Designing the Ergonomic Press and Molding Machine of Cassava Chips for Sustainable Development in SMEs

Abstract

The sustainability of the SMEs depends on how the SMEs could compete with their competitor. Utilizing technology is a way that can be used to survive in those competitions. Unfortunately, some of the SMEs in Indonesia could not afford to utilize the technology due to financial problems. Therefore, the aim of this research is to create an ergonomic working environment by utilizing the technology through the design of the press and molding machine. In its application, the concepts of Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) were used to assess the working posture. The results of this assessment show that the working environment of this SME, especially in the pressing and molding process was not ergonomic and need to be improved. The given improvement is in the form of press and molding machine design and its prototype. The designing process was done using the concept of Quality Function Deployment (QFD). On the other side, to assess the level of success for the given design and machine, the REBA and RULA assessment was carried out. The results of the REBA and RULA assessment for the new machine showed that it could decrease the previous score of both REBA and RULA. The results of this research are expecting to increase the production capacity, minimizing the occurrence of MSDs, and improving the quality of the chips. In the long-term, it will be able to increase the competitiveness of this SME.