The Volvo Uddevalla Plant: Production Principles, Work Organization, Human Resources and Performance Aspects. Some results from decade’s efforts toward reformation of assembly work

Report, 1996

This publication can be regarded as sort of preliminary summarised analyse of selected parts of our combined methods to analyse production/assembly systems (of combined data, collections of company data, interviews, reconfigure and develop information systems for product data, questionnaire surveys, video-registration, etc.). For example, this has been carried out by means of constructions so-called schematised layouts (a more general function if the production system in question).

However, this publication is also the final evidence (proof) of the research and development work to bring forward alternatives to line assembly work (this in form of being able to inflict the design of the Volvo Uddevalla plant and partly in parallel, in addition, contribute to the so-called assembly docks a the Volvo truck plant in Tuve). A work that in these particular two cases were carried out during nine years in a number of experimental workshops located outside the Chalmers University of Technology. These two workshops were financed by the Volvo Automobile and Truck companies (to some extent also by The Swedish Work Environment Fund and later on by The Swedish Transport and Communication Research Board, i.e. at Chalmers than this two experimental workshop was closed down). This achievement was the final contribution to the Swedish automotive industry after having already treated this research field/problem area for more than two decades before this particular period if time (involving several junior and senior research competencies, as well as industrial and governmental foundings).

Among other things, the authors prove (by means empirical data) the vocational learning and training theories of so-called holistic learning advocated by the senior research competency who was helping us out all through the passing years. That is, the proportionally shorter learning and training times as the work content expands (providing that certain aids are at hand, like e.g. the advanced materials feeding technique by means of materials kits used in this assembly plant).