Business process improvement strategies for the CMT clothing manufacturer:A case study in Kwa-Zulu Natal

The global economy is pressurizing organisations to improve productivity oftheir business processes. Competition is forcing organisations to focus theirenergy on "core competencies." Like many industries, the clothingindustry is witnessing changes in technology, diversification of labour,managerial implications while competing on the global market. The South Africanclothing and textile industry has the potential to create jobs, but thispotential has been steadily diminishing over the last ten years (Mamoepa, 2007).In this context, the clothing industry is regarded as a powerful engine foreconomic and employment growth. Nevertheless, the performance of the clothingindustry, whether in terms of efficiency, working conditions or degree of socialprotection, is unstable. This paper aims to highlight some of the problemsexperienced by manufacturers' through a semi-structured questionnaire andprovide suggestions for improvement of the clothing industry. The researchmethodology employed in this paper is qualitative and exploratory in naturemaking use of applicable literature and appropriate case studies. The researchhighlights some of the issues affecting the SA clothing industry and recommendsthe application of process improvement methodologies.