Design of a manufacturing system using the customer journey mapping method: Hybrid solar panel assembly (manual - automated - 5.0)

The customer journey mapping (CJM) method allows to visualize and structure manual assembly processes, as well as to evaluate the interactions, requirements and information needed in the assembly process. This article presents the results of the application of the CJM method to a real-world manual solar panel assembly case study. It identifies digital aids for manual assembly during the design phase of a manufacturing system. A total of four major tasks and 16 sub-tasks were identified from the assembly structure tree, and five scenarios were identified to establish the risk portrait. The HAZard and OPerability analysis HAZOP method was used to establish a risk portrait, highlighting the potential problems associated with solar panel assembly, as well as the levels of risk and consequences for operators as they carry out their tasks. The application of the CJM method to resolve the potential challenges and risks encountered in the solar panel assembly case study enabled us to model customer and business needs and identify potential digital assistance systems that could be integrated into the manual solar panel assembly process. The present study shows that the CJM method can be adapted and used during the early manufacturing system design phases.