Ergonomics: The Overlooked Advantage on the Shopfloor

00:00:04: Hello everybody and welcome to a new episode of our tech podcast by Bosch Rexroth.

00:00:08: My name is Robert Weber, my guest today is Erdinc Bozoglu next to me sitting here, and we want to talk about ergonomics in the industrial sector.

00:00:18: But before we start, please introduce yourself briefly to the listeners.

00:00:22: Thank you for the warm welcome Robert.

00:00:23: I'm Erdinc Bozoglu.

00:00:25: I am product manager for MPS, so manual production systems, at Bosch Rexroth.

00:00:30: I've been working there since, for three years now, and manual production system is mainly focused on lean-production and ergonomics, so ergonomics are a big part of my daily doing.

00:00:42: Do

00:00:43: we underestimate ergonomics when it comes to industrial settings or when it comes tothe shop floor?

00:00:50: Definitely!

00:00:50: So if you're thinking or talking about industrial setting we are always focusing on machines

00:00:57: automation, robots and stuff like that?

00:00:59: Exactly!

00:01:00: And sometimes forget about the people who are working there. So ergonomics is always focused on the employee.

00:01:07: So yeah, you need to consider it definitely.

00:01:11: Can you please share a bit what are basic ergonomic principles for workplace systems?

00:01:18: Because after that, we will go a little bit deeper into the Bosch Rexroth world.

00:01:22: Of course, so... We divide it into four sections: the body, the movements, the lighting and the planning.

00:01:30: So for the body,

00:01:31: we're talking about the body sizes or body heights of the people, the working area and also ability to adjust all the equipment.

00:01:41: That means the floors?

00:01:43: Exactly, that includes also the floor.

00:01:44: So if their floor already set up in a facility, then we're thinking about matts to just enable the employee to rest his body.

00:01:54: Okay. What else?

00:01:55: Where is ergonomics a key success factor from your point of view?

00:01:59: Because with ergonomics you are facing the big trends currently,

00:02:03: which manufacturers have to face. So, there we're talking about skills labors shortage and also increasing competition to do more with fewer people, your people are getting older and older, so all the staff is getting older.

00:02:20: And also you need to face a competition. So need to be...

00:02:24: They have work longer,

00:02:25: right?

00:02:25: They have to work longer and there they need be more efficient than in the past.

00:02:30: You need to design all your equipment and enable your employees to work really efficiently

00:02:38: and create healthier processes.

00:02:39: Okay, last time you visited your customer.

00:02:43: What are the most common problems when it comes to poorly designed workplaces?

00:02:50: These workstations don't consider any different types of employees. So they're always thinking about okay my employee is male, 1,75 and... Yeah, I need to configure every workstation for this guy.

00:03:06: But usually you have different sizes, different employees in the facility and also have to consider that everyone needs their health and stay healthy.

00:03:18: How difficult or how do you convince your customer to invest?

00:03:24: Invest is right point.

00:03:26: So usually, our customers are thinking about costs and the investment costs, so they're not really thinking about the investments.

00:03:33: So economics is for them costly.

00:03:35: You need to consider it, you need to plan and then also pay for it.

00:03:41: But if you think about an invest and think in terms of investment, then you see that the first initial cost-pay is quite hard.

00:03:51: It might seem big but

00:03:54: the long term effects of Economics are really beneficial in the long term.

00:03:59: Can you share?

00:04:00: Because we are an industrial setting,

00:04:02: imagine I'm a CEO of a manufacturing company. Can you share some KPIs for me?

00:04:08: So i want to hear some KPIs.

00:04:10: You want to hear some KPI.

00:04:12: So let's talk about the error rates.

00:04:14: We collected data from our customers and saw, that the error rates can be reduced by ten to thirty percent... ten to thirty? ten to thirty percent, and also the physical strain.

00:04:27: So you can decrease the physical strain by thirty to fifty percent, means... so, thirty-to-fifty per cent mean that your also reducing the sick leave?

00:04:37: Your employees are working there and not sick.

00:04:41: There is no downtime.

00:04:43: It's really good investment I think.

00:04:44: Is it also benefit for recruit people?

00:04:47: Of course!

00:04:48: If we think about labour shortage, if you think of skilled labor shortage, it's definitely an option to convince new employees to show them, hey, here we have all the process.

00:05:01: We invest in your health, so it's quite a good point to make.

00:05:07: Okay I want to invest now.

00:05:08: Can you describe a little bit the process?

00:05:11: Then,

00:05:12: what happens then in the next steps?

