Workstation optimization with lean methods and VR planning stabilizes takt, reduces waste, and improves ergonomic workstation design. Instead of paying for rebuilds later, you check grasping areas, working heights, routes, and safety zones early in a walkable 3D environment. Halocline, the planning platform for production layouts and workstations, supports you with no training required and without CAD data: with a library of stations, racks, and aids and with fast iterations on the desktop and in VR.
An effective workstation results from the interplay of standard work, 5S, poka-yoke, suitable material supply, and a layout that supports the material flow. In Halocline, you set up the target workflow, position material in areas that are easy to reach, run through the workflow in VR, and see in the recording what changes. Each method has its job:
A scenario: at a screwing station, the small load carriers (SLC) sit on the floor, routes cross, and the sequence is inconsistent. After 5S, defined grip heights around 900 mm, a compact U-cell, and a connection to a supermarket, walking times drop by around 25 % and bending and twisting by 40 %, and cycle times vary noticeably less. You compare before and after in Halocline using two recordings of the same workflow.
Long routes, frequent grip changes, searching movements, and crossings with logistics are classic signs of waste (muda). In Halocline, the workflow becomes walkable: you record it in VR, and the walking routes appear as a spaghetti diagram. You move frames, open up routes, check other station arrangements, and see in the next recording how the share of walking time changes. The biggest lever is usually bringing material closer to the optimal grasping area and defusing crossings.
Frequently used parts belong in front of the body within shoulder width, roughly at or just below elbow height. Infrequently used or heavy material goes into the outer areas, with heavy parts never above shoulder height or near the floor. In Halocline, grasping area avatars show the optimal and maximum grasping area for gender and body height, calculated according to DIN 33402-2 and DIN EN ISO 14738. If you record the workflow, the ergonomics analysis based on the key indicator method marks problematic object movements in yellow or red. This lets you spot strong twisting, overstretching, or critical heights early, and you adjust dimensions to the millimeter.
You model safety zones for people, vehicles, and grippers as simple bodies in the model, and the collision check shows overlaps. While you walk through, Halocline displays the minimum passage width. This lets you check driving routes, handover points, and buffer zones and spot bottlenecks and collisions before they cause problems in reality. Together with standard work, this creates an objective basis for cycle time, share of walking time, and grip and posture changes, which you compare across identical scenarios.
For stable A-parts, the two-bin system (2-bin) convinces with its simplicity and quick picking in the optimal grasping area. With high variance and changing bills of materials, a kanban supermarket with clear FIFO lanes (first in, first out) offers a better overview and secures the replenishment frequency. In Halocline, you assess space requirements and walking routes in the context of the shopfloor layout, and you use the recording to check the route against the takt. This lets you reduce work-in-process inventory without putting supply at risk.
This only works together with standard work. Labeling and poka-yoke trays reduce search times and mix-ups, while defined picking and feedback steps keep the replenishment logic stable. The combination of ergonomic placement, a suitable replenishment method, and a clean workflow leads to fewer interruptions, less rework, and a more robust takt. At Siemens in Karlsruhe, workstation design with Halocline became 4x faster.
Want to validate your layout faster? Get started for free with Halocline Free and build your first workstation in 3D. For process analysis and the ergonomics check, get in touch and we'll show you the right scope.
