Human-oriented assembly line balancing and sequencing model in the industry 4.0 era

Abstract

Ergonomics plays a crucial role in the design process of manual assembly systems, since a poorly ergonomic workplace leads to injuries, accidents, and musculoskeletal disorders. Using Industry 4.0 solutions, smart technologies, and cloud platforms, the well-being of workers can be improved more easily than in the past. In this context, smartwatches can be used to monitor workers’ health and to collect data about the physical efforts of each worker during the working day, in relation to energy expenditure or heart rate monitoring. Managers can use data collected via these smart solutions to improve sequencing and scheduling processes in terms of both ergonomics and time, achieving a trade-off between ergonomics and productivity. Using real-time monitoring, a dynamic scheduling and sequencing approach can be implemented to guarantee the right safety level for each worker. In this chapter, we give a general overview of smart tools for measuring and quantifying the ergonomics level. Based on the data from smartwatches, we propose a multi-objective assembly line balancing model and an ergo-sequencing model, and demonstrate the benefits of using smart solutions and Industry 4.0 tools. The limitations are discussed using a real case application. Our conclusions can guide managers and practitioners during the design phase.