From Fixed to Flexible: Automation and Work Organization Trends from the International Assembly Plant Survey
Name
Mac_Pil2.pdf
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56.03 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
42b33845874463b4bbca222663b648ec
Author(s)
MacDuffie, John Paul
Pil, Frits K.
Date Issued
1996
Series/Report no.
Transforming Auto Assembly: International Experiences with Automation and Work Organization;
Abstract
The paper is organized into seven sections. First, we define how we measure automation
in the assembly plant study. Second, we describe the overall regional trends in the use of
automation from 1989 to 1993/94. Third, we explore the patterns of usage for robotic equipment
across regions, emphasizing in particular the significant move by many companies towards the
replacement of fixed or "hard" automation with flexible, programmable automation. Fourth, we
explore departmental differences in the use of automation, emphasizing the evolution in thinking
about the most effective way to automate various tasks in the body, paint, and assembly shops.
While automation levels continue to rise in the body and paint shops, a different approach is
being taken in the assembly department, the most labor-intensive area of the plant and yet the
place where total automation solutions have been most elusive. Fifth, we describe how trends in
the adoption of flexible automation are linked to the adoption of flexible work practices that seek
to boost worker involvement in production-related problem-solving. Sixth, we summarize what
we have learned about the performance implications (in terms of productivity and quality) of the
automation trends described here. The seventh section presents our conclusions from these
analyses and our speculation about future trends in automotive manufacturing automation.
Subjects
assembly plant
automation
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