Ergonomic Optimization of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Sustainable Assembly Systems:
Ergonomic Optimization of Volkswagen
Commercial Vehicles Production
a
@ Assembly Engineering Conference 2016
Uwe Hüter, Teamleiter Ergonomie, Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge Hannover
Dr. Lars Fritzsche, Fachbereichsleiter Ergonomie, imk automotive GmbH
Contents
1.
Challenges at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
2.
General Procedure and Employee Participation
3.
Implementation of Improvements
4.
Ergonomic Design Process
5.
Summary
Seite 2
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
1
2
3
4
Length and Height in Comparison to Passenger Cars
Crafter max. 6,9 m
Crafter (max. 2,7 m)
T6 (max. 2,4 m)
T6
Amarok
Golf 1,4 m
Amarok
Golf 4,2 m
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
T6 max.
5,3 m
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
(1) Product Dimensions
• Product Dimensions:
 Greater length and height of vehicles
 More difficult accessibility
 Increased proportion of overhead work
 Parts are bigger in size and weight
 More assembly tasks in car interior
• Product Lifecycle
• Plant Structures
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
1
2
3
4
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
Part Dimensions
Wooden ground floor (ca. 20 kg)
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
Paint auxiliary fittings
1
2
3
4
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
(2) Product Life Cycle
•• Product
Dimensions :
Produktdimensionen:

length
and
of vehicles
 Greater
Höhe und
Länge
derheight
Fahrzeuge

difficult
accessibility
 More
(dadurch)
andere
Zugänglichkeiten

proportion
of overhead work
 Increased
höherer Anteil
Überkopf-Arbeit

bigger
in size
weight
 Parts
Größeare
und
Gewicht
derand
Bauteile

assembly
tasks in car interior
 More
Höherer
Anteil Innenraumtätigkeiten
• Product Lifecycle
• Plant Structures
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
1
2
3
4
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
1
2
Product Lifecycle in Comparison to Passenger Cars
T6
2003
Seite 7
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2015
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
3
4
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
(3) Plant Structure
• Product Dimensions :
 Greater length and height of vehicles
 More difficult accessibility
 Increased proportion of overhead work
 Parts are bigger in size and weight
 More assembly tasks in car interior
• Product Lifecycle
• Plant Structure
Seite 8
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
1
2
3
4
Challenges at VW Commercial Vehicles
1
Seite 9
ML 4
ML 3
ML 13
ML 14
Doors Preasembly
BA5
Structure of Hannover Plant: NZM (New Sustainable Assembly)
BA4
BA5
BA6
BA7
Finish
Step 4
Step 3
Step 2
Step 1
SOP 2016/2017
SOP 01/2016
SOP 2015
SOP 2012/2013
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
2
3
4
Contents
1.
Challenges at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
2.
General Procedure and Employee Participation
3.
Implementation of Improvements
4.
Ergonomic Design Process
5.
Summary
Seite 10
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General Procedure at Hannover Plant
1
2
Ergonomics as Part of the Plant Strategy
Volkswagen Production System
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Volkswagen „Fit for Future“ Programme
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
3
4
General Procedure at Hannover Plant
Employee Participation in „Review Teams“
• Review Teams consists of representatives
from different departments (Production,
Planning, I.E., HR, Unions, etc.)
• Common generation and assessment of
ideas for ergonomic improvements
• Systematic status tracking and continuous
reporting to plant management
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
1
2
3
4
General Procedure at Hannover Plant
1
2
Reporting and Escalation Levels
Press shop
Review Team
Step
1
2
3
Seite 13
Body shop
Paint shop
Assembly
Quality Contr. Logistics
Improving ergonomics workplace design in 21 review teams
across the entire commercial vehicle production process
Activity
Level
Turnus
Cost center committee
Section Manager
Every 3 weeks
Ergonomics steering committee
(all shops, all activities)
Plant Manager
Every 2 month
Live presentation of topics from
Body, Paint and Assembly shop
Board Member
Every 6 weeks
(1 example)
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3
4
Contents
1.
Challenges at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
2.
General Procedure and Employee Participation
3.
Implementation of Improvements
4.
Ergonomic Design Process
5.
Summary
Seite 14
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
Implementation of Improvements
1
2
increasing costs, complexity , timely effort
Categories of Improvements
1. Work organization:
1.1 Workplace design (working height, platforms, racks, trolleys, etc.)
1.2 Process design (change of sequence, line balancing, optimization)
2. Technical improvements:
2.1 Lightweight stool
2.2 Raku seat
2.3 Tools & Fixtures
2.4 Manipulator & Balancer
2.5 Automatic Tools / Screwdrivers
2.6 Full Automation
3. Product design:
3.1 Parts & Design changes
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3
4
Implementation of Improvements
1
2
3
Definition of „Ergonomic improvement path“
160
x WP-Design
x Tools
x Manipulator
x Automation
140
120
x WP-design
x Stools
x Tools
x Manipulator
x Automation
x Part design
100
80
60
(dates and improvements
are fictitious )
x WP-Design
x Stools
x Tools
x Manipulator
x WP-Design
x Tools
x Raku seat
x Manipulator
x WP-Design
x Stools
x Manipulator
x Screwdriver
40
Product
changes T7
20
0
Initial Situation
Seite 16
1.HY 2014
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2. HY 2014
1.HY 2015
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
2.HY 2015
2016
20xx
4
Status quo
1
T6
2
Amarok
Work organisation
& technical measures
NZM 2016
NZM 2017
NZM 2018

