Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.ENGLISH SUMMARY: With the rise of Industry 4.0 and the development in technologies that contribute to this revolution in manufacturing, research has focused mainly on the machines and automated digital systems contributing to the manufacturing environment. Humans are still critical to manufacturing; offering unmatched ingenuity, robustness, and flexibility despite their apparent disadvantages in strength or precision. Many successful manufacturing firms still include humans in their manufacturing processes for these reasons, and it is critical that the integration of humans in an I4.0 manufacturing environment is given research attention.
This dissertation first explores the requirements for the integration of human workers into an I4.0 environment. It was determined that the largest problem with human integration exists with data related to the human being digitised, managed, and communicated with other entities in processes that are identified as Administrative Logistics. It is identified that an administration shell similar to the RAMI4.0 administration shell concept is required to manage these Administrative Logistics on behalf of the human, and that a holonic systems approach is beneficial. The dissertation then proposes the concept of a Human Resource Holon Administration shell (HRH-AS).
An architecture to implement such an administration shell is then developed, here named the BASE architecture. This administration shell facilitates the interfacing, data processing, and connectivity to other I4.0 components on behalf of the human, to aid in their integration to the digital factory environment around them.
The BASE architecture addresses three identified responsibilities of such an administration shell, namely interfacing, digital data management, and delegation to other I4.0 components. BASE stands for Biography, Attributes, Schedule, and Execution, and is a time-based separation of concerns for key augmentations provided to the human worker. The BASE architecture separates value-adding and decision-making plugin components, which are specific to an application, from the core components, which are generic to any application.
The BASE architecture led to the development of the 3SAL activity structure to facilitate the communication and management of industrial activities in a digital environment.
With the help of an industry partner, two case studies were developed to evaluate an implementation of the BASE architecture. The company is an aerospace composites manufacturer and was chosen for the labour-intensive requirements of the composites industry. The case studies aimed to evaluate the architecture against the three identified administration shell responsibilities and determine if the human workers are elevated to resource holon status. The first case study aimed to show how BASE facilitates interfacing with humans in an I4.0 environment and also acted as a technology demonstrator for the second case study. The second case study evaluated the effect BASE had on the Administrative Logistics involved in the business processes workers were involved in. Together these case studies fully evaluate BASE’s ability to facilitate the integration of humans into an I4.0 manufacturing environment through identified responsibilities of the administration shell.
The evaluation found that the BASE HRH-AS improves the effectiveness of Administrative Logistics of business processes the human workers were involved with, as well as opened new opportunities for decision making on the shop floor previously not possible. Value-adding, by means of the plug-in components of a BASE administration shell, has also been proven by the ability to do automated schedule management, automatic calculation of standard work and improved traceability using the 3SAL activity structure.AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Met die opkoms van Industrie 4.0 (I4.0) en die ontwikkeling in tegnologieë wat bydra tot hierdie revolusie in vervaardiging, het navorsing grotendeels gefokus op die masjiene en digitale stelsels wat tot die vervaardigingsomgewing bydra. Menslike werkers is steeds van kritieke belang vir vervaardiging, en bied ongeëwenaarde vindingrykheid, robuustheid en buigsaamheid, ondanks hul oënskynlike nadele in sterkte of noukeurigheid. Baie suksesvolle vervaardigingsondernemings sluit nogsteeds mense in hul vervaardigingsprosesse in om hierdie redes. Dit is dus noodsaaklik dat die integrasie van mense met 'n I4.0 vervaardigingsomgewing navorsingsaandag geniet.
Hierdie verhandeling ondersoek eerstens die vereistes vir die integrasie van menslike werkers in 'n I4.0 omgewing. Daar word eerstens geïdentifiseer dat die grootste probleem met die integrasie van mense bestaan uit oneffektiewe prosesse wat data en informasie tussen mense en ander komponente in die vervaardigingsprosesse komminikeer, stoor en bestuur. Hierdie prosesse word na verwys as Administratiewe Logistieke. Daar word ook geïdentifiseer dat 'n administrasie-dop soortgelyk aan die RAMI4.0 administrasie-dop konsep benodig word om Administratiewe Logistieke te bestuur namens die mens, en dat 'n holoniese stelselbenadering voordelig is. Die verhandeling stel dan die konsep van 'n Human Resource Holon Administration Shell (HRH-AS) voor.
Daarna word 'n argitektuur ontwikkel om so 'n administrasie-dop te implementeer, hier genoem die BASE argitektuur. Hierdie administrasie-dop vergemaklik die inskakeling, dataverwerking en konnektiwiteit met ander I4.0 komponente namens die mens. Die integrasie van die mens in die digitale fabrieksomgewing is dus bevoordeel.
Die BASE argitektuur spreek drie geïdentifiseerde verantwoordelikhede van so 'n administrasie-dop aan, naamlik: koppelling met die mens, digitale databestuur, en delegering na ander I4.0 komponente namens die mens. BASE staan vir Biography, Attributes, Schedule en Execution, en is 'n tydgebaseerde skeiding van belange vir aanvullings wat aan die menslike werker verskaf word. Die BASE argitektuur skei waardetoevoeging- en besluitneming-inpropkomponente, wat spesifiek vir 'n toepassing is, van die kernkomponente, wat generies is vir enige toepassing.
Die BASE argitektuur het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van die 3SAL aktiwiteitstruktuur om die kommunikasie en bestuur van industriële aktiwiteite in 'n digitale omgewing te vergemaklik.
Met die hulp van 'n bedryfsvennoot is twee gevallestudies ontwikkel om 'n implementering van die BASE argitektuur te evalueer. Die maatskappy is 'n lugvaart saamgestelde-mater komponent vervaardiger en is gekies vir die arbeidsintensiewe vereistes van die saamgestelde-mater bedryf. Die gevallestudies was daarop gemik om die argitektuur teen die drie geïdentifiseerde verantwoordelikhede van die administrasiedop te evalueer en te bepaal of die menslike werkers verhoog word tot holon status. Die eerste gevallestudie se doel was om te wys hoe BASE n koppelvlak tussen mense en digitale stelsels toelaat. Die eerste gevallestudie was ook 'n demonstrasie dat 'n toepassing in die bedryfsvenoot se fabriek toegepas kon word vir die tweede gevallestudie.
Die tweede gevallestudie het die effek geëvalueer wat BASE het op die Administratiewe Logistiek betrokke by die besigheidsprosesse waarby werkers betrokke was. Saam evalueer hierdie gevallestudies BASE se vermoë om die integrasie van mense in 'n I4.0 vervaardigingsomgewing te fasiliteer deur geïdentifiseerde verantwoordelikhede van die administrasiedop. Die evaluering het bevind dat die BASE HRH-AS die doeltreffendheid van Administratiewe Logistiek van besigheidsprosesse wat menslike werkers benut, asook nuwe geleenthede vir besluitneming op die winkelvloer, verbeter tot n mate wat voorheen nie moontlik was nie. Waarde-toevoeging, deur middel van die inpropkomponente van 'n BASE administrasie dop, is ook bewys deur die vermoë om outomatiese skedule-bestuur, outomatiese berekening van standaardwerk en verbeterde naspeurbaarheid met behulp van die 3SAL-aktiwiteitsstruktuur te doen.Doctora
