Sustainable Move towards Flexible, Robotic, Human-Involving Workplace

Brigita Gajšek, Saša Stradovnik and Aleš Hace
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Brigita Gajšek: Faculty of Logistics, University of Maribor, 3000 Celje, Slovenia
Saša Stradovnik: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Aleš Hace: Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-16

Abstract: The realisation of the ideas of smart factories and sustainable manufacturing can be quickly realised in companies where industrial production is high-volume, low-mix. However, it is more difficult to follow trends toward industry 4.0 in craft industries such as tooling. This kind of work environment is a challenge for the deployment of sustainability and smart technologies because many stages involve the so-called “manual processing according to the worker’s feeling and experience.” With the help of literature review and testing in the production environment, we approach the design of a procedure for planning a sustainable technological upgrade of craft production. The best method proved to be a combination of a maturity model, process mapping with flowcharts, critical analysis, and customised evaluation model. Workplace flexibility, as a move towards sustainability, is presented in a laboratory environment on screwing performed by human wearing HoloLens and collaborative robot.

Keywords: flexibility; workplace; collaborative robot; HoloLens; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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