Abstract:
Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyse production methods used by clothing
manufacturers in order to improve competitiveness of clothing products on the market.
Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative research approach and utilised a descriptive
case study design. The population of the study comprised of clothing manufacturing companies
in which company managers, supervisors and designers were the study participants. Data was
gathered using telephonic interviews. Thematic analysis was used to get meaning out of the
collected data.
Findings: The findings were presented in narrative form. The findings reflected that clothing
manufacturing industries used batch production hence they did not meet the demands of the
market. They also used progressive bundle system. It was suggested that the manufacturing
companies should use work study as strategy to enhance productivity levels, meeting lead
times, reducing costs as well as producing competitive clothing products among other
recommendations.
Unique contributions to theory and practice: The Fit manufacturing framework by Pham
and Thomas (2012) was used to explore the production methods being used by clothing
manufacturing companies in Zimbabwe. Themes that emerged from the data analysis helped
the researcher gain a better understanding of the production processes used. The clothing
manufacturing industry is lagging behind with regards to advanced machinery, skilled
manpower and good quality fabrics. If these areas are improved it may help improve
productivity and competitiveness of products, enhance growth of clothing industry and boost
the economy at large.
