Towards automatic validation of operation times in manual processes: Two industrial cases

Other conference contribution, 2020

For manual operations in assembly or production logistics is valid time data a prerequisite for engineering applications as well as cost efficient utilization of resources by enabling accurate planning and control of the operations. Recent development in digital technologies can support
a shift to a real-time and automatic gathering and analysis of operation times for manual materials handling and assembly operations. Still, questions arise on the use of such technologies for the case of measuring operation times, while considering e.g. personal integrity, data quality,
as well as alignment to operational KPIs and engineering applications. This paper introduces two manufacturing engineering cases at two companies with a basic digital infrastructure in place and where operational KPIs are used for performance measurement and improvement.
The first case presents a company in the early stages of its digitalization journey where process mapping, modelling and simulations of a real production situation builds the base for further investments in real-time data gathering solutions. The second case presents a situation of an
engineering laboratory exploring and developing solutions to be fit for further introduction to the real production sites. These two case examples illustrate two distinct ends of a digital maturity spectrum, each one with specific challenges in introducing systems for automatic validation of operation times in manual processes. The cases are discussed in relation to the three earlier posed questions and related to challenges concerning operational dimensions (e.g. efficiency, flexibility, data quality, continuous improvement), human aspects (e.g. integrity,safety), technology aspects (e.g. data security, interoperability) and cost aspects (e.g. investment cost, running cost).