Congratulations to the Winner!

John Deere Des Moines Works, Ankeny, IA
Lift cart muffler fixture

John Deere Des Moines Works - before and after

Installing the 30+ pound muffler assembly on the John Deere 7760 Cotton Harvester required two employees to lift the assembly above their heads and maintain awkward postures holding it in place while one additional operator fastened it to the machine. An internal team comprised of a design draftsman, ergo technician, assembler and tool maker designed and fabricated a fixture to hold the assembly and mounted it to an electric lift to raise and lower it. The solution enables one operator to quickly and easy maneuver the muffler assembly into place and fasten it without additional assistance. The electric lift cart has eliminated the overhead work and awkward postures while dramatically improving the productivity of the operation. By sharing this solution through the John Deere Continuous Improvement process, other engineers were able to use the same concept to address similar ergonomic issues in other factory applications. Congratulations to John Deere Des Moines Work’s team for implementing not only the winning improvement but two other improvements among the top 15 finalists!