An exploration of effective supervisory engagement in the clothing industry through activity sampling technique

The gradual financial decrease through national and international competition led approximately 50% of clothing manufacturers to shut down their businesses in the past decade. In a grapple for improved productivity, organisations are evaluating human assets for further value-add. Industry 4.0 embraces total interaction of technology and human resources with a view to a multi-skilled environment. In this endeavor, first-line managers (supervisors) play a critical role in the clothing manufacturing industry in terms of the elimination of non-value-added activities. The meteoric rise of technology-driven processes inculcated in the drive of Industry 4.0. The clothing industry lacks the drive for continuous improvement due to an impasse in skills-driven improvement and the application of industrial engineering principles. Organisations are seeking improvement opportunities in multi-skilling the workforce. In this endeavor, supervisory activities were evaluated to determine value-add in the production process. This study aims to evaluate supervisory engagement to ascertain non-value-added activities and forms a foundation to leverage human capital into competitive advantage. The research adopted the application of activity sampling analysis through a case study at a clothing manufacturer. Direct observation and informal discussions on the factory floor were used as the primary means for data collection. Keywords supervisory engagement; activity sampling; industrial engineering