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Order Management · Step 12 of 20

SOP-OM-12 · Bulk Fabric Approval

Scope​

Scope: Covers the approval of bulk-dyed fabric from first bulk through production lots, including supplier verification, testing, shade evaluation, customer approval, and final sign-off before cutting.

Purpose: Ensures bulk fabric meets approved colour, quality, performance, testing, and customer requirements before cutting and production proceed.

Owner: PMR / FT own and coordinate the bulk fabric approval process, including supplier coordination, technical evaluation, testing review, and final approval.

Applies to: Applies to FT, Field Team, SCFT, PMR, QA, and relevant suppliers/dyehouses involved in bulk fabric testing, evaluation, and approval.

Process​

  1. Confirm the supplier is approved. SpringNE FT checks the supplier against the approved list in CRM Site Approval.

    • If the supplier is on the list, release the dye order.
    • If the supplier has a past or open quality issue, do not use them. Pick another approved supplier.
    • For core fabric qualities, prefer stable suppliers such as Mem and Gamateks.

  2. Dye the first bulk lot. The supplier or dyehouse dyes at least 300 kg of first bulk fabric once LD or SO approval is in hand.

    • A dye lot of 30–100 kg does not represent bulk production. Do not submit one for this approval.

  3. Complete the physical and chemical tests at the dyehouse. The supplier runs every test the fabric quality requires before the fabric leaves the dyehouse.

  4. Assess the shade against the approved LD. The Field Team and SCFT compare the bulk shade to the approved lab dip and colour reference, then verify the reading with a spectrometer.

    • If the shade matches, move on to the shade band.
    • If the shade deviates from the approved LD, reject the lot and return it for re-dyeing.

  5. Prepare and review the shade band. The supplier cuts the shade band from the first bulk, and the Field Team reviews it and writes its comments.

  6. Send the fabric and shade band to SpringNE. The Field Team sends at least 3 m of full-width fabric together with the shade band to the head office.

  7. Check the supplier test results. Supplier QA reports shrinkage, spirality, wash fastness, rubbing fastness, and pH. (See GL-OM-13 Common Quality & Testing Issues — R5)

    • If shrinkage or spirality falls outside standard, reject the lot or send it back for repair and reprocessing.
    • If the pH sits outside the acceptable range, send the fabric for correction and then verify the new pH result.
    • If wash fastness or rubbing fastness shows a risk of bleeding, fading, or colour transfer, the Fabric Team and the supplier make a technical evaluation and record the decision.
    • If the customer requires a third-party laboratory test, the supplier arranges it and the customer approves the result.
    • After any reprocessing, re-inspect the fabric and repeat this step before approval continues.

  8. Send the bulk fabric form to SpringNE. The Field Team or supplier prepares three A4 copies of the bulk fabric approval form and sends them in.

  9. Evaluate the first bulk approval together. SCFT, PMR, and the Fabric Team review the shade band, the fabric, and every test result in one session.

    • If SpringNE holds the approval authority for that colour or quality, the Fabric Team decides.
    • If SpringNE does not hold that authority, do not decide alone. Forward the bulk to the customer and wait for their answer.

  10. Issue the signed approval copies. SpringNE FT issues two signed and stamped copies of the approval, one for the supplier and one for the production file. (See GL-OM-05 Product File Management — R2)

  11. Approve every production lot the same way. SCFT and SpringNE FT apply this control procedure to each batch dyed during production, not only to the first bulk.

    • If a supplier does not hold self-approval rights, do not use their lot until SpringNE FT approves it.

  12. Keep fabric-control staff qualified. QA checks that everyone who performs fabric control holds a valid Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test score of 16 or lower. (See GL-OM-14 Colour Assessment — R1, R2, R3)

    • If someone scores above 16, take them off fabric control until they pass a retest. (See GL-OM-14 Colour Assessment — R5)

  13. Assess shade under the customer light sources. Compare bulk fabric to the approved reference under the primary and secondary sources in the table below before you sign approval.

    • Sainsbury's: primary TL84, secondary D65.
    • Matalan and Dunnes: primary TL84, secondary D65.
    • Ralph Lauren: primary D65, secondary Inc A.
    • JC Penney: primary D65 / UL3000 / Inc A (per customer specification).

Workflow​

Confirm the supplier is approved
Dye the first bulk lot
Complete the physical and chemical tests at the dyehouse
Assess the shade against the approved LD
Prepare and review the shade band

Tutorial​

This training video supports the Bulk Fabric Approval process. It does not replace the numbered steps.

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Exam​

Pass markExpected durationAttempts
80%About 10 minutes1 (one attempt per person)

Pass mark 80%. 10 single-choice questions, one point each.

Your name and score are recorded and count towards the leaderboard. You have one attempt, so finish the article and the tutorial before you start.

Locked

Watch the tutorial video above to 100% to unlock the exam. The questions appear here once your progress is complete.

Changelog​

Changelog
DateChanged byWhat changed
2026-10-01Order ManagementExam moved from Microsoft Forms to this page; scores now count towards the leaderboard.
2026-10-01Order ManagementStep 12: the colour vision rule moved to guideline GL-OM-14 Colour Assessment; the step now links to it.
2026-10-01Oguz KamburogluStep 12: colour vision requirement corrected to a maximum error score of 16 on the Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue test, with 2-year validity up to 8 points, yearly retest from 9 to 16, yearly retest for QC staff and a link to the score workbook.
2026-09-30Order ManagementAdded guideline references.
2026-09-24Fabric TeamLinked the tutorial video, published the exam and corrected the Sainsbury's secondary light source to D65.
2026-09-21Fabric TeamTranslated the Turkish mirror's Tutorial section heading and intro text.
2026-09-21Fabric TeamRemoved the duplicated Exam pass-mark table and Microsoft Form embed.
2026-09-14Fabric TeamArticle Added