Time-Motion Study: Uncovering the Bottleneck in Jepara’s Chair Design Development

This study examines efficiency improvements in the research and development (R&D) process of Jepara’s furniture industry in Indonesia. Despite its international reputation as a wood-carving hub, Jepara remains constrained to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) model, leaving it vulnerable to competitors in China and Vietnam. Transitioning to an original design manufacturer (ODM) model requires structured R&D. However, traditional frameworks like time-motion Study (TMS) prioritize linear mass production rather than iterative, culturally grounded creative workflows. To address this gap, a TMS, work pattern analysis, and technology evaluation were conducted across the Inspiration/Immersion, Ideation, and Prototyping stages across three designer setups. The findings reveal that time allocation varied significantly by organizational structure: Designer 1 spent 25–27% of time on Immersion and Prototyping due to production conflicts; Designer 2 allocated 41–44% across Ideation and Prototyping; and Designer 3 spent only 9–10% on Immersion and Ideation by using Computational 3D modeling to merge the design into prototyping. The study confirms that Immersion preserves local cultural identity, while digital 3D tools dramatically compress R&D lead times. To support Jepara’s OEM-to-ODM transition, the research recommends establishing dedicated prototyping units to shield R&D from production demands and integrating computational 3D modeling to accelerate design iterations.