Human-Centered Design of Jigs and Fixtures: A Data-Driven Approach to Productivity, Safety, and Manufacturing Sustainability

Charles Chikwendu Okpala

Professor, Industrial/Production Engineering Department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.M.B. 5025 Awka, Anambra State – Nigeria. 

Abstract

Jigs and fixtures play a critical role in the determination of manufacturing accuracy, throughput, and process stability, yet their design has traditionally prioritized machine constraints over human performance and sustainability outcomes. This study presents a human-centered, data-driven methodology for jig and fixture design that systematically integrates ergonomic analysis, production performance metrics, occupational safety assessment, and life-cycle sustainability evaluation. Using a mixed-methods approach, the methodology was applied and validated across three industrial case studies, which involve welding, CNC machining, and manual assembly operations. Empirical results show that the proposed approach achieved cycle time reductions of 12–28%, setup time reductions of up to 40%, and throughput increases of up to 30%. Concurrently, musculoskeletal risk indicators were reduced by 30–55%, defect rates decreased by 18–35%, material scrap was reduced by up to 20%, and energy consumption per unit output declined by up to 22%. Life-cycle assessment results further indicate net reductions in carbon emissions over the operational life of the tooling, despite modest increases in fixture complexity. The findings demonstrate that human-centered jig and fixture design functions as a high-leverage intervention that is capable of delivering simultaneous productivity, safety, quality, and sustainability benefits. Through the operationalization of human-centered design through quantitative, reproducible metrics, this research repositions jigs and fixtures as active enablers of sustainable manufacturing and human-centric Industry 4.0 systems.    

Keywords: Human-centered design, Jigs and fixtures, Sustainable manufacturing, Ergonomics, Data-driven design, Productivity improvement, Life-cycle assessment

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