Balancing parallel assembly lines with disabled workers

[EN] In this paper, we study an assembly line balancing problem that occurs in sheltered worker centres for the disabled, where workers with very different characteristics are present. We are interested in the situation in which complete parallel assembly lines are allowed and name the resulting problem as parallel assembly line worker assignment and balancing problem (PALWABP). This approach enables many new possible worker-tasks assignments, what is beneficial in terms of both labour integration and productivity. We present a linear mixed-integer formulation and two heuristic solution methods: one is based on tabu search and the other is a biased random-key genetic algorithm (BRKGA). Computational results with a large set of instances recently proposed in the literature show the advantages of allowing such alternative line layouts.This research was supported by CAPES-Brazil and MEC-Spain (coordinated project CAPES DGU 258-12/PHB2011-0012-PC) and by FAPESP-Brazil. The authors thank Dr. Marcus Ritt, from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil), for providing the optimal solutions for the serial ALWABP. The authors also thank three anonymous reviewers for their comments which have helped improve this paper.Araujo, FFB.; Costa, AM.; Miralles Insa, CJ. (2015). Balancing parallel assembly lines with disabled workers. European J of Industrial Engineering. 9(3):344-365. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIE.2015.069343S3443659

The realities of achieving a Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive shopfloor in the age of Industry 5.0.

The employment of Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing has paved the way to interlinked machinery, shop floor flexibility and personalised production. However, despite the amplified level of productivity and efficiency, such advances may also take a toll on the operators’ skills and well-being. Over and above, worker diversification culminates in the novel ideology of Industry 5.0; where a triad is established between sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience within manufacturing. This broadens the horizon for worker diversification, especially for people with disabilities who may be estranged from the manufacturing shop floor due to an absence of accessibility, stigma, and other lingering challenges. In pursuit of comprehending these hurdles in the form of themes, a set of interviews were conducted with designers and engineers from a range of manufacturing companies, followed by a Reflexive Thematic Analysis Exercise. Three umbrella themes and eight sub-themes revealed an apparent level of friction between manufacturing engineers and the potential of recruiting operators with disabilities, a lack of design knowledge in creating inclusive workstations, and an absence of social sustainability with respect to disability employment in manufacturing. Accordingly, two major areas for future work by engineers, designers and academics are also proposed.peer-reviewe

Smart and sustainable human-centred workstations for operators with disability in the age of industry 5.0 : a systematic review

The World Bank has reported that over one billion individuals have a disability, implying that almost fifteen percent of the global inhabitants are susceptible to undergoing levels of discrimination, especially in employment. This issue may prevail on a manufacturing shop floor, whereby a wave of standardisation dominates such as in the design of shop floor workstations. Despite advances made in the literature, people with disabilities are still siloed from manufacturing. Consequently, the aim of this research work was to analyse literature’s current state of the art on the design of workstations for operators with disabilities within the context of Industry 5.0, where sustainability, human-centricity, and resilience are upheld. The study employed a systematic review of 69 publications from Scopus and Google Scholar published between 2013 and 2023, adhering to the updated PRISMA guidelines to identify the major research gaps. The review contributes an understanding of the current academic and industrial limitations such as the absence of social applicability of Industry 4.0 technology, the rift between academic knowhow and industrial implementation, and the lack of alignment with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Additionally, the review uncovered an absence in work bridging four disciplines together: workstation design, Industry 5.0, sustainability, and disability. An unprecedented understanding of the interdependency between all four disciplines within the remit of smart, sustainable, and inclusive manufacturing workstations is contributed. This review proposes directions amidst the four most relevant SDGs—SDGs 8, 9, 10, and 12 to the topic.peer-reviewe

Design universal : método de inclusão de pessoas com deficiência em postos de trabalho de produção industrial

Orientadora : Prof.ª Dr.ª Maria Lúcia Leite Ribeiro OkimotoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Artes, Comunicação e Design, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design. Defesa : Curitiba, 21/02/2018Inclui referências : p. 198-207Resumo: A inclusão de trabalhadores com deficiência nas indústrias está em crescimento, tanto por obrigações legais, quanto por uma pressão da sociedade para a convivência comum entre as pessoas com e sem deficiência. Isso gera novas condições e oportunidades para a organização de suas etapas. No caso industrial, verifica-se a necessidade de propor modos de organização dos processos de inclusão na produção industrial, que venham ao encontro do atendimento das condições estruturais, como máquinas, equipamentos e processos produtivos, quanto das condições humanas dos trabalhadores com deficiência, como formação laboral e qualidade de vida profissional. Assim, esta pesquisa apresenta a sequência de desenvolvimento de um método de inclusão à partir das coletas de práticas e highlights dos principais stakeholders identificados nos processos de inclusão. Em contraponto, realiza também a coleta nos Centros Especiais de Emprego para pessoas com deficiência da província de Valência, Espanha, como referência internacional. Utilizando o Design Science Research e com uma pesquisa qualitativa, propõe-se uma organização do processo de inclusão de pessoas com deficiência em postos de trabalho de produção industrial, identificado como MIPOTI. Este método proposto a partir da abordagem do Design Universal, se apresenta como uma sequência de quatro Momentos (Recrutamento/Seleção, Entrada/Acolhimento, Formação Laboral e Gestão do Cotidiano) e duas Estruturas (Preparação e Acompanhamento). Tanto os Momentos quanto as Estruturas são definidas por proposições alinhadas aos objetivos do método. Deste modo, todo o desenvolvimento do processo de inclusão é apresentado e discutido, sendo proposto como uma referência para a inclusão de pessoas com deficiência na produção industrial brasileira. Palavras-chave: Inclusão, Pessoas com Deficiência, Postos de Trabalho, Produção Industrial, Design UniversalAbstract: The inclusion of workers with disabilities in industries is growing, both by legal obligations and by a pressure from society for the common coexistence between people with and without disabilities. This creates new conditions and opportunities for organizing its steps. In the industrial case, there is a need to propose ways of organizing the processes of inclusion in industrial production that meet the structural conditions, such as machinery, equipment and production processes, as well as the human conditions of workers with disabilities, such as job training and quality of work life. Thus, this work presents the sequence of development of a method of inclusion from the collections of practices and highlights of the main stakeholders identified in the inclusion processes. In counterpoint, it also carries out the collection in the Sheltered Work Centres for Disabled of the province of Valencia, Spain, as an international reference. Using Design Science Research and a qualitative research, it is proposed an organization of the process of inclusion of people with disabilities in industrial production workplaces, identified as MIPOTI. This method, proposed from the Universal Design approach, is presented as a sequence of four Moments (Recruitment / Selection, Entry / Reception, Labor Formation and Management of Daily) and two Structures (Preparation and Follow-Up). Both Moments and Structures are defined by propositions aligned with the objectives of the method. Thus, the entire development of the inclusion process is presented and discussed, being proposed as a reference for processes of inclusion of people with disabilities in Brazilian industrial production. Keywords: Inclusion, People with Disabilities, Workplace, Industrial Production, Universal Desig