SMART WORKERS FOR SMART MACHINES

A decade ago many workers worried that they would be replaced by robots and computerized manufacturing equipment. However, in some cases exactly the opposite has occurred— workers not only have not been replaced by machines but many have found that their jobs have been made more meaningful by the introduction of smart machines. This has come about because workers are being given more responsibility and authority to deal with problems or to make production-line decisions that were once reserved for supervisory personnel. Workers do more than just run machines; they spend large parts of their time collecting and processing data on quality control, inventory, and shipments. The result of this change is an information factory, where machines not only perform some operations, but they supply workers with information on processing operations.

As an example of this type of change, consider General Electric's Salisbury, North Carolina, factory. At this plant, which is highly automated, it was decided in 1984 to cut factory floor bottlenecks by giving workers the information and power to make decisions to keep the manufacturing process running. A machine operator with a problem, for example, now can talk directly to manufacturing engineers about solutions to the problem or can order parts for the machine without prior approval of management. Workers also serve on committees to hire new workers in the plant.

From 1985 through 1988, General Electric's pairing of smart workers with smart machines resulted in a tenfold decrease in delivery time, a reduction in employee turnover, a reduction by two-thirds in the number of hours per production unit, and an increase in General Electric's market share. Since 1988, concrete figures have not been available on the effect of these measures; however, plant management believes that the workers are continuing to assume more and more responsibility for running the plant. Each year, they have exceeded production goals and reduced production cost.

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