The recognition that there are not only humane but also economic reasons for improving work conditions for serial assembly workers is reflected in a new engine assembly system at Mercedes Benz AG. This system was planned by Mercedes Benz AG in collaboration with the Fraunhofer-Institute for Industrial Engineering, Stuttgart. This new assembly system offers the following advantages: planning with ergonomic-oriented planning techniques (e.g., videosomatography, personnel-oriented simulation,) individually adjustable height at every workstation, individual direction of entrance at every workstation, individual information system with terminals at every workstation. The purpose of this article is to describe the ergonomic advantages of the assembly system, the individual planning steps it involves, and finally, the actual realization of the system.
