A few years ago, I worked with a warehouse stocker named John who had injured his back and was looking to get back to full duty. His job was important to him because he had a family to support, which included taking care of an adult son with special needs.

Contrary to widespread public concern about robots taking away jobs, people still play a key role on assembly lines. In fact, people still perform 72 percent of manufacturing tasks.

In 1923, Albrecht Schnizler designed a hand-cranked drill dubbed the Metallbohrdreher, or “metal drill driver.” That drill became the inspiration for the brand Metabo.

When Ken Turzinski, president of TYRI Americas in Stevens Point, WI, returned from a local trade show a few years ago, he came back with a small, innocuous plastic product. Little did he know that the product would help his company become more lean and sustainable.

These eight ergonomic principles cover the most essential aspects of the layout and design of ergonomic workstations and flow rack systems. 

Founded in 1978, Pro-Line is the recognized leader in ergonomic workbench design. The company is credited with producing one of the first hand crank, height-adjustable tables in 1987: the model EL, still available today.

While assembly work has always been physically demanding, little is known about the overall consequences of cognitive loading on assemblers' performance, well-being, and the speed and quality of production. Cognitive under- or overloading can cause a lack of focus or distraction on one hand, or overwhelm on the other.