Not all workstations are the same. Depending on the activity, each workstation has its own requirements. When designing an ergonomic (assembly) workstation, the question of the benefits for the employee, the task to be performed and the company should be the top priority. In this context, it can be useful to first ask yourself the following six basic questions: Where is the workplace located? Who works there? What or what work does the employee do at the workplace? How often do the various work processes and operations take place? What budget is available for the workplace?

"If the designer is able to answer these questions, he already has a pretty good requirements profile. In addition, it always makes sense to ask the employees on site," says Michael Amon, Head of Technology at RK Rose+Krieger. The company specializes in linear, profile and connection technology and, together with partner companies, offers technologies that are required for the design of ergonomic workstations according to lean criteria.

Who?

It is important to clarify whether only one person works at a time at the workstation to be set up or whether it needs to be designed so that several people can carry out their tasks. If different employees need to be able to work at it, it should be considered whether the workstation can be adapted to the respective height of the person and the associated reach distances and table height. This can be achieved, for example, by adjusting the height of the worktable using electrically movable lifting columns and by adjusting the reach using electrically driven linear systems.

What kind of work?

Aluminum profiles from the Blocan modular profile system generally form the base frame of the workstation. (Image: RK Rose+Krieger)

A key aspect in the design of an ergonomic workstation is the type of tasks to be carried out. Are they physically demanding? Are the employees increasingly required to perform one-sided tasks? Here, the strain can at least be minimized, if not completely eliminated, with the help of appropriate ergonomic measures.

In addition to height adjustment for optimum adaptation of the workstation to the person's height, assembly support systems are also available for this purpose. They help, for example, to turn the workpiece or to bring the area to be worked on into a position that is easy on the joints. When assembling heavy workpieces, crane or lift trucks help to place the load on the assembly device or workstation. However, the work table itself must also be designed to withstand the high load dynamics.

The situation is different when processing packages with different dimensions - here a workstation is required that can be adapted very quickly to the package height in order to protect the employee. High-end systems for assembly support are even able to recognize the user and then adjust both the vertical working height and the horizontal and vertical material supply to the person. Even tool handling can be fully automated. If safety-relevant components are assembled, the workstation should also be equipped with acknowledgement systems in addition to user recognition.

How often?

An assembly support system is certainly useful if products with a high number of variants and infrequent repetitions are manufactured at the workstation. Such a system can guarantee reliable productivity in conjunction with appropriate parts management or supplementary projector or sensor-supported assembly aids. In addition, the employees take turns at such a workstation in an appropriate rotation, preventing one-sided strain. At the same time, appropriate sensor technology and suitable parts management ensure a consistently high level of quality, independent of the employee. Mass or series production workstations in a production cell are subject to different requirements. When designing them, it is important to consider the key criteria such as quantities, variety of variants, processing times, frequencies and other special features.

What budget?

As in many other areas of everyday life, the same applies to the construction of workstations: Cheap can be very expensive in the long run. Workstations that have been designed without any consideration of ergonomic conditions and do not cost much can cause long-term damage to employees' health and thus lead to long periods of absence. On the other hand, seemingly cost-intensive workstations that have been designed to meet ergonomic requirements turn out to be the more cost-effective solution in the long term. This is because they protect employees, reduce absenteeism in the long term and thus save money in the long term.

Design of the workplace

You can buy a simple packing table or a low-budget workstation anywhere. However, complex, ergonomic workstations that follow the lean approach require more in-depth considerations and individual production. With Lean Solution, RK Rose+Krieger offers advice and a comprehensive modular system for the design of individual, ergonomic and waste-free workstations, including the associated environment for transportation and storage.

The modular system includes electrically adjustable lifting columns for adjusting the height of the work table as well as aluminum profiles and tube connectors for creating modular assembly units consisting of mobile material trolleys, flow racks or workstations that can be rotated, swiveled and adjusted in height. They allow individual design to meet the requirements of different production processes and the implementation of customer-specific solutions. The central idea behind this system is the elimination of wasted material, time and therefore money, the reduction of ancillary activities and the optimization of value-adding processes. As a result, space requirements, stock levels, throughput times, transport movements and overall costs are reduced. In turn, flexibility, quality, productivity and customer and employee satisfaction increase.

BerndKlöpper/as