Think of a tech pack (TP) as an instruction manual for factories to make your clothing. A tech pack is a document containing all the technical information about your product. It’s an essential document for manufacturers. It helps clearly communicate every detail from designers to the manufacturers. Using a poorly designed TP can lead to long delays, more costs, and failed production runs. For example, if you use a poorly designed TP then there is a large probability that the manufacturer will make multiple mistakes during the sampling process. Each failed sample can add weeks to your production timeline and hundreds of dollars. Additionally, your TP is a form of IP that you can use to negotiate better rates. With your TP you can gather multiple quotes from different manufacturers and leverage them against each other for the best costs. Below we will dive a little deeper into what a tech pack is.
What is typically included in a Tech Pack?
-Materials
Information on each key raw material that makes up your product. Some important information that should be included is the name, colors, composition, weight and length, and finish. –Technical Drawings and Professional Sketches
2D Annotated document that depict a front and back view of your product. They will also usually highlight and zoom in on more complicated and specialized design components. (bartacks, seams, pleats etc)
-Tech Pack Parts and Components
Info on all the components that make your product. For example: embroideries, prints, labels, buttons, tags, threads, trims, fastenings and embellishments.
-Tech Pack Grading
Not all products require a grading page, and often this is completed after sampling is completed. This page gives the same points of measurement as the main Spec page, but changes the measurements per size. It also tells the pattern cutter how to grade each pattern piece when creating them. Some other pages you might find in a tech pack that are optional based on the type of product: color page, prints page, and a detailed construction notes page.
Value of the Tech Pack
-Reduces lead times and avoids delays with a well done Tech Pack
A well designed TP will help a factory avoid errors and helps you bring your product to market quicker. You will not need to go through as many samples with a detailed tech pack, which will cut your production and lead time down. It also assists the manufacturer with effectively coordinating the manpower and resources needed for a smooth production run.
Additionally, If you send an effective TP when you are requesting an initial quote, your manufacturer will be able to more accurately break down your costs into materials, component and labour costs. This means there will be no surprise changes to your costs after the sampling process is complete, which will allow you to more accurately predict margins and run a successful business. It will also allow you to gather quotes from additional manufacturers in order to negotiate the best pricing possible.
–Superior Instruction Manual
Usually a manufacturer will assign a point of contact who will correspond with you about costs, samples, and production. However, during the production process, your tech pack will be seen by many different people. Their revisions and details will inevitably get lost or misinterpreted if not all in the same document or platform, so your tech pack essentially becomes an instruction manual bringing clarity, consistency and cohesion throughout the production process.
Conclusion:
A tech pack is an extremely valuable and important part of manufacturing your product. For white label products it is possible to avoid tech packs and the design work that goes into creating them, but we will go over that on our next blog. However when creating your own custom product, have a professionally created tech pack is one of the first crucial steps to manufacturing your product.