Macroergonomics Approach for Design Improvement of Returnable Rack in Automotive Company

Abstract

The application of returnable packaging for exporting duty in automotive company is one of the most effective ways to reduce the impact of packaging waste on the environment. In a returnable packaging system, complexity exists because packaging passes through a long process chain and lead time, involving many entities and different processes, where each of them has different needs and requirements. This fact indicates the necessity of returnable packaging design which considers the needs of every process passed during the packaging chain. The purpose of this research is to identify improvement opportunity of a returnable rack in an automotive company in Indonesia. The methods used are Macroergonomics Analysis & Design (MEAD) combined with Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The study revealed that the main necessity of the design was the resistance of returnable packaging to deformation. This research yielded the optimized returnable rack design with respect to reliability and material usage. In addition, these methods can be used as a standard for further application of returnable rack design improvement.