Production
Conception
Work on the perfect equipment for Expedition Life never ends. This means
that every season, we come up with up to 80 new products – such as
Louise 60, the female counterpart to the Kimberley. It starts with the requirement:
for a large trekking rucksack that is designed specifically to fit the female
form. The Tatonka development team in Dasing works closely with the sales
team to define the possible functions, capacities, materials, colours and
technical details.
Product development
Our designers in Dasing draw the product ideas for Louise 60 from the conception
stage and work out the exact details. A team of product developers, cutters
and sewers then uses this information to produce pattern templates and prototypes.
Our pattern developing department consists of 15 specialist sewers and a
team of about 25 people – from graphic designers to our in-house photographer.
Preparing for production
At one of four CAD workstations in Vietnam, the digitalised templates are
combined as cut-outs and printed out on one of our three plotters.
Production
Since 1994, all Tatonka’s production work has been carried out in
Vietnam under the guidance of a strict quality management system. And to
ensure that our machinery is always up-to-date, we procure or replace about
120 machines every year. The picture
shows a member of staff operating one of our new fabric-laying machines.
Cutting out
The cutting views printed out on the plotter are placed on the fabric layers
and cut out precisely using special cutters. Here too, the safety of our
employees is an important consideration. Regular factory audits, including
those by the TÜV Rheinland, ensure that our own standards are maintained.
Embroidery
Modern embroidery machines are used to position logos flexibly and accurately
– such as the Lady logo for Louise 60. There's a good reason why this
isn't done by hand: even our standard logo requires no fewer than 4100 stitches.
Screenprint
Some logos and other elements are applied by screenprint so that waterproof
fabrics (on rain covers etc.) are not damaged by the needle.
Sewing shop
The individual sections that make up Louise 60 are made into the finished
product on one of our 42 production lines. And we work with particular precision.
A single production line can consist of up to 22 different sewing stations.
Assembly/inspection/packing
During and after the sewing process, the product undergoes several checks
in accordance with set quality guidelines. Afterwards, in the final assembly,
the seams are all checked and tidied. So why are there so many checks?
Simple: Louise 60, for instance, is made up of 141 different materials.
If everything is one hundred percent in order, Louise 60 and lots of other
products will be sent by sea-freight to our partners all over the world
and to Tatonka’s European warehouse.
