simulation studies have considered ill-defined experimental design which cannot fully explore the assembly line design alternatives and does not uncover the interaction effects of the input variables. Simulation metamodeling is an approach to assembly line design which has recently been of interest to so many researchers. However, its application in garment assembly line design has never been well explored. In this paper, simulation metamodeling of trouser assembly lin...
Research Interests: Computer Science, Process Modeling and Simulation, Metamodelling, Apparel Production, Design of Experiments, and 15 moreModeling and Simulation, Experimental Design, Medicine, Assembly line balancing, Computer Simulation, Metamodeling, Multiple Linear Regression, PLoS one, Garments Manufacturing, Apparel Industry, Discrete Event Simulation, Garment Industry, Dataset, Arena Simulation Software, and assembly line design
Research Interests: Operations Research, Time Studies, Key Performance Indicators, Assembly line balancing, Garments Manufacturing, and 10 moreApparel Industry, Constraints, Heuristic Methods, Textile and Apparel Industry, Ready-made garment Industry, Garment Industry, Line Balancing, Precedence Diagrams, Production line efficiency, and Ranked positional weight
There is a global quest for consumer eco-friendly and sustainable products fashioned with natural dyes through either printing or dyeing. However, research on imparting white patterns on textile substrates with natural dye has... more
There is a global quest for consumer eco-friendly and sustainable products fashioned with natural dyes through either printing or dyeing. However, research on imparting white patterns on textile substrates with natural dye has concentrated on dyeing and printing techniques rather than on tie-dyeing technique. Tie-dying an ancient craft used for traditional/local identification has been executed at room temperatures with synthetic dyes. This paper thus investigates the effect of mordants on wash fastness of pre-mordanted tie-dyed cotton fabrics using natural dyes. Colourants from two plants acquired from Kenya namely marigold flower and muuku bark plant were extracted using aqueous extraction method. Before dyeing, the fabrics were scoured and bleached. Saltless dyeing preceded by first pre-mordanting tie-dyed cotton fabrics with copper sulphate and anhydrous Iron sulphate mordant for 30 minutes at 100C. After pre-mordanting, fabrics were dyed with extracted colourants at 100C for 45...
The today's competitive advantage of ready-made garment industry depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industry has long historically adopted fewer technological and... more
The today's competitive advantage of ready-made garment industry depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industry has long historically adopted fewer technological and process advancement as compared to automotive, electronics and semiconductor industries. Simulation modeling of garment assembly line has attracted a number of researchers as one way for insightful analysis of the system behaviour and improving its performance. However, most of simulation studies have considered ill-defined experimental design which cannot fully explore the assembly line design alternatives and does not uncover the interaction effects of the input variables. Simulation metamodeling is an approach to assembly line design which has recently been of interest to researchers. However, its application in garment assembly line design has never been well explored. In this paper, simulation metamodeling of trouser assembly line with 72 operations was demonstrated. The linear regression metamodel technique with resolution-V design was used. The effects of five factors: bundle size, job release policy, task assignment pattern, machine number and helper number on throughput of the trouser assembly line were studied. An increase of the production throughput by 28.63% was achieved for the best factors' setting of the metamodel.
Research Interests: Process Modeling and Simulation, Modeling and Simulation, Experimental Design, Assembly line balancing, Computer Simulation, and 7 moreSoftware modelling and simulation, Metamodeling, Multiple Linear Regression, Garments Manufacturing, Apparel Industry, Simulation With Arena, and Resolution-V design
The nascent wave of disruptive competition in the current business environment brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (Fashion 4.0 or Apparel 4.0) is enormous. Therefore, it is important for the apparel industry to be flexible... more
The nascent wave of disruptive competition in the current business environment brought about by the fourth industrial revolution (Fashion 4.0 or Apparel 4.0) is enormous. Therefore, it is important for the apparel industry to be flexible enough to respond quickly to the unstable customers' demand through continuous improvement of their process efficiency and productivity. This study proposed assembly line balancing problem (ALBP) for complex garment assembly line using simulation-based optimization under stochastic task times. The proposed ALBP solution approach aimed at minimizing the cycle time for a given number of workstations with consideration of constraints on number of resources, precedence relations, and resource types. The empirical study was conducted at Southern Range Nyanza Limited (NYTIL) garment facility and a complex trouser assembly line with 69 workstations was considered. The discrete event simulation of the trouser assembly line was developed using Arena simulation software. The local optimal solution was obtained from simulation experiments which was adopted for the optimization process. The OptQuest tool was used to solve a single objective optimization with discrete control values. The results showed that the average throughput increased by 30% for local optimal line balancing and 55% for global optimal line balancing. Consequently, the cycle time reduced by 23% and 36%, respectively.
