Repetitive Tasks in Assembly Lines

In general, any kind of assembly line involve various steps conducted in a specific sequence to produce a final assembled product. This allows for low-cost mass manufacturing as even the unskilled workers can be trained specifically for a step in the assembly line. 

Ford assembly line in 1913 (Image Source: Google)

Since Ford Motor adopted the assembly line, there have been various changes and advancements to the assembly line. Although it is considered as one of the most important innovations in the manufacturing industry, the same perspective wasn’t shared by the workers. The workers found the work monotonous, and many skilled craftsmen found it an insult. Even though it allowed for higher pay for the workers, it made the work hours long and made workers to laboriously do a single task. Even employing machines to make the work easier didn’t really help the mindless act of operating it repeatedly. This was similar to our team using templates to cut the duct tape. It’s quite likely that if one of us was asked to cut the same tape pieces for long hours, even with the template, the repetitiveness would have affected us in a negative way and consequently the output. The impact of the moving assembly line on workers can be understood from these excerpts from an interview with Henry Ford Museum employee:

"Each task was timed to determine how long it should take. The assembly line was set to move at that pace. Speed was the key. If a worker had 6 seconds to complete a task, then he had to get it done on time every time. Whether he was ready or not, the next car chassis would be in front of him in 6 seconds. “

"Hours upon hours of performing the same, mindless task was very difficult for the workers to accept. Morale was often low. Also, line work-due to its quick pace and repetitive nature-was dangerous. In 1916, the Ford Highland Park plant recorded almost 200 severed fingers and over 75,000 cuts, burns and puncture wounds.”

Over time, with the advancement in technologies such as introduction of automation in the assembly line and utilization of industrial robots for repetitive tasks has become the go to strategies in assembly lines. Robots help tackle repetitive and manual tasks without compromising on the quality and productivity, unlike manual labor for the same tasks. They also help to reduce monotony among the individuals. In general, there are huge benefits of robots in assembly lines as they can potentially increase manufacturing speed, reduce labor costs, and maximize throughput all while maintaining high safety, which wouldn’t have been possible with manual labor owing to the problems that human labor faces in light of repetitive tasks and with the natural human tendency to make mistakes over a longer period. Moreover, the domains in the past where tasks could only be done by humans owing to the level of complexity or dexterity needed, can now be undertaken by artificially intelligent robots.

Industrial robot in assembly line (Image Source: Google)

It is quite evident that repetitive tasks done manually can affect productivity, can lead to higher costs, and degrade the quality of the products being assembled. But, apart from the above effects, according to an organization science study, repetitive tasks can also make employees more likely to behave unethically and not follow guidelines. Being unethical is explored as a much broad term, which also includes something as simple as extending the lunch hour and not resuming work on time. For instance, given any three tasks, task A, task B, and task C, an employee/ worker could do them sequentially (AAABBBCCC) to avoid switching repeatedly or do them with more frequent switching (ABCABCABC) thus with variations from task to task. This way the worker is not doing a specific task repeatedly, and the focus is distributed across different tasks. Through various practical experiments the study supported having variations in tasks as then the workers are forced to be more cognitively alert and deliberative, which leads them to behave more ethically simply by avoiding automatic, self-interested decision making. This is a possible explanation for why workers would tend to become more complacent or less ‘ethical’ about following the guidelines, but not a causal explanation, as there are other drawbacks to continuously change tasks related to efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Overall, despite the fact that moving assembly lines have made a huge difference in the manufacturing industry, the repetitive tasks that it comes with are unnatural to humans. Although, humans are capable of doing repetitive tasks, it is only natural that it becomes monotonous and tiring after a certain period and that it leads to people not following rules and becoming ‘unethical’. There are various ways to mitigate this in assembly lines and not allow degradation of the product in any way, among which automation and use of robots has been the most widely used solution.

References:

1. “In 1913, Henry Ford Introduced the Assembly Line: His Workers Hated It.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-hundred-and-three-years-ago-today-henry-ford-introduced-assembly-line-his-workers-hated-it-180961267/.
2. “Negative Impact - The Moving Assembly Line: A Blueprint for the Future.” https://51154787.weebly.com/negative-impact.html.
3. “How Can Manual, Repetitive Work in Manufacturing Companies Be Reduced?” https://www.franchisewire.com/how-can-manual-repetitive-work-manufacturing-companies-be-reduced/.
4. “Advantages & disadvantages of using industrial robots in manufacturing | Wipfli.” https://www.wipfli.com/insights/articles/mad-pros-and-cons-of-using-industrial-robots-in-manufacturing.
5. “Ford’s Ever-Smarter Robots Are Speeding Up the Assembly Line,” WIRED. Accessed: Feb. 22, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.wired.com/story/fords-smarter-robots-speeding-assembly-line/
6. Rellie Derfler-Rozin, Celia Moore, and Bradley Staats, “Does Doing the Same Work Over and Over Again Make You Less Ethical?” https://hbr.org/2017/03/does-doing-the-same-work-over-and-over-again-make-you-less-ethical.