SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE

• US 20100049574A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hicks, Thomas, Weber-Hicks, Angela C., Paul, Robin, Ryder, Dan, Evers, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A method and system for optimizing the manufacturing workforce and reducing workforce boredom in an assembly plant is provided. A master database contains all the plant workers along with all of the assembly tasks required to be performed at the assembly plant for a predetermined period, a repetitive threshold value for each worker, and a burden value for each assembly task. Each worker is assigned to a particular assembly task based upon the attributes of the worker and the assembly task requirements. A first schedule is generated by matching assembly tasks to a worker. The first schedule is then used to generate a second schedule such that workers do not exceed a repetitive value threshold or a burden value threshold. Thus the method and system generates schedules such that workers are given a variety of assembly tasks and therefore are not bored by performing the same task repetitively.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating the optimization of manufacturing workforce and reducing workforce boredom in an assembly plant having multiple assembling tasks and workers comprising the steps of:

providing a first database of all of the workers assigned to work in the assembly plant;

providing a second database of all of the assembly tasks required to be performed at the assembly plant for a predetermined period;

providing a third database of repetitive task factors assigned to each of the tasks;

establishing a repetitive value threshold for each worker;

then processing the first database with the second database whereby each task is assigned a worker to generating a first schedule showing each particular assembly task and the personnel assigned thereto; and

then

processing the first, second, and third database so as to generate a second schedule assigning a worker to each of said tasks, wherein no worker exceeds the repetitive value threshold assigned to said worker.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first database includes the training skills and physical abilities of each worker.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the second database includes training skills and physical abilities best suited to accomplish each assembly task.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, further including the step of processing the first and second database to assign each task a worker by matching the training skills and physical abilities of a particular worker to the training skills and physical abilities best suited to accomplish a particular assembly task.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1, further including the step of providing a fourth database of burden values for each of said tasks.

6. A method as set forth in claim 5, further including the step of establishing a burden value threshold;

7. A method as set forth in claim 6, further including the step of processing the first, second, third, and fourth database so as to generate a second schedule assigning a worker to each of said tasks, wherein no worker exceeds neither the repetitive value threshold assigned to said worker, nor the burden value threshold.

8. A method as set forth in claims 4 and 7, further including the step of generating an alert if the second schedule contains an instance where a worker is scheduled the same assembly task in the first schedule, or if the second schedule contains an instance where the total burden value of a worker from the first schedule and the second schedule exceed a predetermined total of burden values.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a greedy algorithm is used to process the first database with the second database to assign each task a worker thereby generating a first schedule, and then further process the first, second, and third database so as to generate a second schedule assigning a worker to each of said tasks, wherein no worker exceeds the repetitive value threshold assigned to said worker.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a tree-based algorithm is used to process the first database with the second database to assign each task a worker thereby generating a first schedule, and then further process the first, second, and third database so as to generate a second schedule assigning a worker to each of said tasks, wherein no worker exceeds the repetitive value threshold assigned to said worker.

11. A system for optimizing manufacturing workforce and reducing workforce boredom in an assembly plant having multiple assembling tasks and personnel, said system comprising:

a database for storing a list of all workers assigned to the assembly plant, the list of all workers including the attributes of each worker, and a repetitive threshold value for each worker, and a list of all assembly tasks to be completed at the assembly plant, the list of all assembly tasks including the training and physical requirements, and a burden value of each assembly task;

a computer processing unit in communication with said database, the computer processing unit executing a software application containing a scheduling algorithm;

the scheduling algorithm generating a first schedule assigning each identified assembly task to a worker matching the training and physical requirements of each assembly task to the attributes of each worker, generating a second schedule wherein no worker exceeds the repetitive value threshold assigned to said worker,

an interface whereby a user may use the interface to modify a schedule showing the personnel assigned to assembly tasks; and

an alert, whereby the alert is generated if a worker is assigned the same assembly task in the first and second schedule, or if the worker'"'"'s total burden value from the first schedule and second schedule exceeds a second predetermined total of burden values.