Humantech Announces 2011 Find It - Fix It Challenge Winner

Humantech announced today that the winner of its 5th Annual Find It – Fix It Challenge is the Timken Co. in Canton, OH. The contest is intended to recognize and reward the implementation of creative, sustainable and high-impact solutions that address ergonomic issues in the workplace. Timken Co.’s winning design is its Bull Gear Deburring Fixture, which allowed the deburring operation to be more ergonomically appealing for workers. Prior to the new tool, the deburring operation was performed while the gear was rested on a cart in a horizontal plain requiring the associate to uncomfortably stand and bend for several hours. Rotating the part to a vertical plane, the Bull Gear is now handled like a tire on a car where both sides are fully accessible, alleviating awkward body positions for employees. The contest’s honorable mentions are Ashland Water Technologies and John Deere Turf Care. Humantech management consultant Kent Hatcher says the Find It – Fix It winners are “the ones that generate the buzz, the momentum, the excitement of what ergonomics is.”