Operator modeling to design intelligent decision aids in fiber optics manufacturing

In order to understand the role of people in the operation and control of advanced manufacturing systems, the authors performed field studies in several modern manufacturing facilities. The studies concentrated on the shop floor personnel, including technicians, engineers, and first line managers in the factories. The authors present the background to the research and describe an ongoing field study in the measurement area of an operational fiber-optics manufacturing plant. The role of people is presented in an operator-function decomposition framework across the various stages of the manufacturing process. The framework provides a platform to describe the role of the shop floor personnel in any factory in terms of the functions they perform in it