From factory school to digital simulation: A multidisciplinary human-centred intervention for improving training in circular manufacturing systems

The environmental emergency is pushing companies toward a circular economy, necessitating a transformation of manufacturing systems to tackle circularity challenges. In uncertain environments where complex tasks require high human involvement, operator training is critical to maintain production performance and protect health. In this context, a remanufacturing company of electronic products is studied. The paper questions the company's training processes, to make operators operational more quickly while preserving their health. A multidisciplinary team in industrial engineering, occupational psychology, and ergonomics conducts experiments in a learning factory to collect data. Then, a digital simulation integrating inter-individual variabilities and operator health is presented, in a research context where humans are rarely integrated in industrial simulation. Findings suggest a need for detailed operator modelling in simulation and thanks to the creation of persona to reflect differences. Simulation outcomes inform the industrial application, leading to a new task breakdown for training operators.