Parameters affecting quality in manual assembly of engines

In manufacturing, it is vital that operators and other production personnel have the right information at the right time and right place. But what happens if we overestimate the usability of information for supporting the personnel in their assembly tasks?When does information serve as a quality assurance tool, and when does it become a too large part of the workload, thus reducing the time for core workplace activities, and instead becoming a part of the personnel’s workload? This paper reports on work that has been conducted at a heavy diesel engine assembly plant with the aim of finding information usability parameters that can affect the personnel negatively or positively. The paper presents and describes an evaluation of an existing information system at the plant. The aim of the evaluation was to find out why the assembly personnel, despite the fact that they had “all the information they needed”, did not always assemble the product according to specification and thereby caused an engine reject that had to be re-assembled. The initial hypothesis was that there would be a strong correlation between the production volume and the number of rejects due to “Information Overload”. However, the study revealed that the personnel do not use the IT system in a way that causes information overload. Instead, the degree to which the IT system supports/triggers different forms of information seeking behaviour is thought to be one of the main factors influencing internal reject

An assembly line information system study

Assembly line information systems are designed to provide assembly workers with appropriate information that allows the assembly of the product in good time and good quality. In this context product quality might be defined relative to the number of internal rejects or products which need some kind of reworking before being in a deliverable condition. This paper describes a pilot study of a heavy diesel engine assembly line where considerable variety is presented to the assembly workers in the form of engines destined for trucks, buses, marine applications and stationary power generation each of which has to comply with a variety of national and international standards. Internal rejects might for example occur through the fitting of subassemblies that are unsuited to the eventual application, and although an extensive information system is currently in place the level of internal rejects is considered to be unsatisfactory. The objectives of the study were to understand how the assembly workers interact with information systems and the impact this has on product quality and productivity. A single line was studied for ten days during which 2600 engines were assembled. At four of the assembly stations the existing information system was changed to reduce the amount of information to be assimilated by the workers, the timing of its presentation and its location. The use of simple colour-coded cards and symbols resulted in the reduction of internal rejects by 40% on two of the assembly stations and to zero on the other two stations. It is believed that changing the information system has changed the workers' behaviour through a reduction in cognitive stress levels. The pilot study has provided useful insights into the basis for modifying information systems and a further study of the final assembly of heavy trucks is planned with an ultimate aim of determining a rationale for the design of information systems for use within the assembly of customised products

Ergonomics analysis in a virtual environment

Simulation can support the design of an ergonomic workplace by enabling early assessment of ergonomic conditions in a virtual environment. An important feature is the possibility to study alternative solutions or the effect of improvements from an ergonomics perspective. To be able to conduct an efficient and reliable evaluation in a virtual environment, an objective analysis method is essential. Such an analysis method should be integrated in the simulation software, and support a company's everyday ergonomics work process. In order to gain from existing ergonomics knowledge within a company, the possibility to implement such wisdom in the current simulation software becomes important. This paper presents an implementation work done with the purpose of integrating an established ergonomics work process into a virtual environment. It describes the benefits of an ergonomics work process where simulation and evaluation at early stages of a design process are key factors. The paper will also describe the integration process, i.e., the technical issues as well as the change in work methods

A Comparison of Levels of Select Minerals in Scalp Hair Samples with Estimated Dietary Intakes of These Minerals in Women of Reproductive Age

The objective of this study was to evaluate daily intake of minerals and concentrations of minerals in hair in women of reproductive age. The study included 77 menstruating women, aged 35.9 ± 9.7 years. Subjects were divided into three groups according to age. All women were healthy. Hair samples were taken from several points of the occipital scalp. The content of minerals in hair samples was determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Dietary intake of the analysed minerals was assayed on the basis of dietary intake interviews from three preceding days and evaluated using the dietetic computer programme. It was shown that calcium and iron daily intake by the women was below the recommended value. Only few women had low concentrations (below reference values) of magnesium, copper and zinc in hair. Statistically significant differences were shown between age groups. Generally, the concentrations of minerals in hair in the younger (19–30 years) and the older women (41–50 years) were higher than in hair of middle-aged women (31–40 years). The content of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc in daily diets of women correlated inversely with copper level in their hair. Food products with good bioavailability of iron and calcium should be recommended for women of childbearing age in all age groups

The publics' understanding of daily caloric recommendations and their perceptions of calorie posting in chain restaurants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Calorie posting in chain restaurants has received increasing attention as a policy lever to reduce energy intake. Little research has assessed consumer understanding of overall daily energy requirements or perceived effectiveness of calorie posting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A phone survey was conducted from May 1 through 17, 2009 with 663 randomly selected, nationally-representative adults aged 18 and older, including an oversample of Blacks and Hispanics in the United States. To examine differences in responses by race and ethnicity (White, Black, and Hispanic) and gender, we compared responses by conducting chi-squared tests for differences in proportions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that most Americans were knowledgeable about energy requirements for moderately active men (78%) and women (69%), but underestimated energy requirements for inactive adults (60%). Whites had significantly higher caloric literacy and confidence about their caloric knowledge than Blacks and Hispanics (p < 0.05). As compared to their counterparts, Blacks, Hispanics and women reported a significantly higher likelihood of eating at a chain restaurant and of selecting lower calorie foods where caloric information was posted. Most Americans favored the government requiring chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus at the point of purchase (68%). Support for government mandated calorie posting in chain restaurants was significantly higher among Blacks, Hispanics and women as compared to their counterparts. The public was divided about the mode of caloric information that would best help them make a lower calorie decision; a third favored number of calories (35%) which is the current standard mode of presenting caloric information in chain restaurants, a third favored a physical activity equivalent (26%), and a third favored percentage of total energy intake (39%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mandating calorie posting in chain restaurants may be a useful policy tool for promoting energy balance, particularly among Blacks, Hispanics and women who have higher obesity risk.</p

Data for: Engaged Scholar(ship) in PSM: Creative tension or squeezed in the middle?

Results from focus prompt &quot;One thing that I need in order to survive and prosper as an engaged scholar within PSM is…”

Data for: Engaged Scholar(ship) in PSM: Creative tension or squeezed in the middle?

Results from focus prompt &quot;One thing that I need in order to survive and prosper as an engaged scholar within PSM is…”.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV