Student Conference 2011: Keynote Speaker Announced!
Posted on August 2, 2011 by NEC HFES
The New-England Chapter of HFES is proud to announce that Richard Gardner, Ergonomist and Technical Fellow at Boeing, will be the keynote speaker at the 2011 Student Conference, to be held October 14th, 2011 at the NERD Center, in Cambridge, MA.
Richard Gardner, P.E., CPE is an Ergonomist and Technical Fellow with Boeing Research & Technology’s Assembly and Integration Technology group. Mr. Gardner supports new product development working with lifecycle product teams to integrate ergonomics requirements into airplane designs and associated manufacturing processes. He is the lead Ergonomist for the 787 program and provided shop-floor ergonomics support to the 747, 767 and 777 manufacturing lines in Everett, WA. Prior to joining Boeing, Mr. Gardner worked as a Human Factors flight test engineer at the Naval Air Test Center, Patuxent River, MD. He received his M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas Tech University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado. Mr. Gardner is a Licensed Professional Engineer and a Board Certified Professional Ergonomist.
Mr Gardner’s keynote address will highlight the role played by ergonomics in the design of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Program: A Focus on Design for Manufacturing Ergonomics
Early in product development of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Program, company Ergonomists developed design requirements that specifically addressed ergonomics risks commonly encountered in the commercial airplane manufacturing processes. The requirements, derived from industry standards, were levied on integrated product teams and provided a springboard to interject manufacturing ergonomics criteria into design solutions early in the product lifecycle where change is more practical and feasible. This approach enabled Ergonomists and design engineers, using standard processes and tools, to optimize designs for manufacturing while the product was being developed, ensuring the physical and cognitive aspects of product assembly were factored into parts and process creation. By leveraging a requirements management infrastructure for verification and validation, this methodology proved to be both systematic and sustainable. Tangible results include intentional engineering to proactively improve the safety and efficiency of 787 manufacturing personnel. Case studies will be provided.
