Studying a process or operation is always going to be part of an lean initiative. Many times, people head to the floor, and look for ways to make a process more efficient. When doing this, while we look at the cycle time, we tend to forget about the ergonomic burden placed on the operators. This tool can help to shed some light on the ergonomic effect this process has on the operator.

The first time I used this tool, I managed to find 2 items that were above a weight factor identified by the ergonomic burden tool. We have studies this particular operation many times, and have never even picked up the 2 items we were able to improve upon.

One of the items was a simple fixture/jig we used. It was 2.4 lbs, and the ergonomic tool places a burden factor if something is over 1 lb. We never knew this. We since made the change to the tooling, machined off 1.4 lbs, and removed the ergonomic factor associated with it. The operators thanked us for it the next day.

This tool can do this for every operation you have.

Price is $4.95