AN INDUSTRIAL STUDY OF PACED AND UNPACED OPERATOR PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE STAGE WORK TASK

Abstract

Three operators were studied in the performance of a short assembly task. A comparison has been made between their paced and unpaced performances. With the supply of parts by conveyor, both feed rate and tolerance time were found to have a marked effect on output, delay and the number of parts passing unprocessed. Pacing induced changes in service time distributions. At and below feed rates equivalent to unpaced performances the rhythm of unpaced working was seriously affected. An operator speed up effect resulted in higher output in paced working, compared to unpaced working, at feed rates above unpaced performance. Missed parts increased exponentially with increased feed rate.