Hatice Esen

Image processing-aided working posture analysis

OWAS method is adapted to an integrated software as a prototype.It operates completely computer-aided with the help of image processing techniques.That models performance is high while robust recording conditions can be settled.Necessity of expert analyst is eliminated.The model will support the common use of OWAS in industry. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) rank among the commonest health problems both in the frequency of concurrency and in the money spent on these disorders, which mainly stem from poor working posture it also negatively affects employees in terms of job productivity, life quality, and both physical and social activities. Analyzing and improving working postures with scientific methods provides significant contributions in the field of controlling job performance and decreasing MSDs. OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analyzing System) is one of the methods for analyzing working postures and can be applied to very diverse areas successfully. In this study, a prototype of integrated software, which is based on image processing techniques, was developed (I-OWAS), and the performance of the model was presented. I-OWAS begins with separating the video film into frames, producing OWAS codes belonging to working posture in each frame, and then classifying the images according to risk categories. Despite OWAS being a successful method for analyzing working postures, it requires an expert analysis. Also the manual analyzing process is so laborious and time consuming. I-OWAS provide the computer support for the manual coding stage and eliminates the need for an expert analyst; hence, the method can be widely used in industry.

Using Owas in Automotive Subsidiary Sector: A Case Study

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) that lead to important health problems and the depletion of social resources are the most common drawbacks affecting the working population. MSDs that are at the top of the list showing the expenditures for all disorders, and affecting the job efficiency, life quality and physical and social functions of a worker in a negative way, is generally due to the poor working postures. There are several methods to identify the poor working postures that cause Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and financial burdens to the economies along with serious health problems for workers. OWAS (Ovako Working Posture Analysing System), one of these methods, depends on the observational analysis of work movements especially in physically demanding works. In this study, the working postures in tire raw materials production process are analyzed with OWAS method and some suggestions are made about the possible improvements to eliminate the poor working postures.

A Fuzzy Approach for Performance Appraisal: The Evaluation of a Purchasing Specialist

One of the most important issues faced in organizations is the objective performance measure of employees who have a crucial role in the success of the production/service processes. Performance appraisal is vital since it helps to clarify whether the company is going in line with the predetermined objectives. Performance appraisal is the evaluation of the general performance level of personnel according to the previously determined targets and/or performance factors. The main purpose of performance appraisal is not only to increase the performance of employees, but also to unite the individual targets with the company’s targets. Performance appraisal requires evaluation and decision making in uncertain environments involving multiple factors. In this paper, a performance appraisal model is constructed to deal with the uncertainty and also to objectively measure the employees’ performances. The criteria used in the model are defined in terms of the fuzzy numbers and linguistic variables. The three main criteria of the performance appraisal model are decision making and leadership, communication and relations, and technical skills. The model is applied in the purchasing department of a company operating in the automotive industry. The developed model has the flexibility to be applied in different departments with a modification in the criteria under the title of “Technical skills”.

Application of lean production techniques in the manufacturing industry

Lean production is producing in a short time, cheaply and error-free, while satisfying customer demands. The aim is to decrease waste and to increase effectiveness by using lean production techniques. The mould room was selected as the pilot application area. For this purpose, several studies were conducted: 1) to determine and decrease the idle capacity and time waste in new mould production, maintenance and repair moulds; 2) to decrease the waiting time and material flow; 3) to diminish supply costs; 4) to turn the system into a FIFO system by decreasing the cycle time. At the end of the study, the efficiency was increased by 10%, the cycle time was decreased by 20% and the distance over which materials flow was decreased by 60%. The implementation of the designed production cells freed 120m2 of space. 8,000 hours per year are gained with the elimination of the non-value adding stations.

