BlackBerry
This project involved a multi-year industry-research collaboration with engineers and ergonomists at BlackBerry Ltd. and the research team from the Human Factors Engineering Lab at Ryerson. The goal of the collaboration was to help the company integrate human factors (HF) into the design of the assembly lines, thereby reducing strain on workers while improving quality and productivity of the assembly system. Projects included a process map of the design process, a discrete event simulation of the assembly line and an investigation into metrics for human factors that could serve the Blackberry design teams. Numerous engineering design tools were modified to include human factors targets and Ergonomists were given key sign-off at each stage of the design process. A grounded theory was developed to explain how HF became integrated into the regular production system design routines of the company.
Associated Research Themes:
- Firm Strategy
- Simulation and Virtual Modelling
- Operations System Design
- Organizational Design and Change Management
- Indicator Tools & Methods
Associated Papers and Publications:
- Cognitive mapping as a tool to align human factors with strategic goals in organizations (in press)
- An ergonomics action research demonstration: Integrating human factors into a production design processes (external link) (2015 Liberty Mutual Award)
- Adapting engineering design tools to include human factors (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Adaptation of industrial engineering tools to include human factors (external link)
- Cognitive mapping links human factors to corporate strategies (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Ergonomics training for engineers: Are we meeting their needs (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Indicators for Managing Human Centred Manufacturing (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: User-centered development of a workstation efficiency evaluation tool (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Predicting work load and efficiency from light assembly workstation design (external link)
- Process mapping as a tool for participative integration of human factors into work system design (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Integrating Human Factors into Discrete Event Simulation (external link)
- Linking human factors to corporate strategy with cognitive mapping techniques (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Linking human factors to corporate strategy with cognitive mapping techniques (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Ergonomic design-for-fixture guidelines and process of implementation (external link)
- A framework supporting the process of integrating HF into work system design (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: A framework for integrating human factors into work-system design (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Adapting the failure modes effect analysis (FMEA) for detection of human factors concerns (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Development and application of a human factors failure mode and effects analysis (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Using workstation design parameters to predict workload – proactive assessment approach for light assembly work (external link)
- Conference Proceeding: Process Mapping to Understand the Role of Human Factors in Design (external link)