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How human factors affect operators' task evolution in Logistics 4.0
Author(s) -
Cimini Chiara,
Lagorio Alexandra,
Pirola Fabiana,
Pinto Roberto
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
human factors and ergonomics in manufacturing and service industries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.408
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1520-6564
pISSN - 1090-8471
DOI - 10.1002/hfm.20872
Subject(s) - affect (linguistics) , task (project management) , work (physics) , operator (biology) , computer science , cognition , process management , knowledge management , business , psychology , engineering , systems engineering , mechanical engineering , biochemistry , chemistry , communication , repressor , neuroscience , transcription factor , gene
The spread of the Industry 4.0 paradigm introduced an increasing number of technological innovations into companies to improve logistics processes. During a transition to Logistics 4.0, it is necessary to consider all the issues that affect logistics, among which human factors (HF) are considered to be the most important. On the basis of the existing scientific literature, this article aimed to identify the relationships between 4.0 technologies implementation and HF concerning the evolution of human activities towards different hypothetical future scenarios (i.e., no changes, work replaced, or work assisted), analysing in detail the HF affected by 4.0 technologies. These relationships, which were summarised in a matrix, were also tested through a single longitudinal case study. The research showed that technology tends to replace logistics operators, not only for dangerous physical tasks but also for cognitive tasks that are stressful and repetitive. Moreover, for some tasks in which many different HF are involved, the evolution is towards operator assistance, rather than replacement.