Research Interests: Operations Research, Process Modeling and Simulation, Metaheuristics (Operations Research), Conceptual Modelling, Key Performance Indicators, and 15 moreSimulation Based Optimization, Assembly line balancing, Discrete-Event Simulation, Process Mapping and Simulation, Cycle time optimization, Metaheuristic Optimization, Motion and Time Study, Garments Manufacturing, Cycle Time, Apparel Industry, Simulation With Arena, OptQuest Optimization, Bundle processing , Assembly line balancing problem, and Complex garment assembly line
Production of better yarns in terms of uniformity is every spinner's goal since yarns with a large number of irregularities and defects reduces the market value of the end product. This study aimed at studying the influence of count,... more
Production of better yarns in terms of uniformity is every spinner's goal since yarns with a large number of irregularities and defects reduces the market value of the end product. This study aimed at studying the influence of count, twist, opening roller speed and rotor speed on the number of thin and thick places formed in 100% cotton rotor spun yarns using statistical techniques. The results obtained in this research work indicated that increase in count increased thin and thick places in the yarns. With twist and opening roller speed, thin and thick places were reduced up to a certain value and then started to increase. Count 15Ne, twist multiplier of 5TM, opening roller speed of 8000 rpm and rotor speed of 90,000rpm gave the lowest number of thin and thick places/km formed in the resulting yarns.
Some of the synthetic dyes and mordants are harmful to the environment. The aim of this research work was to study the dyeing of cotton substrates using extracts from wild leek (Allium burdickii). The bark of mango tree was used as a... more
Some of the synthetic dyes and mordants are harmful to the environment. The aim of this research work was to study the dyeing of cotton substrates using extracts from wild leek (Allium burdickii). The bark of mango tree was used as a mordant. The pre-mordanting method was used and four treatments were investigated with respect to exhaustion of the dye. These were: temperature, time, pH and concentration of mordant. Dye exhaustion for 27 experiments was investigated by comparing the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The regression model obtained from the interactions was significant with an R 2 value of 0.611. The effect of pH was insignificant while all the other three variables significantly influenced exhaustion of dye. The optimised conditions for temperature, time and concentration of mordant were: 60oC, 90 minutes and 28.18% owf, respectively. The fabrics showed acceptable fastness properties ranging from 2/3-4/5 (fair to very good), 1.2-4 (slightly considerable to noticeable) and 4-5 (very good to excellent) for wash, perspiration and rubbing fastness, respectively.
he goal of Kenya’s Textile and Clothing (T&C) Value Chain Roadmap is to set the sector on the course of strategic development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized... more
he goal of Kenya’s Textile and Clothing (T&C) Value Chain
Roadmap is to set the sector on the course of strategic
development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive
manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized through the specific steps detailed in its Plan of Action
(PoA). Kenya’s current model has performed well, yielding
strong economic and social returns. However, a progressive
shift to a new strategic model is required to remain competitive. The industry must unite and evolve in order to leapfrog
into higher growth and value addition.
The sector’s strategic orientation should follow a twopronged approach. Firstly, Kenya has to build on its assembly
and cut, make and trim (CMT) prowess. Secondly, the sector
has to move up the global value chain, shifting from basic
items to superior products in order to capture greater value
and penetrate premium market segments. The PoA responds
to these two visions by setting four strategic objectives to
support their implementation:
1. Maximize productivity and uphold quality requirements
through skills development.
2. Improve the business environment to further support the
development of the T&C industry.
3. Expand the benefits of investment throughout the T&C
value chain.
