Automation is becoming increasingly common in industry due to technological developments, aging workforces and reshoring decisions, and applying automation in a manufacturing or warehousing company can result in many benefits. Previous research has to a large extent focused on technological aspects of the automation. Nils Thylén highlights in his doctoral thesis, with focus on automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems, that it is crucial to jointly consider the automation technologies with humans and the work organization.
What challenges do you focus on in your research?
"I discovered that most of the previous research concerning AGV systems focused almost exclusively on technological aspects. I seek to address the human and work organizational challenges that need to be considered when designing these systems. The companies I have been working with in my research face several challenges concerning these aspects in the design, implementation, and use of the AGV systems. In many situations, there are mixed environments where AGVs and humans need to work together. This is a substantial change for many employees, leading to challenges concerning, for example, employee acceptance of the technology, competence, safety, changes in roles and responsibilities, and new work tasks."
How do you address the problem?
"My research has been conducted in close collaboration with industry and the main approach I have used is case studies. I have been investigating these challenges in industrial companies that design, implement, and use AGV systems. I have conducted several interviews with various roles in the organizations to attain a broad perspective of the challenges that are faced, from operators on the shop floor, maintenance personnel, team leaders, project managers, to production managers and engineers. Based on the interviews, together with observations during site visits, I have provided an understanding of the challenges in industry, and how they are addressed through different means. I have addressed the challenges through a sociotechnical systems perspective in which it is recognized that a joint consideration of humans and technology is needed."
What are the main findings?
"My research highlights work organizational and human aspects that to a large part have been neglected in previous research. For example, we all know that technologies sometimes do not work as intended and we need to find a way to fix the problem. The same applies for AGV systems. The AGVs occasionally encounter errors that need to be managed, and how to manage errors is an important part of the work organization. Several aspects need to be considered such as which employees should be responsible for managing the errors, what competencies need to be developed, what work tasks are part of the error management, and how to make sure that the errors do not happen again in the future. The results of my research can provide input to the design of AGV systems, foremost to aspects concerning the human and work organization, complementing the findings of previous research."
What do you hope your research will lead to?
"For companies to remain competitive in this globalized world I think automation is an important part, but we should not forget the wellbeing of humans that work together with the automation. I hope that my research can lead to better AGV system design, based on the understanding that focusing only on technology is not enough. A broader perspective is needed."
Read the thesis: Design of Automated Guided Vehicle Systems Considering the Human, Technical, and Work Organisational Subsystems
Public defence: 18 February 2025 at 10.00, see link above.
- Associate Professor, Supply and Operations Management, Technology Management and Economics