00:05:15: So, if you wanted to invest then you are already convinced in economics.

00:05:19: I'm convinced now, please explain the process.

00:05:22: What we need to do?

00:05:23: Then it's individual for every customer different.

00:05:26: So usually, we're trying to get in contact and you talk about. Is that an adjustment of current workstations or..? It's a current workstation.

00:05:37: yeah.

00:05:41: So, you're employee is currently working there, and then you can make smaller adjustments.

00:05:48:

00:05:49: I want to go the whole way.

00:05:49: The whole way?

00:05:51: So you have a holistic one?

00:05:52: I like it!

00:05:54: That means that... You really need to focus on the whole way, so if you want the whole way? Focus on the whole way not only your workstation but see the full facility and the manufacturing side and try to avoid thinking only about the workstation or everything.

00:06:11: And then you see the interaction, you see how the employee is running from one station to the other.

00:06:19: Is he getting a box and lifting it form workstation A to workstation B?

00:06:24: Or do you have material trolley?

00:06:25: Do you

00:06:25: also combine automation stuff then?

00:06:28: Definitely, so my task is the manual production system.

00:06:33: We are working with material trolleys and flow rigs and so on, but we have also a department, who's thinking about... Because

00:06:40: Bosch Rexroth is selling

00:06:41: a lot of information.

00:06:42: Definitely, and if you think about automation, then don't forget about the people.

00:06:47: But usually, people are also involved.

00:06:50: And if you have people involved, you need to think about ergonomics.

00:06:53: Yeah absolutely.

00:06:54: So you visit my plant,

00:06:56: you observe the situation.

00:06:58: What next?

00:06:58: So

00:06:59: usually, we give hints about small adjustments.

00:07:02: It can be done also by yourself and very easily within one day.

00:07:06: And if there are bigger adjustments needed, then we're getting into the planning phase and try to do it really fast, really calm so within a few weeks without disturbing their ongoing operations.

00:07:17: That's

00:07:18: important for me, yeah.

00:07:19: Definitely definitely!

00:07:20: So we tried to minimize the down times.

00:07:25: Do you have a planning tool?

00:07:26: Cab I see the planning or how does that work?

00:07:29:

00:07:30: Yeah, you can see it, you can see it by your own on our website or with us.

00:07:35: So we have a digital planning tool, where you can configure your own workstation and adjust to your own needs so that the standard one and then different type of options and accessories to realize your own workstations. And then you can also put an employee in there

00:07:52: look how the grab area is working and how the size of people's working. Is the work station too big for them?

00:08:00: Quite good to do it in the beginning.

00:08:02: And if you ask me, if you do it before, then you don't need any much more adjustments and ongoing operations.

00:08:10: What is the biggest problem

00:08:11: in the shop floors in Europe?

00:08:14: The biggest problem is that the human being was not focused.

00:08:18: So it was always about workstation and we need to do more pieces, and we need be faster and efficient.

00:08:25: But they didn't think really about the person, who is doing it.

00:08:29: And if you start to think about the person there and the employee, then you will get another view on ergonomics and think differently about it.

00:08:40: So everybody's talking about new shop floor ideas, modular shop floors, individual production lines.

00:08:47: How do you handle these wishes?

00:08:50: We are thinking about definitely, and I really like it to have the factory in a future more modular and connected and flexible.

00:08:57: But anyways, you don't have to forget about the people, because even if there are more robots and more machines, always employees will be there.

00:09:07: So in my point of view, employees will also get more into focus, because the ergonomic workstation will be the interface.

00:09:15: If your thinking about the collaboration with a cobot on a workstation, then you know, okay Cobot is one part of it but the employee is the other part.

00:09:23: So you will always think about and get more into focus.

00:09:29: What is on your agenda for next month when it comes to ergonomics and the shop floor?

00:09:33: We want to promote this topic more and also get the attention from customers and potential new customers, who aren't really thinking about. Some companies currently don't see or don't focus on a relation between ergonomics and downtime, and secretes.

00:09:52: So new branches?

00:09:54: Yeah, definitely that will be also in part.

00:09:56: So we are thinking about new branch like warehouse and interlogistics. There we are talking about picking and packing stations and also about FMCG.

00:10:08: Exactly!

00:10:10: We want to show our workstations, who currently more focused than on mounting workstations. Try to focus it also for other companies.

00:10:20: I keep my fingers crossed for you and your team.

00:10:23: All the best.

00:10:23: Thanks a lot!

00:10:24: Thank You!