Modification of a Plant's Engine Assembly Line to Reduce Employee Movement and Increase Productivity 2012-36-0218

Modification of the workstations of the automaker engine assembly line in the Betim/MG unit, with a focus on ergonomics, reducing employee movement during the implementation of activities by eliminating activities that do not add value to the product. The entire project was structured according to WCM (World Class Manufacturing) methodology that consists of concepts, principles and techniques for managing operational processes, inspired by the Toyota Production System (TPS), which focuses on wastage elimination. The WCM is supported by technical and management pillars and the one used in this study was the WO (Workplace Organization) that seeks to create an ideal workplace to achieve maximum safety, improved quality, and maximum value in product transformation. The premise for the development of the solutions was the minimum use of resources, prioritizing simplicity of the devices by applying concepts of low cost automation (LCA) leaving the material near the assembling point. The results were workstations with balanced assembly times, thus increasing productivity by 30%, providing greater safety in the activities of the operator and a reduction of 39% in the activities that add no value to products.