downtime owing to accidental damage dropped by over $2000 per year per unit,
and productivity increased by one ex:tra load per day. This resulted in a cost Sl:wings of $65,000 per
year for an total investment of $6900, an almost 10:1 payoff in a single year. In another case in
Sweden, a steel mill ergonomically redesigned a semiautomated materials handling system. Overall
noise level was reduced from 96 to 78 dB, production increased by 10 percent, and rejection rates
were reduced by 60 percent. The system costs, including, design and development, were paid back
within the first 15 months. '