A hybrid method for the intelligent effectiveness management of production operators

Abstract

AbstractThe paper presents a hybrid method for the effective management of human resources when executing production processes. The method was proposed for managing production operators in systems of relatively high complexity—with the possibility of multiple alternative ways of designating operators to production stations. The method combines a novel approach of assessing the effectiveness of production operators, the use of an intelligent algorithm and the risk assessment method. The concept of effectiveness was used in the sense of a praxeological approach. Availability, performance and quality were defined as its components, and were evaluated through the prism of losses occurring in production processes. The aim of the study is to develop a hybrid method in order to delegate production operators to tasks, not only on the basis of a competence metric, but also on the basis of an individual effectiveness indicator and the risk assessment of production process stages. For this purpose, a novel method of assessing the effectiveness of the use of available resources when implementing production processes (based on a set of quantitative indicators and taking into account the categorization of production losses) was juxtaposed using the Tabu Search algorithm and the FMEA method. The method enables a near-optimal solution to be generated—one in which operators are assigned to production tasks in the most effective way possible, which in turn minimizes both the risk of production delays and quality defects due to operator fault.