Reduction of Labor Turnover Impact through Dynamic Work Allocation and Active Operator Replacement Policies

本项目将研究不同的工作分配策略，结合操作员更换政策，似乎更适合高劳动力流动率的环境。 这个想法是找到工作分配方法，给新操作员更少的工作量，并自动增加这一负荷，因为他们获得的经验。特别是，将研究减少劳动力流动对生产率的影响时，混合装配方法的基础上斗旅和工作共享的使用。 这项调查将通过构建适当的分析和模拟模型，不同的生产线和工作分配和操作员更换策略。 研究的一个重要特点是将与工业界保持密切合作。 为了开发和测试模型，调查人员将收集信息，并在工业合作伙伴的设施中验证研究结果。劳动力流动率高是美国工业生产率和竞争力落后的主要原因，也是影响制造企业竞争力的巨大成本。 与劳动力流动率相关的成本通常包括与招聘和培训新员工相关的成本。 然而，还有其他成本，例如新操作员引入装配线的可变性造成的生产损失，这些成本经常被忽视。 这些生产损失是新员工学习过程的结果，而目前的装配线并不适合。 虽然处理高劳动力流动率的通常方法侧重于通过使用长期策略来减少它，例如更好的招聘和激励员工留在公司，但本研究项目寻求工程解决方案来减轻其负面影响。 这对于尚未感受到执行长期政策的好处的时期尤为重要。

This project will investigate different work allocation strategies in conjunction with operator replacement policies that appear to be more suitable for high labor turnover environments. The idea is to find work allocation methods that give less workload to new operators and automatically increase this load as they gain experience. In particular, the reduction of the effects of labor turnover on productivity when hybrid assembly methods based on bucket brigade and work sharing are used will be will be researched. This investigation will be performed by constructing the appropriate analytical and simulation models of different production lines and work allocation and operator replacement strategies. An important characteristic of the research is the close collaboration that will be maintained with industry. In order to develop and test the models, the investigators will gather information and validate the research results in the facilities of the industrial partner.High labor turnover, frequently cited as a major contributor to lagging productivity and competitiveness of the U.S. industry, represents enormous costs that impact the competitiveness of a manufacturing firm. The costs more frequently associated with labor turnover include those associated with recruiting and training the new employees. However, there are other costs, such as production losses caused by the variability introduced by the new operators into the assembly line, that are frequently ignored. These production losses are the result of the learning process that the new employees go through and that the current assembly lines are not designed to accommodate. While the usual approach to deal with high labor turnover focus on reducing it by using long-term strategies such as better recruiting and giving incentives to employees to stay with the company, this research project seeks engineering solutions to mitigate its negative effects. This is particularly important for the period in which the benefits of the implementation of long-term policies are not felt yet.