T7
Status
01/2013
Seite 17
Status
01/2013
Status
02/2016
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
Status
02/2016
3
4
Example: Press shop
1
2
3
(1) Roof frame
After
Before
• 3 parts at a time (total weight > 3 kg)
• Ergonomically bad picking height
• Deep bending while placing
• 2 workers (left/right)
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35 Pts.
12 Pts.
- 23 Pts.
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
• Decoupling of worker from press cycle
time
• No manual load handling
• Packaging is now possible with one
worker
4
Example: Body shop
1
2
3
(2) Hood assembly und adjustment
After
Before
FOTO
FOTO
72Pts.
35 Pts.
- 37 Pts.
• Hood fixture has to be liftet manually (7,5 kg)
• Fixture with gas spring. Lifting force < 30 N
• Red workplace for 8 workers
• Strong reduction of assymetric shoulder strain
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
4
Example: Paint shop
1
2
3
(3) Optimization glueing of interior rear view mirror
After
Before
• Rework for glueing the interior mirror
• Sitting on lightweight stool
• Deep bending, standing posture or crouching
• Reduction of rework through optimization of the
glueing station and workplace
• Red workplace for 2 workers
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
4
Example: Assembly shop
1
2
3
(4) EC-screwdriver for seat belts
After
Before
FOTO
FOTO
73 Pts.
48 Pts.
- 25 Pts.
• Screw seat belts with power screwdriver (pistol
grip) and manually tightening with wrench
• Screws are tightend with the EC-screwdriver, no
manual tightening and documentation
• Screws have to documented on data card
• Increased productivity, double handling avoided
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4
Example: Assembly shop
1
2
3
(5) Door preassembly
After
Before
FOTO
• Doors were fixed at the vehicle
• Ergonomic problems due to restricted
acessibility in many assembly stations
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• Doors are now seperated in a pre-assembly line,
and reassembled to the car later in the process
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
4
Example: Assembly shop
1
2
(7) Leightweight stool for interior tasks
After
Before
FOTO
FOTO
55 Pts.
48 Pts.
- 7 Pts.
• Stool placed in the vehicle, multiple pick & place
actions with assymetric load handling (> 5 kg)
• Red workplace for 5 workers
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• Leightweight stool 2,5 Kg
• Reducction of manual load handling > 50%
• High acceptance by workers
Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
3
4
Contents
1.
Challenges at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
2.
General Procedure and Employee Participation
3.
Implementation of Improvements
4.
Ergonomic Design Process
5.
Summary
Seite 24
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Team Ergonomie, NP-HE/22
Ergonomic Design Process
1
2
General (Future) Procedure
Product Engineering
Production Planning
Series Production
Ergonomic Product Design
Ergonomic Work Design
Ergonomic Assessment and
Continuous Improvement
Critical ergonomic work tasks from reference car
Optimizing ergonomically critical work
from PRODUCT point of view
Optimizing ergonomically critical work
from PROCESS point of view
Corrective
Ergonomics
Prospective
Ergonomics
Seite 25
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3
4
Summary
• Ergonomic challenges in commercial vehicles production due to
greater dimensions of body and parts and prolonged lifecycle
• Systematic approach is based on plant strategy and includes
comprehensive risk assessment and status tracking
• Participation of employees (Review Teams) and reporting to plant
management (Escalation Levels) is key for success
• In future more efforts should be concentrated on prospective
ergonomic design at product and production process level
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(Video 90 s)
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Contact data:
Uwe Hüter
Team Manager Ergonomics
[email protected]
Tel.: +49-511-798-7237
Dr. Lars Fritzsche
Division Manager Ergonomics
[email protected]
Tel.: +49-162-2500-347