At CNH, our people are our most valuable asset – and we are always seeking new ways to improve their workplace experience.

One key area where we are making a meaningful impact with innovation is through ergonomic analysis at our production sites.

This is how our Curitiba Ergonomics Management Project began. Leveraging the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to streamline processes, we developed a cutting-edge model for analyzing ergonomics during a working shift at our Curitiba, Brazil production site where we make combines and tractors for our Case IH and New Holland brands.

In partnership with the ergonomic assessment technology company, Kinebot, we created a unique tool that captures, classifies, and processes human movements, accurately identifying potential ergonomic problems. Our shop-floor employees took part in the project, helping to improve the accuracy of AI mapping. The data collected during the assessment was linked exclusively to the workstation to assess and improve the work environment, rather than evaluating individual employees. This results in the development of more suitable workstations for all operators.

The Results

• The average time spent on analyzing and processing postures in the workplace decreased from three hours to 30 minutes.
• Before the implementation of AI, the specialist spent most of their time conducting ergonomic analysis. With the system’s implementation, the time required for the analysis reduced by 75%, allowing the specialist to focus on implementing, adapting, and managing ergonomic risks at workstations.
• Since the implementation of the system absences due to orthopedic issues have fallen by some 200 days per year.

"This project offers various benefits for employees. The automation of ergonomic analysis allows for continuous and real-time evaluation of workers' movements and postures, significantly reducing potential ergonomic issues at workstations. With the use of Artificial Intelligence, suboptimal posture patterns were identified, and improvement interventions can be made proactively, promoting a safer and healthier work environment – for an improved quality of life. Furthermore, this technology provides a more accurate and unbiased approach, increasing the efficiency of assessments. The use of AI also speeds up the entire process, as evaluations are conducted automatically,” says Fabio Belasco, EHS in Latin America..

Projects such as this reinforce our commitment to health and safety, while concurrently improving efficiency and productivity.

Similar initiatives have been running across other sites in North America including Saskatoon, Canada where we make sprayers, planters and seeders for our Case IH and New Holland brands. In Canada, legislation requires companies to lead ergonomics programs in collaboration with unions and works councils to reduce musculoskeletal injuries. We took that requirement one step further, partnering with Soter, a global safety solutions technology company.

• Their SoterCoach wearable devices are used to monitor and track an operator’s range of spine and shoulder movements.
• Intelligence gathered from these devices helps us to adjust our processes to make them more ergonomic.
• The data collected only looks at movements and does not require any personal information to be entered, ensuring it is fully anonymized.
• Following a successful trial in 2022, our North American sites in Burlington, Benson, Fargo and New Holland have also implemented these devices.