Integrating the End User Perspective in Technical Product Development: Lessons from the Packaging Industry

Abstract

Tetra Pak is a packaging solutions company that develops equipment for processing and packaging of food and beverages. Considering the users of our equipment, for example operators and technicians, is important for several reasons: to ensure a safe and comfortable working environment, to ensure an effective and efficient way of working, and to increase the performance of the system. To gain success, we need to regard the human as an important and integrated part of the system and fully incorporate the end user perspective into our way of working. Therefore, Human System Integration (HSI) was established through a global improvement project, focusing on developing HSI related processes, methods and tools. This paper presents the improvement project approach, its results and our reflections from the journey. We also discuss some of the challenges we have experienced, and what remains to be done in the future.