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Ergonomics in parallelized car assembly: a case study, with reference also to productivity aspects.
R Kadefors1, T Engström, J Petzäll
1Lindholmen Development, and Department of Injury Prevention, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden.
Applied Ergonomics
|April 1, 1996
Summary
Volvo
Area of Science:
- Industrial Engineering
- Ergonomics
- Manufacturing Systems
Background:
- Volvo established a new car assembly plant in Uddevalla, Sweden, in 1985.
- The plant aimed to integrate high productivity and quality with improved ergonomics and work organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the ergonomic and productivity outcomes of a novel parallelized production system.
- To compare this system against traditional serial assembly lines.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of parallel work-teams assembling portions to complete vehicles.
- Introduction of a novel tilting device for car body manipulation.
- Ergonomic analyses focusing on postural and musculoskeletal strain.
Main Results:
- Parallelized flow production at the Uddevalla plant demonstrated ergonomic superiority over traditional serial assembly.
- This ergonomic improvement was achieved without compromising productivity.
Conclusions:
- The Uddevalla plant provided valuable insights into parallelized production systems.
- Findings suggest these principles should inform future assembly plant designs, despite the factory's closure.