Applying the Taguchi Method to Optimize the Design of Traditional Indonesian Woven Brooms for Enhanced Operator Working Posture

The traditional manual weaving process demands ergonomic considerations. Thus, this research focuses on redesigning the workstation. This study aimed to evaluate the operators' work posture using the REBA and ErgoFellow methods during field trials, determine the optimal workstation position using the Taguchi method, and assess the effects of workstation parameters. Ten broom weavers from small and medium-sized enterprises participated as respondents. Weaving postures were recorded at the initial workstation, nine workstations configured as an orthogonal array experiment, and the optimal workstation. The optimal workstation position was identified with a workstation height of 250 mm, workstation length of 1240 mm, and chair backrest inclination of −5°. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were then conducted to examine the significance of the optimized design parameters on work posture. The results demonstrated that workstation height and length had significant effects (p = .035 and p = .034, respectively), whereas chair backrest inclination had no significant effect (p = .190), further validating the rigor and reliability of the research process. This study revealed that optimizing the workstation parameter design can significantly enhance the weft work posture. The REBA risk scores decreased from 9 to 7 between the initial and optimal workstations.