Ergonomic assessment of assembly tasks in a Mexican automotive industry

Abstract

According to the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the automotive industry contributes with the 25% of the Gross Domestic Product of the State of Puebla. In this matter, Puebla has 160 companies and employs 56,000 workers. The lower back pain represents the first cause of absenteeism in work places at Mexico. This situation is generated by materials handling or load lifting. The research was made in the assembly of a component of the vehicle powertrain in a Mexican metallurgical factory. Two assemblies were assessed with ergonomics tools in order to identify overload lifting and repetitive movements’ risks. In addition, Methods Time Measurement techniques were considered to calculate the cycle time in the work stations studied and its relationship with ergonomics. The improvements resulted in a production increase of 6.89% and 45 shifts less.