Usage of MTM-1 Method and Motion Tracking for Work
Standardization
Použitie metódy MTM-1 a snímania pohybu pre štandardizáciu
práce
Zygmunt Legutko
Abstract
The following paper shows new software solutions for
the aiding of time measurements processes, using TiCon3
with motion tracking module as an example. It presents
advantages of such solutions and new ways that are
available due to high computerization of these methods.
Keywords: methods time measurement, TiCon3, motion
tracking system
Abstrakt
Príspevok prezentuje nové softvérové riešenie pre podporu procesov merania času s príkladom využitia modulu
pre snímania polohy TiCon3. Popisuje výhody takéhoto
riešenia ako aj nové dostupné možností spojené s počítačovou podporou týchto metód.
Kľúčové slová: metódy merania času, TiCon3, systém
sledovania pohybu
1 Introduction
Methods Time Measurement (MTM) is a predetermined
basic motion-time data system for developing effective
methods and establishing "fair day's" work standards. This
method focuses on analyzing a job whereby a job or task is
broken down into specific movements, each of which has a
pre-determined symbol and time attached to it. Adding up
the times assigned for each movement gives the total time to
complete the job or task. This total time represents the time
standard for the job or task.
By using MTM, each work sample has been given a time
standard for completion under standard instructions. This
time standard represents the time a well-trained worker
would be expected to take to perform a given task.
MTM time standards give an accurate quantitative judgment of an individual's ability to perform a job. They are
particularly valuable in production planning and as an
employment screening process for measuring productivity.
MTM scores also provide a good way to track improvement
over time.
Main benefits of using the MTM system over the classical
time study methods:
ƒ faster to use for comparable accuracy and methods description,
ƒ produce time values prior to production, eliminating costly methods corrections,
ƒ validation of data is made easier, due to the documented
nature of methods analysis,
ƒ helps improving existing methods and procedures and
aids in the design of new procedures and methods,
ƒ eliminates the need to assess the rate of working by staff,
values are set to a defined standard, thereby eliminating
an area of subjective ness and common dispute,
ƒ gives the possibility to plan manpower requirements and
capacity calculations with greater accuracy [1].
2 Computer aided MTM
2.1 The origins of computer aided MTM
MTM is made of a very large collection of time
elements and processes. From the beginning in early 1940s
till late 1960s, the plan time value catalogue itself, collected
in folders, fills dozens of yards of shelf space in the archive
of the MTM Organization - mostly entered by hand onto
analysis cards. Welding, maintenance, logistic work, machine writing, counting and analyzing - had do be done manually by man.
At the beginning it worked fine, but as soon as the system
evolved into more complicated and precise mechanism, it
turned out that the essential maintenance and exchange of
data made only on analysis cards became impossible without the usage of computer power.
2.2 Various systems used in computer aided
MTM
Some MTM organizations turned to developing computer-supported systems early on. It also simplified data use
considerably for MTM consultants as well as the clients.
Among the first programs (Fig.1) there were: the American
software 4M System (presented in 1968), a computer technique for applying MTM-1, and ANA Zeba Data (presented
in 1982), developed in Germany, for establishing and
calculating data using any MTM technique. Those products
were already so successful as an instrument of time data
management that they were used by companies in many
areas well into the 1990s [2].
In 1997 the German MTM software developers succeeded
in producing a very advanced tool for digital time and work
management – TiCon, witch over a years evolved into
TiCon3 family of products.
Fig. 1 Graph showing MTM certified software in past years
Obr. 1 Graf znázorňujúci MTM certifikované softvéry
z posledných rokov
3 Ticon3 – the basics
TiCon3 is a third generation of time management software TiCon, so far. With TiCon3, time is recorded, evalua-
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ted and optimized as a determining factor of all operational
processes. This program has a modular structure, witch can
be easily modified depending on the needs of the company.
The main part of the system called “TiCon-base”, offers the
basis for integrated method and time planning. Other modules that can be used in conjunction with TiCon-base are:
ƒ CIP - allows the user to determine and statistically calculate the potential of one or several time-relevant changes
or several existing elements using simulated time updates
and to execute these changes in the database after conducting a check. It allows consideration of effects of method
changes to the time without interfering with the real data
pool, simulation of temporary calculations (What will
happened if…?) and gives a great support in investments
decisions.
ƒ MSA - allows the user to graphically display simultaneous or consecutive manual and technical job cycles
needed to complete a job task in a process oriented manner. It can create clear graphic display or visualization of
cyclically identical or different process sequences, which
can be used, for example, as a basis for discussion at team
meetings. This component supports a work of organization or investment decisions, for e.g. whether the use of
an additional person will achieve fuller use from a machine or whether an employee would be given more capacity
to operate a second machine by adapting the first. It’s a
easy-to-use tool for recognizing work-system related lack
of productivity. This includes both machine downtime
and system-related personal work stoppages.
ƒ Web-Client - module witch can greatly decrease communication issues, allows HTML-based read access of the
TiCon data pool for use via intra or Internet,
ƒ MTM-Ergo - basing on pre-designed MTM analyses,
MTM-Ergo prognosticates during the concept phase of
production planning any unfavorable physical stress. This
occurs in the form of a risk analysis and considers that not
all of the concrete conditions are yet known in the design
phase of the future work station,
ƒ Balancing module – allows user to either have the individual sub processes automatically allocated – under certain restrictions – to the individual work stations or to assign them manually. Both functions feature an allocation
display and a workload graphic to provide a concise line
and work station-related evaluation. In addition, the
balancing comparison allows the comparison of results
from two tryouts with respect to their workload data.
ƒ Production Planning - module for generating work schedules. Usage of this module gives the possibility to combine individual process elements into work cycles which
then in turn create complete work schedules. Cost centers
are assigned to the work cycles and they can contain
various allowances, thereby taking into account the operational environment. Work cycles are created on the
basis of standard work cycles covering all work cycle
variants. During generation, data relevant to this work
cycle are conveyed and automatically stored with process
elements. Both manual and automatic generation are
supported. Automatic generation happens on the basis of
variant generation either with the If-Then rules or by
allocating validities to process elements,
ƒ PROKON2 - module that effectively supports the use of
the PROKON method. The term PROKON stands for
production-suitable construction and includes in general
all construction-related measures for improving production – from manufacturing to assembly. The TiCon modu-
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le PROKON2 offers all the necessary elements to clearly
record and disburse the target and actual data of a
PROKON project as well as to link with suitable MTM
analyses,
ƒ Motion tracking and automatic distance measuring
module – usage of this module is explained in later part of
this article [3]
4 TiCon3 – coding down the work
4.1 Standard – “paper and pencil aided”
approach
Standard approach to code down the work in MTM-1
system can be very time-consuming and consists of several
steps:
ƒ motion analysis: segmentation of the motion sequence in
elements (i.e. reaching),
ƒ time analysis: determination of the time actuating variables for every single movement (i.e. distance mover, weight of item),
ƒ coding of the motion element and of the actuating variables,
ƒ extraction of the elementary motion time from charts,
ƒ addition of the elementary motion times to obtain the
basic motion time in demand.
For example the “reach” movement (R-symbol) - basic
and most common type of movement in MTM-1 method.
Main conditions that are affecting this movement, are:
ƒ distance moved
ƒ case of motion
ƒ type of motion path
For coding such movement we need to know what exact
type of reach we deal with. Is it:
ƒ reaching for an object in fixed location, or to object in
other hand;
ƒ reaching to single object in location witch may vary slightly from cycle to cycle;
ƒ reaching to object jumbled with other objects in a group
so that search and select occurs;
ƒ reaching to a very small object or where accurate grasp is
required;
ƒ reaching to indefinite location to get hand in position for
body balance or next motion.
Next step would be affirmation if any acceleration or
delay takes a stand in this movement and measuring exact
distance of executed movement. Movements that took place
in a straight line are relatively easy to count, troubles come
when it comes to those taken on arch. In order to measure
such distances the usage complicated series of accounts
would be necessary. In practice it is possible to simplify
such operation by adding up to 10% to the movement
measured in a straight line, depending on largeness of the
arc [4].
