Computer-aided planning of manual assembly workplaces

The detailed planning of working places, in terms of adapting the work to the workers is an important step for the design of new working systems. The planner fixes during this phase both methods and conditions for the latter work, considering a lot of ergonomical, technical and organsiational aspects, as well as restrictions of the particular problem. In the past this resulted in solutions being totally dependent on the qualification and the experience of the planner. Obviously the chance for getting relatively bad designed working places is increasing with the number of planning tasks to be performed concurrently. To ease the problems described above, our Institute has developed a computer aided program for the design of manual assembly places. It enables the planner to perform all teh essential tasks, needed for the design of working places. Due to the computer aid, the planner gets relief from repetitive tasks, leaving more time for the increasing number of creative tasks.