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Last Updated: Oct 13, 2008 - 8:10:02 AM |
New research suggests that teaching staff about improving their posture
and working conditions in a manufacturing plant can boost productivity
by more than 50 percent. Details of the research will published in a
forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Industrial and
Systems Engineering.
Oguzhan Erdinc of the Department of Industrial Engineering at the
Turkish Air Force Academy and Ozalp Vayvay of the Department of
Industrial Engineering, at Marmara University, in Istanbul,
investigated how simple improvements in the working conditions of
employees at a clothes factory could improve performance and reduce the
number of faulty "seconds" being produced by an apparel factory.
The researchers studied two machine sewing lines at a clothing
manufacturer. "Major ergonomics problems were awkward postures,
musculoskeletal discomfort and difficulty in monitoring operation of
machine needle and flow of stitches," the researchers explain. To
remedy this situation, the researchers gave the operators ergonomics
training and a handbook on correct work methods. They also installed a
reminder figure showing correct work postures and adjusted the tilt of
equipment so that the operators could work more comfortably.
A marked improvement was seen in product quality following these
interventions, Erdinc and Vayvay explain. "After interventions,
significant reductions in ergonomics problems were attained and the
proportion of Sewing Operator Related Defective Products (SORDP) was
reduced by 56% in Line 1 and by 52% in Line 2. Moreover, the employees
were more comfortable in their work. This low-cost approach to
ergonomics involves simple adjustments to equipment and education of
operators to improve their conditions and their products.
The researchers concede that the study was limited in the number of
operators involved and follow-up studies would demonstrate
unequivocally whether ergonomics training and practices are more widely
applicable. There is the possibility that simply addressing the issues
of comfort, improved the operators' outlook, and so longer-term studies
that would determine whether product quality improvements are sustained
would demonstrate whether the approach is cost effective in the
long-run or not.
The team adds that more sophisticated ergonomics interventions, such as
installing sit-stand workstations and implementing cellular machine
sewing practices should now be investigated to see whether they too can
improve working conditions and product quality in the apparel and other
manufacturing industries.
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Journal reference:
Oguzhan Erdinc and Ozalp Vayvay. Ergonomics interventions improve
quality in manufacturing: a case study. International Journal of
Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2008; 3: 727-745
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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