THE PERFORMANCE EFFECTS OF MODULAR PRODUCTION IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY

This article identifies and explains differences in performance betwee n two widely used alternative work methods-module and bundle productio n-in the basics sector of the apparel industry. This research is based on interviews with managers and surveys of worker attitudes and perce ptions, We find that a team production system in the apparel industry, called modules, performs better than the traditional bundle system on such measures as quality, costs, and responsiveness to retailers, Mod ules also perform better than bundles in reducing work-in-process inve ntory and throughput time, We argue that performance improvements are realized through coordination among the team members as a result of th eir ability to self-regulate work, eliminate bottlenecks, resolve conf licts, help one another solve problems, and make improvements in the p roduction process.