4. Enable market penetration and product development
through trade intelligence
Roadmap is to set the sector on the course of strategic
development by addressing constraints in a comprehensive
manner and defining concrete opportunities that can be realized through the specific steps detailed in its Plan of Action
(PoA). Kenya’s current model has performed well, yielding
strong economic and social returns. However, a progressive
shift to a new strategic model is required to remain competitive. The industry must unite and evolve in order to leapfrog
into higher growth and value addition.
The sector’s strategic orientation should follow a twopronged approach. Firstly, Kenya has to build on its assembly
and cut, make and trim (CMT) prowess. Secondly, the sector
has to move up the global value chain, shifting from basic
items to superior products in order to capture greater value
and penetrate premium market segments. The PoA responds
to these two visions by setting four strategic objectives to
support their implementation:
1. Maximize productivity and uphold quality requirements
through skills development.
2. Improve the business environment to further support the
development of the T&C industry.
3. Expand the benefits of investment throughout the T&C
value chain.
4. Enable market penetration and product development
through trade intelligence
The current competitiveness of garment manufacturing industries is highly dependent on ability to improve efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization through proper application of industrial engineering techniques such as line... more
The current competitiveness of garment manufacturing industries is highly dependent on ability to improve efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization through proper application of industrial engineering techniques such as line balancing and time study. However, very few apparel industries have comprehended industrial engineering function due to little knowledge on practical application of industrial engineering techniques. The present study aimed at balancing a trouser assembly line using the ranked positional weight technique to increase the line efficiency as well as minimize the number of workstations without violating the constraints: precedence relations, cycle time, and resource type. The empirical study was conducted at Southern Range Nyanza Limited (NYTIL) garment manufacturing facility to demonstrate the practical application of ranked positional weight line balancing technique. Results showed that ranked positional weight method is suitable only for assembly line balancing with no constraint on the resource. However, most complex garment assembly lines consist of a number of different machine types rendering ranked positional weight method practically ineffective for improving line efficiency of a complex garment assembly line. Therefore, profound line balancing using simulation-based optimization to improve the line efficiency of complex garment assembly line should be investigated. K E Y W O R D S assembly line, heuristic line balancing, line efficiency, performance indicators, ranked positional weight, resource constraints
Research Interests: Operations Research, Time Studies, Key Performance Indicators, Assembly line balancing, Garments Manufacturing, and 10 moreApparel Industry, Constraints, Heuristic Methods, Textile and Apparel Industry, Ready-made garment Industry, Garment Industry, Line Balancing, Precedence Diagrams, Production line efficiency, and Ranked positional weight
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was... more
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was carried out. A total of 166 Chinese, 69 Americans and 114 other foreigners respondents were involved in the study. The other foreigners were of several nationalities which included Romania, Canada, Italy, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Zambia. The data collected in this research indicated that for the non-Chinese consumers, gender, age and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel. For the Chinese consumers, the results showed that while gender and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel, age of the consumer however affected the purchase of pet apparel. The results of the research indicated that the attitude of the Chinese consumer towards pet apparel is driven by fashion and aesthetic properties (fun) while that of the non-Chinese especially the Americans placed more emphasize on the functionality of the pet apparel.
Research Interests:
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the... more
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the Kenyan factories have to pay higher rates than their competition, for electricity, transport and labor, any effort taken to reduce the cost of running a textile process will be a boast to the industry. Furthermore vision 2030, envisages an increase in the manufacturing sector in Kenya. Therefore the local production of cotton desizing enzyme will no doubt be a contribution to the industrialization process. It was with the aforementioned reasons in mind that a study of the performance of a locally produced enzyme during desizing was undertaken. The challenges reported during the use of the locally produced enzyme included the inability to determine the concentration of the enzyme. This paper reports the use of spectrophotometer to study the concentration and performance of the locally produced desizing enzyme. The results obtained in this research work showed that the locally produced enzyme could remove 85% of the starch in a plain weave fabric. The commercial enzyme could remove 98.3% of the starch.
