LABOR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN VISUAL INSPECTION AND PACKING OPERATIONS

A methodological procedure for identifying and measuring the variables involved and their impact on labor performance in manual inspection and sorting operations is presented. The applicability of the procedure is shown as it applies in an analysis of canning asparagus spears. Worker output rates for any given spear size index tended to decrease along successive work stations, with exceptions where there were changes in proportion to specific sizes available. The canning performance was influenced by interactions among the size, positional line-load, and worker position variables as the product moved along the supply conveyer. Because linear regression equations computed to estimate the number of can per canner per minute were not effective in indicating the effect of spear size distribution nor that of interactions among other relevant variables, a more comprehensive model was developed to estimate cans per worker per minute as a function of line-load, worker position, and three binary variables representing interactions between these variables and spear-size indices. The results of this and similar studies may be used as a basis for suggesting better planning of raw product delivery schedules, introduction of innovative processes, and crew reorganization.