Teamwork And Productivity Improvements In Mixed-Model Assembly Lines

Abstract

Motivated by the practices of Japanese and European automotive manufacturers who use teams in car assembly processes, this paper develops two models of teamwork for assembly line workers. The implications of teamwork arrangements on productivity of the assembly line are studied. The findings support the conventional wisdom that teamwork improves productivity. However there are situations when teamwork leads to a decline in productivity. The performance of the two team models were tested using the real assembly line data obtained from an automobile manufacturer. The approach developed in this paper provides computational means of revaluating the implications on productivity of different team structures, team sizes and position of teams in the line.