Research Interests:
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could... more
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could contribute towards the revival of the Kenyan Textile industry could be the optimization of the cotton processing in Kenya. Cotton processing includes ginning, spinning, weaving and wet processing. In cotton spinning, the Kenyan industry uses ring and rotor spinning technologies. While ring spinning is the traditional spinning process, rotor spinning has established itself as a great competitor especially when dealing with course counts. This paper looks at the quality of cotton rotor spun yarns, in comparison with the uster standards. While the Kenyan cotton lint reported good quality characteristics when compared to Uster standards, the quality of the rotor spun yarn was poor especially for yarn evenness and hairiness. It is therefore recommended that the rotor spinning process adapted to spin the Kenyan yarn should be carefully evaluated so as to unearth the sources of the shortfall in yarn quality.
Research Interests:
One of the methods which can be used to gauge the competitiveness of an industry is to study the quality of its products. This research paper looks at the quality of the Kenyan manufactured yarn, trying to compare it with international... more
One of the methods which can be used to gauge the competitiveness of an industry is to study the quality of its products. This research paper looks at the quality of the Kenyan manufactured yarn, trying to compare it with international standards, and at the same time introduce Self Organizing maps (SOM) as another tool for studying yarn quality. Cotton lint and carded ring spun yarn samples were collected from textile factories in Kenya. For every yarn sample collected, a sample of the corresponding cotton lint mixture used to spin the yarn was also collected. The collected samples were tested using standard procedures, and compared to Uster standards. The Kenyan cotton lint recorded good results for trash measurements, while the Kenyan spun yarn imperfections recorded Uster standard levels ranging from 5 to 50%. The yarn evenness and tensile properties ranged from 50 to 75%. Use of Kohonen self organizing maps (SOM) to study yarn quality of the Kenyan manufactured yarn indicated that there existed inter and intra factory quality differences.
Research Interests:
Kenya is a tropical country and the exploitation of solar energy should be encouraged so as to diversify its energy sources. This paper reports the use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models to prediction solar radiation in Kenya. The... more
Kenya is a tropical country and the exploitation of solar energy should be encouraged so as to diversify its energy sources. This paper reports the use of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models to prediction solar radiation in Kenya. The ANN models were designed
using meteorological data collected from 11 Kenyan weather stations. The model used
the feedforward architecture and was trained using Levenberg-Marquardt
Backpropagation training algorithm. The optimized ANN model was trained until the training error was reduced to 0.01. During trainingthe correlation coefficient between the
measured and predicted data (R value) was 0.996. When exposed to the training data the ANN model gave an R value of 0.8.
using meteorological data collected from 11 Kenyan weather stations. The model used
the feedforward architecture and was trained using Levenberg-Marquardt
Backpropagation training algorithm. The optimized ANN model was trained until the training error was reduced to 0.01. During trainingthe correlation coefficient between the
measured and predicted data (R value) was 0.996. When exposed to the training data the ANN model gave an R value of 0.8.
Research Interests:
The quality of silk yarn is affected by the reeling process. The silk reeling process is affected by several factors which include the reeling temperature and silk cocoon boiling time. The aim of this paper was to... more
The quality of silk yarn is affected by the reeling process. The silk reeling process is
affected by several factors which include the reeling temperature and silk cocoon boiling time. The
aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of reeling temperature and cocoon boiling on the silk
filament strength and frequency of end breaks during reeling by using regression models. The
results of this research work indicated that boiling time and reeling temperature were positively
correlated with filament strength. On the other hand the number of end breaks increased with
boiling time. As reeling temperature increased the number of end breaks showed a decreasing trend.
affected by several factors which include the reeling temperature and silk cocoon boiling time. The
aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of reeling temperature and cocoon boiling on the silk
filament strength and frequency of end breaks during reeling by using regression models. The
results of this research work indicated that boiling time and reeling temperature were positively
correlated with filament strength. On the other hand the number of end breaks increased with
boiling time. As reeling temperature increased the number of end breaks showed a decreasing trend.
