On an assembly line the same movement repeats hundreds of times a day. A part that requires overreaching, or a gap the hand barely fits into, causes no trouble once; after thousands of repetitions it becomes a back or shoulder injury. By the time the problem is noticed, the line is built and fixing it is expensive.
What they did
Ford runs a programme that tests workstations virtually before they are built. An employee is placed inside a station that does not exist yet, using a 23-camera motion capture system and a head-mounted display; their movements are measured and the feasibility of the task assessed. Ergonomists use those measurements to predict the physical load of building the vehicle.
The measured result
- A 70% reduction in the production line injury rate since 2003
- A 75% reduction in days lost to work injuries
- A 90% reduction in ergonomic problems such as overextended movements, difficult hand clearance and hard-to-install parts
- On average more than 900 virtual assembly assessments for each new vehicle launch
Ford attributes these results to virtual manufacturing tools and ergonomists together, not to a single technology.
What it means for a manufacturer
The most expensive mistake is the one discovered after the line is built. Trying the layout of a new station or a new model virtually makes both the ergonomic problem and the sequencing error visible before any concrete is poured. This is work that can start with a single station.