Human-centric manufacturing: Re-thinking, Re-justifying, and Re-envisioning
Xun Xu, Tang Ji, Pai Zheng, Lihui Wang
Abstract
Human-Centric Manufacturing (HCM) stresses inclusion, resilience, and well-being. Recent studies focus on supporting workers on the factory floor, assuming that human presence in production will remain for the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) are rapidly transforming manufacturing and redefining human roles. This paper reviews automation trajectories, analyses the evolving roles of humans, and discusses the technological and social factors shaping future manufacturing. Our discussion suggests that human roles will decline and change, but not disappear anytime soon. HCM should evolve from focusing on physical presence to embedding human purpose in advanced and engaging manufacturing systems. • A retrospective of manufacturing automation and the evolving roles humans play in a factory. • A new angle to Human-Centric Manufacturing. • Re-envisioning Human-Centric Manufacturing in the foreseeable future.