Insights: Ergonomics Study, Automation’s Role in Site Selection
What we're reading in August 2023
This month, we’re covering economic development and site selection factors based on comparing robotics and labor force development, a detailed ergonomics study on the impact of lifts and other work-positioning equipment on speed and injury rates, manufacturing construction and a bit more.
From Area Development – Responding to the New Reality: Robots vs. Humans
Katie Culp of Area Development has some insights into the benefits and challenges of automation in today’s markets. Businesses continue to struggle to staff fully, particularly in the manufacturing and warehousing sectors.
When companies are selecting sites, workforce factors are on par with land, energy costs and transport as key factors for locating plants.
Key takeaways
- “A brave new world” for site selection: Information sources that companies used to rely on for labor considerations aren’t perceived as a reliable understanding of a candidate’s community and its workforce potential for a given operation. With companies competing for “mega sites” across the United States, there is competition for the sites that check the most boxes.
- Automation & site selection is complicated: Automation is being more closely considered as companies struggle with labor shortages. Automation usually reduces the number of lower-skill workers needed for a given process. Because elected officials focus on jobs creation, this complicates local efforts to incentivize companies to in various localities. Economic development groups are “pivoting”‘ towards a concept of fewer jobs due to automation.
- It’s about break-even and ROI: When companies look at sites, they understand that automation is a large expense and must have a defined break-even point. Culp mentions that executives can be highly successful with the correct labor force, motivated and compensated. The issue? That labor force is contracting each year.
Culp: “Qualified workers are the safer bet — if they can be found.”
Why Mechanical VRC Material Lifts Might Outperform Hydraulic Lifts
Because vertical product movement is an extremely common challenge for factories and distribution centers, vertical conveyors – called VRCs for short – are something we see more and more often in facilities that need to take advantage of the vertical cube. More expensive and highly-regulated freight elevators have been replaced by this equipment. VRCs can be purchased in mechanical or hydraulic configurations.
Custom Industrial Products breaks down some of the key differences:
- Hydraulic lifts aren’t as fast as mechanical. When vertical travel speed is important, mechanical lifts are a better choice.
- Mechanical lifts are more energy efficient, which lowers the longer term cost of ownership.
- Maintenance factors: mechanical lifts tend to have fewer moving parts than hydraulic. They need fewer spare parts and usually don’t require as much maintenance over time.
- Heavy loads and high capacities: For heavy loads, mechanical lifts tend to have higher capacities than hydraulic ones.
- Quiet operations and warehouse noise: Ambient noise is a problem for many facilities. Mechanical lifts are quieter than hydraulic.
Read more: 10 Questions: Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor Specification
MHI: New Research Examines Biomechanical Efficacy And Factors Affecting The Adoption Of Ergonomic Equipment
In a recent study, Steven Lavender of the Ohio State University College of Engineering examined biomechanical efficacy and and related factors related to ergonomic equipment. Warehouse operators have always known that manual handling and musculoskeletal injuries. Lavender’s mission was to identify gaps for the purpose of future research.
Key takeaways
- Trading injuries for time with manipulators: Manipulators–handling devices that are suspended above the work area–include articulated arms, lifting assistance items, tilters, hoists and lift tables. This class of ergonomic devices consistently reduces biomechanical loads, including force, duration and postures. These devices tend to “minimally” increase task time, movement and walking activities. Some operations are hesitant to embrace these devices due to the time increase for executing those activities. Lavender points out that as employees become better-versed in the process that the time gaps shrink. The devices reduce fatigue, which regains time later in the process.
- Work positioners – faster and safer: Work position devices let workers adjust a loading or unloading task’s position, rather than adjust their stature or posture to the task. Some examples of work positioners include pallet positioners, pallet lifts, tilters, adjustable-height carts, turntables and self-leveling lifters. These devices are meant to reduce the efforts needed to access or manipulate an item. From an ergonomic standpoint, these devices were found to have reduced lower-back injuries and increased productivity. When workers don’t need to move around a pallet to access its contents, they are both faster and safer.
Conclusions: implementation is tough
Lavender’s study cites resistance from both workers and companies to new ergonomic equipment. That resistance springs from an unwillingness to slow processes. Because these devices reduce injuries over time, rather than sudden injuries like falls or pinches, you can understand why people are more resistant. They help make people healthier (and often, more efficient) over a longer term. Companies who implement them should realize that installing the equipment is only half of the story. Workers should be educated about the impact of long-term musculoskeletal stress.
Download the report: (PDF link)
Read more: Improve Productivity with Ergonomic Storage System Design
Twitter: private manufacturing construction is on the grow – again
Private manufacturing construction edged up 0.3% from $194.87 billion in May to a record $195.45 billion in June. Private construction in the sector has trended significantly higher since bottoming out at $72.46 billion in February 2021. Over the past 12 months, activity has… pic.twitter.com/1FfuXuX3uP
— Chad Moutray (@chadmoutray) August 1, 2023
Chad Moutray of the National Association of Manufacturers covers the dramatic growth of private construction manufacturing. The Sector started to recover in 2021, took flight in 2022, then accelerated in 2023. In February 2021, there was $76.4 billion in new plant construction. As of May 2023, that number spiked to almost $195 billion. In the 12 months leading to May, manufacturing spending increased 80.7%.
This means that if you are working in the sector, your supply chains for everything – land, labor, energy and materials – will be challenged. Finding ways to reduce your exposure to these shortages is a key for manufacturers.
Quick hits
- Wired writes in “Win a Chip War? You’re Gonna Need a Lot of Water”, that America’s push to build microprocessor fabrication requires millions of gallons of ultrapure water. This is because the fabrication process must keep silicon wafers free of even a micro-speck of debris. Localities from Arizona to Ohio to Texas are working to build out the needed infrastructure.
- One of our hometowns, Dallas, has become a hotspot for autonomous trucks. In “How Dallas became the proving ground for autonomous trucks,” Axios relates that if you’ve driven I-20 or I-45 in the DFW area, you are probably sharing the road with a robotic truck. Axios says that Dallas’s vital freight corridors, business-friendly policies and favorable weather make it an ideal launchpad for autonomous trucks. Given the current and projected driver shortages, automation in the sector is critical.
- Bloomberg covers American manufacturers breaking with China in “US Apparel Retailers Break Up with China Amid Worries”. Almost 80% of textile manufacturers plan to reduce Chinese sourcing in the next 24 months. The effort is part of a larger, longer scale American movement to reduce dependence on China, particularly on manufacturing deemed to be part of security or core needs supply chains.
Scott Stone is Cisco-Eagle's Vice President of Marketing with more than thirty years of experience in material handling, warehousing and industrial operations. His work is published in multiple industry journals an websites on a variety of warehousing topics. He writes about automation, warehousing, safety, manufacturing and other areas of concern for industrial operations and those who operate them.