Operator-Oriented Product and Production Process Design for Manufacturing, Maintenance and Upgrading

Abstract

The nature of production in the manufacturing industry is changing, and companies face large challenges. Customers expect fast delivery times, proven sustainability, flexibility, and frequent product upgrades. To stay competitive and manage rapid technological demands, a parallel, iterative and interactive development approach for product and process design is required. Closed-loop systems will increase future customer demand for easy upgrading. This requires highly modular and operator-friendly product designs. Because the complexity, variety and unpredictability of products and production tasks will increase, information and support systems for operators are crucial elements. Human factor engineering methodologies are essential to take full advantage of new technologies that support operators in all stages of the product life cycle. Methods and tools that could support companies in improving product, process, and workstation design are presented, and directions for future research and tool development are discussed.