Ford Reduces Production Line Injury Rate by 70 Percent for Its More Than 50,000 ‘Industrial Athletes’
July 16 2015 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
- Since 2003, Ford has reduced its
assembly line employee injury rate by 70 percent through the latest
ergonomics research, assembly improvements and lift-assist
technologies
- Ford ergonomists play a key role in
reducing worker injuries by generating data to predict the physical
impact of building vehicles; on average, more than 900 virtual
assembly task assessments are made for each new-vehicle launch
- Ford uses virtual manufacturing to
certify the vehicle assembly process before the first vehicle rolls
off the line; the most recent launches to benefit from the
technology include the 2015 Ford Mustang, F-150, Edge and 2016
Explorer
Since 2003, Ford has reduced the injury rate by 70 percent for
its more than 50,000 “industrial athletes” in the U.S., and many
more around the world, through new ergonomics technology,
lift-assist devices, workstation redesign and data-driven process
changes.
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Ford Motor Company has reduced its
production line injury rate by 70 percent since 2003 for its more
than 50,000 ''industrial athletes'' by using virtual manufacturing
and ergonomists. Immersive virtual reality uses a 23-camera
motion-capture system and head-mounted display to virtually immerse
an employee in a future workstation. Then, the employee's movements
are evaluated to determine task feasibility and proficiency.
(Photo: Business Wire)
“We refer to our assembly line employees as ‘industrial
athletes’, due to the physical nature of the job,” said Allison
Stephens, technical leader for assembly ergonomics at Ford. “We
have made data-driven decisions through ergonomics testing that has
led to safer vehicle production processes and resulted in greater
protection for our employees.”
While automotive designers focus on a vehicle’s look and the
customer experience, Ford virtual manufacturing experts focus on
two key areas – design feasibility and the safety of employees on
the production line.
Two to three years in advance of a new-vehicle launch, Ford
ergonomists virtually simulate the build process using both human
and virtual test subjects to assess the physical labor needed to
build a vehicle. In an effort to reduce and help prevent employee
fatigue, strain and injury, the data collected is used to guide
engineering solutions prior to implementing tasks on the production
floor.
Core virtual manufacturing technologies
On average, Ford ergonomists complete more than 900 virtual
assembly task assessments per new-vehicle launch, centered on three
core technologies – full-body motion capture, 3D printing and
immersive virtual reality. Each provides critical data used to
evaluate the overall safety of the assembly process for employees,
while maintaining high vehicle quality for customers.
Virtual manufacturing experts at Ford use the following
tools:
- Full-body motion capture
provides data on how an employee uses his or her body to move and
complete tasks. Through more than 52 motion-capture markers placed
on an employee’s arms, back, legs and torso, ergonomists can record
more than 5,000 data points to evaluate muscle strength and
weakness, joint strain and body imbalance. Similar technology is
used across professional sports to improve athletes’ techniques and
help them avoid injury
- 3D printing is used by an
ergonomist to validate hand clearance in the vehicle assembly
process in those instances in which virtual simulation yields
unclear results. Employees with various hand sizes use the
3D-printed model to test how tight the space will be in vehicle
assembly – which helps to drive better production decisions
- Immersive virtual reality uses a
23-camera motion-capture system and head-mounted display to
virtually immerse an employee in a future workstation. Then, the
employee’s movements are evaluated to determine task feasibility
and proficiency
“Motion tracking technology has been used for more than 30 years
to quantifiably assess the technique of athletes and reveal where
they may be susceptible to injury from overuse or from forces that
will damage tissues,” said Gary Scheirman, vice president for
applications engineering, Motion Analysis Corporation. “Using
similar technology, Ford can develop state-of-the-art, safe working
environments for its employees and produce better vehicles for its
customers.”
Virtual manufacturing program results
To date, Ford ergonomists have worked on more than 100
new-vehicle launches globally using virtual manufacturing tools –
most recently the 2015 Ford Mustang, F-150, Edge and 2016 Explorer.
Through significant investments in the program, not only has Ford
achieved a reduction in employee injury rates, it has seen a 90
percent reduction in such ergonomic issues as overextended
movements, difficult hand clearance and tasks involving
hard-to-install parts.
“Our goal is to provide a healthy, safe and productive work
environment at our Ford manufacturing facilities worldwide,” said
Michael Torolski, Ford executive director, Vehicle Operations
Manufacturing Engineering. “The ergonomics and virtual
manufacturing processes support our injury reduction strategy and
enable early validation of production-technology changes.”
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across
six continents. With about 194,000 employees and 66 plants
worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and
Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
For news releases, related materials and
high-resolution photos and video, visit www.media.ford.com.
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Ford Motor CompanyKristina
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Love313.303.9570llove22@ford.com
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