”The operator saves our day?” - Why do we need the operator?

The paper discusses possibilities for companies to become competitive by considering the levels of automation, information and competence. In a research project on assembly systems these three parameters are meant to create proactivity in the system. Proactivity is defined as readiness for changes, occurrences and disturbances in production for the planning of a sustainable and reliable assembly system The operator roles and corresponding tasks in the assembly system are being presented as well as their relation to automation. The importance of operator intervention in the system at disturbances is being stressed. Scenarios are given for what preconditions are needed for the operator to intervene correctly. The importance of social competence of the operators when putting together a team of operators is strengthened. The paper concludes that variable levels of automation, information and competence increase the action space for the operators.