Efficient flow and human centred assembly: The success of an interactive approach

Efficient flow and human centred assembly: The success of an interactive approach

van Rhijn, J.W.
de Looze, M.P.
Groenesteijn, L.
de Groot, M.D.
Vink, P.
Tuinzaad, G.H.

Caldenfors, D. (editor)
Eklund, J. (editor)
Kiviloog, L. (editor)

2002

A participatory and integrative approach was developed and applied to im­prove the productivity and ergonomics in assembly companies. Main ele­ments of the approach are the active participation of the company and the integration of two disciplines: assembly engineering and ergonomics. The aims were the analysis of bottlenecks of the assembly process, the definition and implementation of solutions and the measurement of effects. This ap­proach was applied to several companies. This paper describes the applica­tion in one of these companies: assembling emergency lighting. To analyse the main bottlenecks, we analysed the assembly process in close coopera­tion with company representatives, we performed specific observations on the shop floor, and we measured the body postures and the forces on the body. To evaluate promising solutions we applied test workstation with real workers. The approach proved to be successful in the determination of bot­tlenecks in productivity and ergonomics and the definition of promising so­lutions (e.g. new assembly concepts, height adjustable working tables, new organisation of tasks, and new product design). After implementation of the solutions the effects on productivity, physical and mental load and on satis­faction were carefully measured. The effects are significant: e.g. gains in productivity with 69 % without any increase in hazardous body postures. Lifting risks were reduced by improving postures. Most of the employees felt more satisfied in the new way of working.

Assembly process planning
Participatory approach
Companies
Productivity
Process
Ergonomics

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:8c6b3641-8ae5-4445-9a43-0b4f2ac93b5d

276870

Linköpings University, Linköping

Humans in a complex environment. Proceedings of the 34th Annual Congress of the Nordic Ergonomics Society, 1-3 Oct. 2002, Kolmården, Sweden, 805-810

conference paper