Expert system application for prioritizing preventive actions for shift work: shift expert

Introduction. Shift patterns, work hours, work arrangements and worker motivations have increasingly become key factors for job performance. The main objective of this article is to design an expert system that identifies the negative effects of shift work and prioritizes mitigation efforts according to their importance in preventing these negative effects. The proposed expert system will be referred to as the shift expert. Methods. A thorough literature review is conducted to determine the effects of shift work on workers. Our work indicates that shift work is linked to demographic variables, sleepiness and fatigue, health and well-being, and social and domestic conditions. These parameters constitute the sections of a questionnaire designed to focus on 26 important issues related to shift work. The shift expert is then constructed to provide prevention advice at the individual and organizational levels, and it prioritizes this advice using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model, which considers comparison matrices provided by users during the prioritization process. An empirical study of 61 workers working on three rotating shifts is performed. After administering the questionnaires, the collected data are analyzed statistically, and then the shift expert produces individual and organizational recommendations for these workers.

Supplier Selection Using Fuzzy Linear Programming Technique for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference (LINMAP)

The increasing competition forces companies to use the capital more effectively and using suppliers which operate cheaper and with higher quality. Due to that, it is crucial to select the right suppliers. Supplier selection is a decision making problem that involves quantitative and non-quantitative, conflicting criteria. In The Linear Programming Technique for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference (LINMAP), all the decision data are known precisely or given as crisp values. But the uncertainty in the real life problems makes decision making more difficult. A°n these situations, the complex situation varying with respect to decision makers can be solved by Fuzzy logic. Because of that, Fuzzy LINMAP has been used to solve the problem. The main aim of this study is to provide an analytical approach to decision makers for them to make objective decisions. Thus, supplier alternatives and selection criteria are determined. And a fuzzy LINMAP model is developed for supplier evaluation and selection of a company in automotive sector.

A Performance Evaluation Model of a Job Title using Fuzzy Approach

Performance evaluation is described as comparing the performance of workers and the work standards and handling the necessary activities in a systematic way to attain these standards. What makes performance measure a necessity is its focus on performance of personnel as an objective measure of whether the company goes in the correct direction or not. This is because the most important problem encountered in organizations is the difficulty in the determination of how successful the personnel are in the satisfaction of their duties and what are their capabilities in their jobs. Besides performance evaluation is a decision making process which involves uncertainty. To overcome the uncertainty and evaluate the workers performance objectively, a performance evaluation model is developed of which the criteria are defined as the fuzzy numbers and the linguistic variables. The scope of the study is to determine the performance evaluation criteria of a purchasing specialist and weight for evaluating this job title.

Implementation of reliability-centred FMEA in a cable cutting process

Reliability is an important criterion affecting the automobile buying decision of customers. One of the most important components in automobiles is the cables ensuring the electricity current. Even the smallest breakdowns in these cables create crucial problems. Because of that, it is aimed to work with zero error in the production phase. In this study, the objective is the determination of possible and present errors in the cutting phase of electric cables and avoidance from these errors before they occur. In this regard, failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) methodology is used, which is an analysis done for prevention and identification of all possible error types. Preventions found by FMEA have been implemented and high risk priority numbers (RPNs) are reduced in a cable cutting process. The study shows that significant improvement in possible errors can be ensured with the use of FMEA.

A Model to Increase Customer Loyalty by Using Bi-directional Semantic Interference: An Application to White Goods Industry

Adding values on products, services, or systems by responding to customers’ needs quickly is a relevant issue for companies and requires them to be located competitively in their environment. In line with this issue, the demand chain approach enables companies to create user-centered designs. A demand chain is defined as a special customer-oriented supply chain network structure in the decision making process, that analyses customer demand and market conditions in order to reach an efficient distribution. The aim of this study is to examine the customer portfolio in white goods industry and find the preferences of current and potential customers in order to build and retain customer loyalty. The decision rules which help to increase the market share are obtained by using the Classification and Regression Trees (CART). After conducting a comprehensive literature survey on the demand chain approach and its applications, the required components for a network structure are determined by utilizing the bi-directional relationships between the customers and the manufacturers. Hence, eighty-five customer and twenty dealer surveys are carried out. The research methodology is then presented and the data collected from the surveys is analyzed statistically. The results of the study have prominent importance to overcome the uncertainty in demand chain and to determine which strategies should be adopted by the companies to have a loyal customer base.