Human Work Productivity: A Global Perspective

249 Pages·2013·7.52 MB·English

by  Shrawan Kumar

Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering
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Human Work Productivity
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a Global Perspective
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The current global economic downturn and considerable shifting in industrial and
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manufacturing activities have disturbed the homeostasis of the industrial order.
However, human work productivity is still one of the most important components
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of the industrial economy and a determining factor in global competiveness and
influence as well as the potential for technological innovation and advancement. r
Human Work Productivity: A Global Perspective covers how human productivity k
affects the industrial economy and competitiveness across the industrial and manu-

facturing sectors. P
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Many approaches that have worked historically must now be reexamined and new
approaches must be developed. Integrating recent concepts related to human work o
productivity for modern production systems/organizations, this book examines how
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ergonomic improvements for the human operator and/or redesign and rearrange-
ment of the workplace can boost individual productivity. It also covers the impact u
of the aging workforce, reports on an investigation of total productive maintenance, c
and considers the efficacy of workplace design from a maintenance perspective.
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Discussions of work hours and their effect on productivity, the impact of technology,
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and productivity in a healthcare organization complete the coverage. v
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FeaTures t
• explores historical approaches and how they must evolve y
• Provides insights on how effective organizational design can improve
productivity
• Presents integrated approaches to improving productivity
• examines all aspects that feed into productivity K
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• Covers productivity in a number of different areas eM
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• Discusses correlations among other factors such as age, education, nr
population, and productivity aT •
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In any organization, all components must be considered as an integrated whole for rT
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sustained productivity. This book explores these components as independent fac- l
tors and examines their impact on productivity. It then discusses models integrating
these factors, creating a clear understanding of the whole, and details schemes of
optimization for putting that understanding into practice.
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H u m a n W o r k
P r o d u c t i v i t y
A Global Perspective

H u m a n W o r k
P r o d u c t i v i t y
A Global Perspective
Edited by
ShrAwAn KumAr • Anil mitAl
ArunKumAr PEnnAthur
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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© 2014 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
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Version Date: 20130624
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Contents
Preface ...............................................................................................................vii
Editors .................................................................................................................ix
Contributors ....................................................................................................xiii
Chapter 1 Ergonomics improvements for human operators—
Cost effectiveness approach .....................................................1
Issachar Gilad and Moran Elnekave
Chapter 2 Workstation redesign, workplace improvement, and
productivity ................................................................................25
Reem Al Kadeem
Chapter 3 Productivity and worker age ..................................................39
Kurt Landau, Margit Weißert-Horn, Angelika Presl, and
Regina Brauchler
Chapter 4 Human factors related to success of total productive
maintenance ...............................................................................65
Jorge Luis García Alcaraz, Alejandro Alvarado Iniesta, and
Aidé Aracely Maldonado Macías
Chapter 5 Design simplification and innovation through
adoption of a time-based design for maintenance
methodology ..............................................................................89
Anoop Desai and Anil Mital
Chapter 6 Changes in manufacturing worker productivity and
working hours in the United States ....................................107
Vignesh Ravindran, Aashi Mital, and Anil Mital
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC v
vi Contents
Chapter 7 Comparison of productivities of manufacturing
workers in U.S. and selected developed and fast
developing economies ............................................................131
Vignesh Ravindran, Aashi Mital, and Anil Mital
Chapter 8 Benefits of advanced manufacturing technologies ..........175
Jorge Luis García Alcaraz, Sergio Gutiérrez Martínez, and
Salvador Noriega Morales
Chapter 9 Productivity and technology: Techniques for
industrial energy savings ......................................................191
Alina Adriana Minea
Chapter 10 Productivity in healthcare organizations ..........................215
Priyadarshini Pennathur, Arunkumar Pennathur,
Paulina Cano, Natalia Espino, and Jacqueline Loweree
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Preface
Our world is in an economic flux. The relative economic prowess and
hence the influence of industry and commerce on the international stage
have created a state of unstable and dynamic equilibrium. The intercon-
nectedness of individual productivity, gross domestic product (GDP),
global economic impacts, and potential for technological innovation and
advancement has never been so apparent. Thus, enhancement of individ-
ual productivity exerts a direct impact on personal prosperity, national
affluence, and international influence. Based on these connections and
impacts, worker productivity has assumed a central and vital place in our
individual and collective economic lives.
This is an opportune time to delve into certain aspects of productiv-
ity. A topic as broad as productivity deserves and demands an exhaustive
discourse—a task that is daunting and beyond the scope of this work. This
book is an effort to explore some aspects of productivity in an attempt to
expand our understanding of its benefits and consequences.
This book begins with a chapter by Gilad and Elnekave that proposes
cost-effective ergonomic improvements to boost individual productivity.
These authors measured job elements and determined task durations by
extracting elemental times from motion–time tables and analyzing them.
Using such a quantitative approach, they were able to improve the opera-
tion time and determine appropriate rest allowances. Al Kadeem con-
versely addresses similar issues by redesign and rearrangement of the
workplace to enhance productivity (Chapter 2).
Landau et al. (Chapter 3) discuss the impact of increasing ages of work-
ers in the labor force. Contrary to common belief, they found that declines
in productivity due to age were minor. However, they suggest age-related
ergonomic adjustments for aging workers to maintain their health.
Alcaraz et al. (Chapter 4) report an investigation on total productive
maintenance. They quantified factors using a Likert scale and subjected
them to principal component analysis to discern the relative significance
of factors affecting productivity.
Production of any plant is impacted directly by maintenance condi-
tions. On the other hand, maintenance activities impede production. To
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC vii
viii Preface
handle this circular problem, Desai and Mital (Chapter 5) investigate
the efficacy of workplace design from a maintenance perspective. They
found a 58% time saving in maintenance activities resulting from work
design modifications. The all-important work hour factor and effects
on productivity were studied by Ravindran et al. (Chapter 6). Its signifi-
cance declined somewhat when the normal work week decreased from 60
hours early in the twentieth century to the current 40 hours. In Chapter
7, the authors compare the productivity of manufacturing workers in the
United States with their counterparts in selected developed and emerging
economies.
Chapters 8 and 9 address the impacts of technology on productiv-
ity. Alcaraz et al. consider the incorporation of advanced manufactur-
ing technologies in an effort to increase productivity. They report a
positive outcome of such an approach. In Chapter 9, Minea describes
the relationship of technology and productivity as well as techniques
for achieving energy savings. Finally, in Chapter 10, Pennathur et al.
review factors that impact productivity in healthcare organizations
and provide insights on effective organizational designs for improv-
ing productivity.
We hope the discussions of several aspects and approaches to produc-
tivity issues have addressed at least some of the concerns facing global
industries and relevant factors for improving productivity. It is hoped that
this small contribution will find a place in the broad economic fields of
production and productivity.
Shrawan Kumar
Anil Mital
Arunkumar Pennathur
© 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC