Workers' future role in the computerized engineering industry

Abstract This paper discusses the new situation that prevails with regard to shop-floor work in Swedish engineering companies that produce small batches. The organization of work in NC-based production has been emphasized. A completely new set of conditions is being created by the rapid advance of computerization and new trends towards integration of design, planning, scheduling and manufacturing in combination with greater automation of NC machining. On the one hand, there are greater opportunities to overcome the work polarizing division that has been dominant in the past while integrating machine work with programming and planning. On the other hand, there is some risk that polarization patterns will become more entrenched. Using the aforesaid changes as a point of departure, this paper discusses the types of manufacturing within which it may be feasible to establish operator programming procedures and to establish what we call team-based shop-floor programming. This latter is implemented by having a team of machine workers take responsibility for machine operation, programming, planning and scheduling. And finally, a number of current development trends are illustrated by means of a practical case study, which is one of four that make up a research project now in progress.