Forming workstations by combining appropriate tasks is an important issue in productivity and quality. The two main approaches available to form workstations in automotive assembly lines are the manual approach and the use of a two-dimensional computer representation of the movement of vehicle in a workstation. Both of these approaches require a significant amount of engineering time.

In this paper, the authors discuss their application of e-technology in general, and of innovative multimedia decision support in particular, to the creation of a planning tool for the automotive assembly line. The authors also incorporate a Web-based client-server architecture, a virtual reality modeling language (VRML) interface, analytical modeling, and simulation into their solution to the automotive assembly line problem. The technique developed in this research specifically addresses the problem of planning and optimizing the layout of a workstation.

This paper discusses the traditional methods of arranging tasks into workstations, specifically in automotive assembly lines. The authors then demonstrate an approach in which VRML can be stored in a text file. Another approach that was discussed automatically generated a VRML file from the application program. The authors suggest that it is desirable to integrate a VRML interface with a traditional 2D layout of data and control.

The authors derive a formula to calculate the time that the operator needs to walk between any two fixed points. A flowchart is presented, describing the method of adding the walking time to the running time when the task involves walking. The paper further describes the overall system architecture and the functionality of the workstation layout tool. A graphical presentation of an operator’s workstation is demonstrated.

The major advantage of the system presented in this paper is that it integrates a Web-based client-server VR interface with mathematical models that allow the workstation planning tool to efficiently interface with corporate systems. Planning engineers and product specialists, in various automotive assembly plants at Ford Motor Company, are currently using this system.