Investigating the Effects of Assembly Order on the Performance in Relation to Cognitive and Physical Demands Under Takt Time

Assembly line operations generally involve physical and cognitive demanding tasks. Simultaneous performance under physical and cognitive demanding tasks may create physical and mental stresses. A within subjects study was carried out to determine the effects of assembly levels (variable assembly and consistent assembly) on working conditions. Nine participants participated in a study and performed 8 conditions. The objective of the study was to determine the relation between physical and cognitive demands in a simulated task involving simultaneous performance of physical (fastening nuts and bolts) and cognitive (code matching with secondary task of memorizing the code) demanding task. Results showed the significant effects of assembly order (consisted of the concurrent performance of physically and cognitively demanding task) on the working conditions. Quality of performance was affected by variable assembly order, high mental demand and above shoulder height