Author(s): Santos, Francisca ; Ribeiro, Ana ; Pimentel, Carina Maria Oliveira
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/95935
Origin: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Subject(s): Action-Research; Digitalization; Industry 4.0; Lean; Technologies
Industry 4.0 has made it possible to better integrate and streamline different stages of the production process mainly through the support of a collection of technologies. One of these technologies that might give businesses a competitive edge is digitalization, which can improve the effectiveness of corporate operations. This paper reports a research carried out in a Bosch factory, in the division responsible for Termotechnology, which designs, manufactures, and sells water and heating solutions for homes. Digitalizing the process related to operator allocation to workstations was the project’s main goal. In order to do this, a platform was created to compile all the data required for assigning workers to workstations based on facts, increasing transparency in the process by informing platform users of each worker’s degree of training and ergonomic restrictions. Another objective was to reduce the Full-Time Equivalent indicator. A pilot was run in one of the production lines of the factory to validate the developed platform. Lean tools and the action-research approach were used to address and accomplish the goals. Outsystems platform was used in the development of the application in addition to these tools. The outcomes showed that the operator allocation procedure using the new platform took less time overall, saving around 20 min per allocation. The division saw a decrease in assembly mistakes and rework, easier access to the information needed for allocation, and a shift in the allocation process from one based on empirical knowledge to one based on facts when this platform was implemented on the factory floor.
