Technology and Education Inputs for Productivity Enhancement in Garment Manufacturing in the Developing World

Efficient production management in the garment manufacturing industry is estimated by using work measurement techniques. These techniques are based on standard processing timings. Several studies have been undertaken using the time study technique to enhance productivity of the garment production lines in an apparel manufacturing factory. Efficiency is translated into the time spent on carrying out a particular function, this time consumption is dependent upon the worker’s level of fatigue and quality of output. The entire onus of responsibility of the worker’s output becomes anchored on his or her ability to carry out repetitive actions over long durations of time.Objectives: This paper examines the work of various scholars as well as scrutinizes the performance of certain repetitive actions in the garment manufacturing process in apparel industries employing large numbers of workers. The objective is to project a rationale for the development of work aids to significantly enhance productivity.Methods: A secondary data review is being conducted to find out the work of other researchers in the field of garment manufacturing. The author has developed his own contribution in the form of work aid interventions to help in the process. A Review of literature on the subject was attempted to obtain the required information and insights on the subject.Finding: There is a widely felt need for the creation of active work aids in the garment manufacturing industry to promote the worker efficiency as also the overall productivity of the industry.Scope: The research based study has large and far-reaching scope for the garment manufacturing industry. All manufacturing units are constantly on the lookout for promoting efficiency and productivity. They are willing to appreciate all forms of interventions to improve time management and enhanced output of products. The findings of this review paper have broad based applicability for the garment manufacturing industry not only in India but also in most of the developing world.