Ergonomic Improvement in Games Manufacturing: Leveraging One Initial Success into an Integrated Self-Sustaining Ergonomics Effort

Abstract

Initial success is easy to achieve. Creating a self-sustaining ergonomics improvement process that produces significant, measurable improvements to employee health and safety and manufacturing profitability over the long-term is a challenge. This paper presents the results of a 6-year follow-up study and charts how one games manufacturing company leveraged one initial ergonomics “job improvement” case study into an integrated analysis, design, and planning process which has generated over $1 million in direct manufacturing cost savings—while meeting continuous improvement objectives for employee health and safety. Ergonomics improvement case studies (production staffing modification, equipment re-design, product packaging re-design, and use of ergonomics criteria for new process design) will be presented as examples for each of 4 phases through which the company's ergonomics effort progressed. Lessons learned, including the process for and the utility of assigning primary responsibility for success in the hands of engineering, are provided.