Productivity and employee well-being in manufacturing process development – Comparison study of two departments

Manufacturing companies constantly seek opportunities to improve operational efficiency without compromising employee well-being. Ergonomics can contribute to both goals, but its role is often limited to well-being. This longitudinal corporate case study followed retrospectively the effects of work development for five years in a manufacturing company's assembly line and welding unit. The aim was to analyse how these development activities impacted employee well-being and productivity. In the assembly line, ergonomics-oriented development processes led to a profit of EUR 1,130,810 and a reduced physical workload. In contrast, the welding unit implemented only two development activities, resulting in a smaller profit of EUR 278,721, with no noticeable decrease in physical workload. This study suggests that continuous activity in production development utilising ergonomics data collected from the work leads to sustainable productivity and improvements in employee well-being.