Division of Labor Among Workers in Automated Production Conditions
Abstract Generated abstract
The article examines how automation changes the content and organization of industrial labor, arguing that the traditional distinction between main and auxiliary workers loses usefulness as servicing, setup, and repair functions become central. Using a study of an automatic milling-machine section at a cutting tools plant, the authors analyze working-time expenditures, functional overlaps, service norms, and staffing through time studies, workday observations, surveys, interviews, and optimization calculations based on mass-servicing theory and cost minimization. The analysis finds economically inefficient combinations of machine operation, adjustment, and repair functions under conditions of limited worker skill, and proposes an optimized functional division of labor reducing staffing from 24 to 16 workers. The proposed organizational and technical measures are estimated to yield a net annual saving of 30,152 rubles.
Full Text
DIVISION OF LABOR AMONG WORKERS UNDER CONDITIONS OF AUTOMATED PRODUCTION
A. S. BERDNIK, V. V. GENSETSKII
(Submitted by the Department of Economics and Enterprise Organization)
Automation of production processes not only reduces the share of manual labor within operating time, but also radically changes its content. Of decisive importance here are the tasks performed by so-called “auxiliary” workers: setup workers, repairmen, electricians, and others. Accordingly, the functional significance of the labor of auxiliary workers also changes. Therefore, the long-established division of work—and of workers—into “main” and “auxiliary” loses its theoretical and practical significance as technical progress advances.
Under conditions of automated production, the principal direction in the division and cooperation of labor becomes its integration through partial or complete combining of occupations [3]. From the standpoint of labor organization, what matters is its final result, not the differences in the factors determining it. Therefore, the organizational approach to all types of work at an enterprise and in its production subdivisions must be uniform and comprehensive.
Under conditions of automated production, the functional direction of the division of labor is more expedient; in this approach the main goal is the search for an organizational and technical optimum in the performance of all work in space and time, according to the principle of an end-to-end solution of the task. A similar approach was adopted as the basis for a study of the organization of labor of workers servicing a section of automatic milling machines in Shop No. 2 of the Tomsk Cutting Tools Plant.
The zones of setup and repair service are as follows: on the first shift the section is serviced by 2 setup workers and 2 mechanics for repair and inter-repair maintenance; on the second shift, by 1 setup worker and 1 mechanic. The section operates in two shifts. The alternation of work and breaks is the same for all workers. The duration of the work shift is 470 minutes.
The study of labor organization in the section was conducted along the following lines: a) the actually established division of labor and combining of occupations by types of service—multi-machine, setup, and repair; b) the level of utilization of workers in their main functions; c) the correctness of the established service norms; d) the degree of specification of the functions of each worker; e) the work schedule;
work and rest of workers performing various servicing functions. Along with this, questions of organizing operational planning, accounting, and material incentives for workers’ labor were studied. The study was carried out by the methods of time study, photographs of the working day (individual, group, mass, target), questionnaire survey, and interview. Summary data on working-time expenditures are given in Table 1.
As can be seen from the table, the share of working-time expenditures for performing the basic functions of a multi-machine milling-machine operator is on average 51.7% of shift time; 31.7% of time is spent on performing organizational and technical functions; 16.6% consists of rest breaks and losses dependent on the worker. An analysis of the composition of the milling-machine operator’s work showed that, to one degree or another, he combines the functions of all workers in the section. His work includes receiving and transporting blanks from the storeroom, loading magazines, actively observing the operation of the machines, placing drills in containers, transporting them to the grinding section, lubricating and filling the machines with emulsion, adjusting the machines, changing cutters and bushings, minor repairs, cleaning the workplace, and handing over finished products to the Technical Control Department.
In connection with the increased turnover of machine-tool workers, most of them have a low skill level. Therefore, the combination of functions (milling-machine operator–adjuster–repair fitter) under conditions of a shortage of skilled personnel is economically inexpedient, since the time expenditures for carrying out adjustment work among individual machine-tool workers on machines of the same type range from 33 to 137 minutes per shift, and for performing minor repairs—from 5 to 28 minutes per shift. In addition, the remuneration of multi-machine operators, taking into account the combination of functions, is carried out according to the work performed, i.e., according to grade IV. This leads to unproductive expenditures of time and funds, a reduction in service zones, makes technical labor standardization more difficult, and gives rise to its depersonalization.
As a result of an analysis of the division and cooperation of labor of workers in the milling-automat section of Shop No. 2 of the Tver Cutting-Tool Plant, a calculation was made of the optimal number of workers by servicing functions. The calculation was performed on the basis of mass-servicing theory and by finding optimal zones according to the criterion of minimizing production costs [1].
The optimization of the functional division of labor is based on the following principles: a) compiling a professional-skill list by types and content of work performed in the section; b) developing variants of possible combination of occupations for workers who have perfect command of one occupation and are able to perform work belonging to other occupations; c) selecting and checking workers by the necessary specialties and skill grades, while simultaneously identifying the need for training workers in accordance with the existing need and with due regard for the prospects for the development of produc-
Table 2
| Occupation of workers | Number of workers under the existing division of labor | Number of workers under the optimal division of labor | Change in number of workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milling-machine operators | 18 | 6 | −12 |
| Adjusters | 3 | 7 | +4 |
| Fitters for repair and interrepair servicing | 3 | 3 | — |
| Total: | 24 | 16 | −8 |
Table 1
Consolidated balance of working time of participants
| Indicators of groups’ expenditure of working time | Multi-machine operators: average time per shift | Multi-machine operators: % of shift duration | Adjusters: average time per shift | Adjusters: % of shift duration | Fitters for repair and maintenance of equipment: average time per shift | Fitters for repair and maintenance of equipment: % of shift duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main functions | 242.9 | 51.7 | 230 | 48.9 | 176.34 | 37.52 |
| Additional functions, incl.: | ||||||
| a) organizational, of which: nonproductive work | 43.2 | 9.2 | 35.86 | 7.65 | 44.56 | 9.48 |
| a) organizational, of which: nonproductive work | 5.1 | 1.0 | 6.3 | 1.34 | 35.53 | 7.56 |
| b) technical, of which: nonproductive work | 105.9 | 22.5 | 12.4 | 2.65 | 68.15 | 14.5 |
| b) technical, of which: nonproductive work | 64.1 | 13.8 | 2.17 | 0.46 | 68.15 | 14.5 |
| Breaks for rest and personal needs | 16.6 | 3.6 | 31.94 | 6.8 | 99.64 | 21.2 |
| Losses depending on the worker | 61.4 | 13.0 | 159.8 | 34 | 81.31 | 17.3 |
| Total: | 470 | 100 | 470 | 100 | 470 | 100 |
production; (d) development of technical standards for multi-machine, setup, and repair servicing, taking into account the adopted variant of the division of labor and combination of occupations; (e) staffing of work crews according to servicing functions; (f) regulation of workers’ labor in space and time; (g) organization of operational accounting of work on the basis of the UPI-1.
The calculation of the optimal variant of the number of workers by servicing functions was performed on the Promin computer. Comparative calculation data are given in Table 2.
The introduction in the section of a plan of organizational and technical measures to improve the organization of labor and the use of losses of working time yields a net notional annual saving of 30,152 rubles.
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