An apparatus for manufacturing an absorbent article, includes a processing device that, while a plurality of semifinished products of the absorbent article is being transported in an aligned manner in a transport direction, processes the semi-finished product, and an inspecting device that, while the plurality of semi-finished products of the absorbent article is being transported in the aligned manner in the transport direction, inspects whether an actual processing position by the processing device is within an allowable range of the process target position on the semifinished product. The inspecting device includes, a sensor section located at a predetermined position in the transport direction and outputting a detection signal while the actual processing position of the semi-finished product is being detected, a reference signal outputting section outputting a reference signal having a waveform in which one wavelength is equivalent to a unit transport amount corresponding to a single semi-finished product, the reference signal having a first waveform portion at a phase corresponding to the allowable range in the wavelength, and a determining section determining whether the actual processing position is within the allowable range by comparing the detection signal with the reference signal.
