Guide for Automation of Low VolumeProduction

• There is a remaining need from both academia and practitioners, to gainfurther knowledge about the decision making process for automation of low volumeproduction. This paper includes insights of drivers for automation, the developmentof a guide for low volume production and the outcome of using the guide. Theresearch in this study is based on both empirical data and theoretical considerations.The empirical data was collected in five case studies and a questionnaire. This paperis part of a research project with the main objective to develop knowledge about howflexible automation may contribute to improvements in efficiency, ergonomics,quality and production economics in different industries with low volumeproduction. One of the results in the project was a comprehensive guide, developed,refined and improved in an iterative collaborative process, where tools and parts ofthe guide were tested and verified by five manufacturing case companies. The paperdescribes briefly the development process of the guide and content. The requirementsof the guide derived from literature, case companies, questionnaire as well asindustrial experts. The resulting guide can be used in several ways, depending on therequirements of the application. The guide includes guiding principles, a decisionmodel for the analysis of the company, choice of automation and facts aboutautomation. In the end of the project, four companies had invested or decided toinvest in different types of automation. 

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Produktionsteknik, arbetsvetenskap och ergonomi (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Flexible automation

decision model

automation investment

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)