Human factors in the justification of an advanced manufacturing system

Abstract

A central part of the design of a production system is to methodically weigh the production factors, labor, and capital (machines, robots, etc.) and integrate them into a well-functioning unit. The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of human factors on the design of an Advanced Manufacturing System (AMS). The impact is illustrated in a case study of a Swedish engineering company. An investment in automated spot welding is justified in a Life-Cycle Cost analysis. In this case, the company's economic incentives for automation were increased. Furthermore, the labor-related additional costs motivated additional automation where all monotonous tasks were eliminated. The result was a highly automated manufacturing system, offering human work tasks with more variety and less static work load. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.