Work Measurement and Method Study in a Garment Production Unit in Aba, Abia State

This project applies work measurement and method study techniques to evaluate and improve production methods in a garment manufacturing unit located in Aba, Abia State, South East Nigeria. Aba is widely recognised as a major garment production hub in West Africa, with hundreds of small and medium-scale manufacturers operating across the town. Despite high production volumes, many units suffer from inconsistent product quality and unpredictable delivery times arising from unstandardised sewing and finishing methods. This study employs stopwatch time study to establish standard times for key operations including cutting, sewing, button attachment, and final pressing. A therbligs analysis is used to break down hand and body movements at the sewing stage to identify and eliminate unnecessary motions. Data were collected from twenty sewing operators across four production lines over six weeks. Results indicate that approximately twenty-two percent of operator time is consumed by non-value-adding activities such as searching for thread spools and repositioning fabric pieces. Proposed method improvements include reorganising tool placement at each workstation, standardising folding templates, and introducing line balancing based on revised standard times. Estimated productivity improvement following method implementation is calculated at approximately nineteen percent per operator per shift. This research contributes to the methodological upgrading of garment production in Aba and similar informal industrial clusters. Keywords: work measurement, method study, standard time, garment production, Aba