Research Interests:
Study of blended yarn quality characteristics during optimization of processing parameters
An Elman network model was trained using Fletcher-Reeves Update training algorithm, and used to predict the tensile strength of cotton yarns. The cotton yarn samples (consisting of rotor and ring spun yarns) were collected from four... more
An Elman network model was trained using Fletcher-Reeves Update training algorithm, and used to predict the
tensile strength of cotton yarns. The cotton yarn samples (consisting of rotor and ring spun yarns) were collected
from four textile factories in Kenya. The inputs of the network were the HVI characteristics of the cotton lint used to
spin the yarns together with the fineness (Tex) and Twist per Inch (TPI) of the yarn samples. The output of the
network was yarn tensile strength. The Elman network predicted the yarn tensile strength with a mean squared error
(mse) of 0.0156 and a correlation coefficient between the network outputs and the targeted values (R-value) of
0.974.
tensile strength of cotton yarns. The cotton yarn samples (consisting of rotor and ring spun yarns) were collected
from four textile factories in Kenya. The inputs of the network were the HVI characteristics of the cotton lint used to
spin the yarns together with the fineness (Tex) and Twist per Inch (TPI) of the yarn samples. The output of the
network was yarn tensile strength. The Elman network predicted the yarn tensile strength with a mean squared error
(mse) of 0.0156 and a correlation coefficient between the network outputs and the targeted values (R-value) of
0.974.
Research Interests:
The use of monte carlo techniques to study the effect of cotton fiber properties on yarn hairiness
Research Interests:
T riumfetta T omentosa B(TTB) is one of the plants that grow naturally in the Kenyan forested regions of Mt. Kenya, Aberdares ranges, Kakamega and the Mau forest. Traditionally TTB leaves have been used as food, the... more
T riumfetta T omentosa B(TTB) is one of the plants that grow naturally in the Kenyan forested regions of Mt. Kenya, Aberdares ranges, Kakamega and the Mau forest. Traditionally TTB leaves have been used as food, the bark is
used to make ropes or weave baskets and the stem is used as firewood.
Among the farmers living in the Mt. Kenya region, the TTB bark is normally
treatment with a bleaching agent (used for general laundry purposes), with an aim of getting a stronger fiber . The objectives of this research work included the study the properties of TTB bast fibers. Comparison with jute fibers was also undertaken to gauge its suitability for use as grain (maize)
packing material. TTB stems were harvested from Mount Kenya region, step
retted and then characterized. Surface and chemical characterization of the
TTB fibers was undertaken using modern equipments such as FT -IR, SEM,
XRD and tensile property measurement equipments. The chemical ingredients of the fibers were also determined. The results obtained in this research
work using the XRD equipment indicated that TTB fibers have cellulose I
structure, which is common with most bast fibers. Comparison of the chemical ingredients of TTB and jute fibers revealed that the raw TTB fibers contained higher percentages of lignin and lower levels of hemicellulose. The
treated TTB fibers contained higher levels of cellulose and reduced levels of lignin and hemicellulose. Treated TTB fibers exhibited finer count and higher tensile strength when compared to the raw fibers.
used to make ropes or weave baskets and the stem is used as firewood.
Among the farmers living in the Mt. Kenya region, the TTB bark is normally
treatment with a bleaching agent (used for general laundry purposes), with an aim of getting a stronger fiber . The objectives of this research work included the study the properties of TTB bast fibers. Comparison with jute fibers was also undertaken to gauge its suitability for use as grain (maize)
packing material. TTB stems were harvested from Mount Kenya region, step
retted and then characterized. Surface and chemical characterization of the
TTB fibers was undertaken using modern equipments such as FT -IR, SEM,
XRD and tensile property measurement equipments. The chemical ingredients of the fibers were also determined. The results obtained in this research
work using the XRD equipment indicated that TTB fibers have cellulose I
structure, which is common with most bast fibers. Comparison of the chemical ingredients of TTB and jute fibers revealed that the raw TTB fibers contained higher percentages of lignin and lower levels of hemicellulose. The
treated TTB fibers contained higher levels of cellulose and reduced levels of lignin and hemicellulose. Treated TTB fibers exhibited finer count and higher tensile strength when compared to the raw fibers.
