This study aims to improve the fabric-cutting process of cotton garment-exporting micro and small businesses by identifying and eliminating waste, defined as the processes that do not add value in cutting area of a textile company. In addition, the lean manufacturing approach is applied by employing tools such as value stream mapping (VSM), single-minute exchange of dies (SMED), and work standardisation. The proposed philosophy is based on data analysis, economic validation, and simulation using the historical data from the company under study. Consequently, a decline in default rework and delayed processes along with an increase in the productivity index is expected.