Improving Safety and Health in a Lean Logistic project: a case study in an automotive electronic components company

Abstract

Companies are looking for new ways to stay strong in the market. Lean Production (LP) is one of these ways that it is used to reduce waste and costs, but also to improve the involvement, safety and health conditions of the employees. This paper presents a project developed in one of the largest company of automotive electronic components. The project, took place in the inbound logistics area with the objective of improving the flows of raw materials. Main results include a greater efficiency of inbound logistics system as well as the improvement of the conditions of the operators, decreasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorder. The method used to diagnose ergonomic conditions was the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) lifting equation. This paper shows how the implementation of the LP concepts, in this particular case Lean Logistic, can influence, not only the financial performance of a company but also improve the safety conditions of the operators as a need to reduce muri (physical strain or overburden).