A study into composite laminators’ motivation

Abstract

Manufacture using advanced composite materials is a predominantly manual process. Despite recent advances in automation; the manufacture of complex panels such as those found in secondary aircraft structures, is usually carried out by highly skilled human operators. A requirement for increasing build rates of aircraft structures means that a formerly low production cycle technique must now be applied to much faster and larger production runs. This is further complicated by a desire to achieve higher quality at lower cost. Increased automation and laminator aids are being employed to achieve this goal. This paper presents an initial study into the current state of composite laminators’ motivation using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with a variety of laminators from a range of industries. The principle aim is to generate a preliminary set of recommendations based on trends gained from this initial study, with a view to later widening the study to improve motivation and thus productivity and quality.