Incorporating human factors into the AAMT selection: a framework and process

Human factors such as employee morale and workers skills greatly influence the successful adoption of automated and advanced manufacturing technologies. For newly industrialised countries, the evaluation of these factors before technology selection is particularly paramount. Countries such as Brazil are in the critical early stages of technology adoption and low rates of secondary education and scarcity of technicians reinforce the importance of assessing human factors before the actual technology implementation. Although methods have been proposed to evaluate intangible aspects, the lack of a structured approach to identify and quantify human factors still constitutes a major hurdle. The paper describes a framework and process to assist managers in identifying and evaluating human factors in the selection. The approach was tested in eight companies in Brazil. The results indicated that the main advantages of the proposed approach are: (a) provide a comprehensive justification of technology adoption by identifying and quantifying intangible aspects; and (b) supply a practical process to be incorporated into the selection decision-making process.