Research Interests:
Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle) is grown in Kenya for its flower and calyx, which are used in the beverage industry. Roselle bast fibre has, however, not been commercially exploited. After harvesting the flowers and calyx the stem... more
Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle) is grown in Kenya for its flower and calyx, which are used
in the beverage industry. Roselle bast fibre has, however, not been commercially exploited.
After harvesting the flowers and calyx the stem together with the bark is used as firewood.
This paper reports the characteristics of bast fibres in Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle)
grown in Kenya. The bast fibre was characterised by studying its physical and chemical
characteristics. The physical characteristics investigated included tensile properties, fineness and surface morphology. An investigation into the type of chemical ingredients present
in the fibre was also undertaken. The data obtained in this study indicated that the roselle plant grown in Kenya can produce bast fibres of comparable properties to the kenaf grown in Asian countries.
in the beverage industry. Roselle bast fibre has, however, not been commercially exploited.
After harvesting the flowers and calyx the stem together with the bark is used as firewood.
This paper reports the characteristics of bast fibres in Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (roselle)
grown in Kenya. The bast fibre was characterised by studying its physical and chemical
characteristics. The physical characteristics investigated included tensile properties, fineness and surface morphology. An investigation into the type of chemical ingredients present
in the fibre was also undertaken. The data obtained in this study indicated that the roselle plant grown in Kenya can produce bast fibres of comparable properties to the kenaf grown in Asian countries.
Research Interests:
Kohonen Self Organizing Maps (SOM) has found application in practical all fields, especially those which tend to handle high dimensional data. SOM can be used for the clustering of genes in the medical field, the study of multi-media and... more
Kohonen Self Organizing Maps (SOM) has found application in practical all fields, especially those which tend to handle high dimensional data. SOM can be used for the clustering of genes in the medical field, the study of multi-media and web based contents and in the transportation industry, just to name a few. Apart from the aforementioned areas this book also covers the study of complex data found in meteorological and remotely sensed images acquired using satellite sensing. Data management and envelopment analysis has also been covered. The application of SOM in mechanical and manufacturing engineering forms another important area of this book. The final section of this book, addresses the design and application of novel variants of SOM algorithms. The attached chapter will deal with the use of SOM in the cotton growing and spinning industry.
Research Interests:
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the... more
The textile industry has had its share of problems in the last decade. One of the remedial actions proposed by the Government is to improve the competitiveness of the textile sector by reducing the cost of doing business. Given that the Kenyan factories have to pay higher rates than their competition, for electricity, transport and labor, any effort taken to reduce the cost of running a textile process will be a boast to the industry. Furthermore vision 2030, envisages an increase in the manufacturing sector in Kenya. Therefore the local production of cotton desizing enzyme will no doubt be a contribution to the industrialization process. It was with the aforementioned reasons in mind that a study of the performance of a locally produced enzyme during desizing was undertaken. The challenges reported during the use of the locally produced enzyme included the inability to determine the concentration of the enzyme. This paper reports the use of spectrophotometer to study the concentration and performance of the locally produced desizing enzyme. The results obtained in this research work showed that the locally produced enzyme could remove 85% of the starch in a plain weave fabric. The commercial enzyme could remove 98.3% of the starch.
Research Interests:
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was... more
A rising number of pets and the increasing market for pet products in China has necessitated a study into the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel. A survey on the consumer attitude and involvement towards pet apparel was carried out. A total of 166 Chinese, 69 Americans and 114 other foreigners respondents were involved in the study. The other foreigners were of several nationalities which included Romania, Canada, Italy, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Zambia. The data collected in this research indicated that for the non-Chinese consumers, gender, age and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel. For the Chinese consumers, the results showed that while gender and income did not affect the purchase of pet apparel, age of the consumer however affected the purchase of pet apparel. The results of the research indicated that the attitude of the Chinese consumer towards pet apparel is driven by fashion and aesthetic properties (fun) while that of the non-Chinese especially the Americans placed more emphasize on the functionality of the pet apparel.
