There is provided a method for changing a transporting configuration of a workpiece of an absorbent article, in which the transporting configuration is changed from longitudinal-direction flowing to lateral-direction flowing, the workpiece being transported in the longitudinal-direction flowing along a longitudinal direction of the workpiece, the workpiece being transported in the lateral-direction flowing along a lateral direction of the workpiece. The method including: (1) for the workpiece having a shape in which a longitudinal central section is narrower in the lateral direction than longitudinal end sections, transporting a plurality of workpieces in longitudinal-direction flowing, the plurality of workpieces being transported in a state where the longitudinal end sections of each workpiece are adjacent to the central section of another workpiece that is adjacent in the lateral direction and the plurality of workpieces form N workpiece lines (N is an integer of 2 or more) arranged in the lateral direction, each of the workpiece lines including a plurality of the workpieces along the longitudinal direction (2) forming each workpiece group including N workpieces by correlating, based on a predetermined correlation pattern, the N workpieces respectively belonging to different workpiece lines of the N workpiece lines that are transported in the longitudinal-direction flowing and (3) changing a transporting configuration of the workpieces of the workpiece group from the longitudinal-direction flowing to the lateral-direction flowing, the changing being performed for the each workpiece group. The forming of the workpiece group is performed by correlating, based on the correlation pattern, workpieces that are arranged side by side in the lateral direction.
