Considering Ergonomics in the Planning of Tugger Train Systems for Production Supply

For the planning of a production supply using a tugger train system, no holistic methods are available that allow one to factor in all important criteria that influence the decision-making process. This paper investigates the possibilities for the consideration of ergonomics in the system design of tugger train systems, based on an empirical study with 42 test subjects. Three basic concepts of tugger trains used in the German automotive industry are defined and evaluated regarding ergonomics. With the aid of a software-based model for tugger trains, which takes the whole life cycle of the tugger train system into account, the economic feasibility of found ergonomic advantages is analyzed. Furthermore, it is exemplarily shown how an informed decision about technical details of a tugger train system can have a positive impact on the ergonomics and economics of the system.