Towards a Modular Approach for Workforce Qualification in Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems

The perpetual changes affecting manufacturing systems caused by highly fluctuating demand and customer requirements make quality management of manufacturing systems more complex. In this context, the implementation of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS) offers decision-makers an efficient solution to cope with these changes. However, these systems require a large number of modifications and changes handled by workforces who must have an adequate level of qualification and skills. The aim of this paper is to propose a workforce qualification framework in RMS to ensure the skills needed for performing the activities. First, new framework is proposed to define the main phases of workforce qualification in a system requiring several changes. Second, new approach is proposed for workforce skills management and the building of training modules linked to the proposed qualification phases, using a modular design. This work provides decision-makers with a solution for the qualification and management of workforce skills in RMS.