Smart Coordination Requires Operators in the Loop

Abstract

As industrial digitalization progresses and the use and application of digital technology in industrial production increases, it is tempting to view technology as the answer and solution to all the challenges that arise in production. However, does relying solely on the power of digital technological systems do justice to the complexity of today’s shop floor? We argue that despite the fact that digital technologies have the capacity to process a considerable amount of data which outperforms human computing abilities, it is crucial to apply a more holistic view and widen the scope of analysis above and beyond the immediate application of digital technologies. Thus, this study aims to explore industrial shop floor practices to increase understanding of the planning and coordination patterns. To get a thorough understanding of how planning and coordination work today and to find new opportunities, a case study approach was adopted. Data was collected in one small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprise through shop floor observations and interviews with six employees during 2022–2023. Further, we applied a coordination framework, including coordination mechanisms, for data analysis. The results show that the three coordination mechanisms Objects and Representations, Roles, and Routines are abundantly present in the case study. Moreover, two additional coordinating mechanisms were identified, Digital Technology and Context, which include a contribution to the earlier coordination framework. We argue to put the challenges that operators face into the limelight, by involving them in the planning and coordination loop.