Of the new technologies they're putting to work, perhaps the most common are machines that automate the tedious process of cutting fabric, a staple task in every garment factory.The estimated time to break even on such technology -- 18 months -- pretty much ensures that the days of low-wage workers hand-cutting fabric are dwindling. Adidas Indonesia wants to reduce the proportion of manual labor in its cutting process to 30 percent. Hung Wah Garment Manufacturing in Cambodia has eliminated manual cutting outright.