Research Interests:
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could... more
The textile industry has been identified as one of the key industries which could spur industrial growth in Kenya. Efforts are being made by the Kenyan government and other institutions to revive the textile industry. One area which could contribute towards the revival of the Kenyan Textile industry could be the optimization of the cotton processing in Kenya. Cotton processing includes ginning, spinning, weaving and wet processing. In cotton spinning, the Kenyan industry uses ring and rotor spinning technologies. While ring spinning is the traditional spinning process, rotor spinning has established itself as a great competitor especially when dealing with course counts. This paper looks at the quality of cotton rotor spun yarns, in comparison with the uster standards. While the Kenyan cotton lint reported good quality characteristics when compared to Uster standards, the quality of the rotor spun yarn was poor especially for yarn evenness and hairiness. It is therefore recommended that the rotor spinning process adapted to spin the Kenyan yarn should be carefully evaluated so as to unearth the sources of the shortfall in yarn quality.
Research Interests:
This paper presents the bursting strength of hydroentangled non-woven fabrics made from islands-in-the-sea fibers PET/COPET and pie segmented fibers (PA6/PET), and processed using inclined water jet apparatus. The effects of basis... more
This paper presents the bursting strength of hydroentangled non-woven fabrics made from islands-in-the-sea fibers
PET/COPET and pie segmented fibers (PA6/PET), and processed using inclined water jet apparatus. The effects of basis weights,
water jets pressure and water jets inclination angle on bursting strength of hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics were discussed.
The comparison was made on the bursting strength of hydroentangled fabrics of 60 g/m2 and100 g/m
2
processed by using
perpendicular water jets at 00
and inclined water jets at 20
0
with pressure levels of 3bars and 7bars. The results showed that the
increases of water jet pressure and basis weight caused an increase of the bursting strength of the hydroentangled fabrics.
Furthermore, with increasing of water jets inclination angle, the bursting strength of 100 g/m2 hydroentangled non-woven
fabrics were increased while the bursting strength of 60 g/m
2
hydroentangled fabrics decreased. Finally the bursting strength of
the pie segmented (PA6/PET) non-woven fabrics showed higher bursting strength compared with islands-in-the-sea
(PET/COPET) non-woven fabrics. It can therefore be concluded that degree of inclination of the water jet played an important
role in hydroentanglement process.
PET/COPET and pie segmented fibers (PA6/PET), and processed using inclined water jet apparatus. The effects of basis weights,
water jets pressure and water jets inclination angle on bursting strength of hydroentangled nonwoven fabrics were discussed.
The comparison was made on the bursting strength of hydroentangled fabrics of 60 g/m2 and100 g/m
2
processed by using
perpendicular water jets at 00
and inclined water jets at 20
0
with pressure levels of 3bars and 7bars. The results showed that the
increases of water jet pressure and basis weight caused an increase of the bursting strength of the hydroentangled fabrics.
Furthermore, with increasing of water jets inclination angle, the bursting strength of 100 g/m2 hydroentangled non-woven
fabrics were increased while the bursting strength of 60 g/m
2
hydroentangled fabrics decreased. Finally the bursting strength of
the pie segmented (PA6/PET) non-woven fabrics showed higher bursting strength compared with islands-in-the-sea
(PET/COPET) non-woven fabrics. It can therefore be concluded that degree of inclination of the water jet played an important
role in hydroentanglement process.
Research Interests:
The today competitive advantage of Ready-made garment industries depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industries have long historically adopted fewer technological... more
The today competitive advantage of Ready-made garment industries depends on the ability to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of resource utilization. Ready-made garment industries have long historically adopted fewer technological and process advancement as compared to automotive, electronics and semiconductor industries. Simulation modeling of garment assembly line system has attracted a number of researchers as one way for insightful analysis of system behaviour and improving its performance. However, most of simulation studies have considered ill-defined experimental design which cannot fully explore the assembly line design alternatives and does not uncover the interaction effects of the input variables. Simulation metamodeling is an approach to assembly line design which has recently been of interest to so many researchers. However, its application in garment assembly line design has never been well explored. In this paper, simulation metamodeling of trouser assembly line with 72 operations has been demonstrated. The linear regression metamodel technique with resolution-V design was used. The effects of five factors: bundle size, job release policy, task assignment pattern, machine number and helper number on the production throughput of the trouser assembly line were studied. The increase of 28.63% of the production throughput was achieved for the best factors' setting of the metamodel.