Abstract
The performances of two different shift work systems were assessed in a resistor manufacturing company over a period of 13 months. At first, the existing rotating-shift system was evaluated; the yield and productivity were found to be significantly affected by shift and working day factors (p < 0.05). The day shift had the best performance followed by swing and night shift. Both the yield and productivity rose for the first four working days, then declined for the following two days. Subsequently, a new fixed-shift system was proposed and the performances again were evaluated. Once again, the shift effect was found to be significant for both productivity and yield. Comparing the differences between the two shift systems, both productivity and yield have shown significant differences in swing and day shift (p < 0.05). For the night shift, performance difference between the rotating-shift and the fixed-shift systems was found at p < 0.01. In summary, the fixed-shift system was found to be superior to the rotating-shift system in many aspects. A few months after implementing the fixed-shift system, the company deciced to return to the rotating-shift system due to the high turnovers involved in the night-shift workers. The work shift system design implication is also discussed. © 1991.