After gaining all that data person responsible for coding
down this work, reads the appropriate values for this exact
motion from the charts and writes it down in a table. And he
does that one step after another till the whole motion is
splitted into basic elementary movements. The analysis
effort in this case is high and whole work is very time
consuming.
4.2 Modern – computer aided way
When using software like Ticon3 some of the actions
doesn’t have to be executed manually and can be done automatically. Since it’s a software method, when coding a mo-
vement we can choose different options (like: type of
movement, case of motion, distance, weight of object, type
of motion path) from easy-to use drop down menus. After
completing step after step form the software sums up individual times of basic movements (in TMU units) to achieve
total time for completing such task.
Since type and case of motion as till now don‘t give much
automation chances and have to be manually indicated by
trained engineer, the distance measuring can be done almost
automatically by the new Ticon3 motion tracking module.
Ticon3 with motion analysis module is a video system
software that allows to track objects without markers. This
is very useful because it allows to record a video of a certain
task done by a person without the need to apply any stickers
or color marks on his/hers uniform. By using pattern recognition techniques, in many cases certain parts of body can
be followed (tracked) throughout a complete digital video
sequence without any human interaction. Engineer’s job is
reduced to pointing a spot at the beginning of the movement
and than pause (or stop) the playback at the end of it. The
software is going to track this indicated point throughout the
whole given sequence (Fig.2-5) and after that it will count
the exact distance on witch the point has been relocated.
Computed positions can be exported in ASCII format and
in the near future they could be directly saved into an MTM
form. Alternatively, additional data such as velocities,
accelerations, distances and angles can be derived and then
exported in text format. The software is able to generate
graphical plots of the same data, which in many cases are all
that is required for the motion analysis.
The software as for now can only be used to compute
two-dimensional positions using a video sequence from a
single camera. It includes camera calibration routines that
can be employed with either coplanar or non-coplanar
calibration arrays.
5 Example of time savings
Phoenix Contact was founded in 1923. Intensive cooperation with energy suppliers in Germany led to the development of modular, rail-mountable terminals. The company headquarters is in Blomberg in East Westphalia, Germany. Phoenix Contact Wielkopolska, a Polish branch of
this multinational enterprise, is a very modern production
company employing over 600 people located in New
Tomysl. They offer more than 3000 products in a field of
industrial and equipment connection systems [4].
The company decided to switch to Methods Time Measurement system and Polish MTM Society trained 15 of their
employees in usage of MTM-1 system early this year. After
that the average time for completing assembly of a product
was decreased for about 30 up to 40 %. The main problem
that occurred was the large amount of time needed to code
down the work. To solve this problem company decided to
buy and implement TiCon’s motion tracking module.
Exemplary product – “3205019 QTC 1,5“ is a feedthrough modular terminal block allowing fast connection of
wires. It took a trained engineer with two months of experience in MTM about 4 hours to code the assembly work for
this single element. One person was able to make about two
projects a day. The same work done with usage of Ticon3
with motion tracking module the same employee was able
to do in about 2 hours. Time saving for this particular case
was about 50%, witch in combination with the effect of
scale can give impressive results [5].
In a company (like Phoenix Contact Wielkopolska) witch
offers a very wide range of products, buying such software,
despite of initial high expenses (about 2500 – 3000 euro per
license), in a longer period of time can give large time and
financial savings and is economically advisable.
6 Conclusions
Fig. 2-5 Automatic tracking of a finger-tip within a Ticon3
motion tracking module
Obr. 2-5 Automatické snímanie polohy palca s modulom pre
snímanie pohybu Ticon3
Usage of computer software in MTM can be compared
to usage of computer software in a fields like design or
manufacturing, that gave us Computer Aided Design and
Computer Aided Manufacturing. First point in inventing
such a systems was to make a human work faster and easier
by reducing tons of paper used in processes of time measurement and analysis. Other advantages, like extended
visualization and computer aided planning, were natural
evolution of such software.
Ticon3 system (especially the one with motion tracking
module) can greatly increase the speed of coding the basic
movements and help to reduce analysis effort. The tracking
module (which is still rather in early version) offers some
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