With human capital being a large part of most forestry operations, it is important to better understand how employees work and design schedules to better maximise overall productivity. The aim of this New Zealand study was to determine if time of day impacts machine productivity and value recovery in an off-forest central processing yard.
This research focused on scanner operators and log-bucking processors from a processing yard operating two shifts a day. After 214 work shifts were analysed, it found that the time of day had no overall productivity impact.
The scanner volume productivity was influenced by the time of day, but this was found to be related to the average piece size being handled, the number of machines being used, or operator differences. The lack of substantial differences was thought to be as a result of good overhead lighting and the scanning system that had less reliance on human input.
Image credit: Logging-On
