In a manufacturing environment, efficiency at the lineside can make or break productivity. As demand fluctuates, labor grows scarce, and product variety expands, assembly operations are under mounting pressure to do more with less. Lineside assembly, the critical point where workers bring components together to complete or advance a product, plays a pivotal role in meeting that challenge.
Every second counts at the lineside. When tools or parts aren’t easily accessible, when workers must reach, twist, or leave their stations to retrieve materials, the entire line slows down. What may seem like small inefficiencies — searching for components, rearranging cluttered workspaces, or waiting for replenishment — can compound into significant costs and lost throughput over time.
This is why leading manufacturers are turning to modular workstations to create flexible, organized, and ergonomic lineside environments that keep production flowing smoothly.
Many manufacturers still rely on static or improvised workstations built from basic shelving or pipe-and-joint structures. These setups often lack the flexibility, durability, and ergonomics required for today’s high-mix production environments.
Common challenges include:
To stay competitive, operations need lineside setups that adapt as quickly as their production schedules, and that’s where industrial workstations come in.
A modular workstation is more than a table with shelves, it’s an adaptive system engineered to evolve alongside your manufacturing operation. In today's manufacturing environment, where product mixes change frequently and lean initiatives drive continuous improvement, flexibility is essential.
Unlike welded steel tables or low-capacity tube systems, modular structures such as UNEX FlowCell allow teams to design and reconfigure their workstations on demand. Adjustable components and interchangeable accessories make it easy to fine-tune layouts as workflows shift, without the need for extensive downtime or costly rebuilds.
The strength of modularity lies in its ability to unite structure and adaptability. Durable, high-capacity steel construction ensures long-term performance, while tool-free reconfiguration empowers teams to make adjustments quickly. That means one workstation can serve as a sub-assembly workstation today and a lineside storage unit tomorrow, all without sacrificing strength or stability.
This level of flexibility supports key lean manufacturing principles like just-in-time (JIT) delivery, continuous improvement, and waste reduction. When material handling systems are modular, efficiency isn’t static. It improves with every change.
At the heart of lineside efficiency is ergonomics. Every reach, twist, or step that a worker takes outside their optimal range adds wasted motion and strain.
UNEX FlowCell workstations are designed with ergonomic principles in mind:
The result? Workers are less fatigued, more focused, and more productive. Studies of ergonomic setups show that thoughtful design can reduce strain injuries, lower absenteeism, and increase pick speed and accuracy.
Lean manufacturing hinges on one central goal: eliminating waste. In lineside assembly, waste shows up as excess motion, waiting, overstocking, or inefficient replenishment.
FlowCell modular workstations are designed to combat all of these challenges, including:
These benefits translate directly into higher throughput, lower labor costs, and more ergonomic, productive work environments.
At BraunAbility, a leading manufacturer of mobility solutions, organization and efficiency were key to optimizing their assembly lines. By implementing UNEX FlowCell modular workstations, the team transformed how materials were stored, accessed, and replenished.
Each workstation was configured to hold parts in the most convenient setup for the operator’s task. With gravity-fed conveyor shelves, components automatically flowed forward to the optimal pick point. This eliminated unnecessary reaching and bending, significantly reducing pick time while improving ergonomics and consistency. The result was a faster, smoother, and more efficient assembly process, proof that when a workstation is built around the worker, productivity follows.
Other key advantages include:
By integrating SpanTrack carton flow into FlowCell, manufacturers get the best of both worlds: robust modular frames with smooth, reliable part presentation that keeps operations moving seamlessly.
As manufacturers continue to face the pressures of efficiency, space constraints, and workforce wellbeing, modular workstations like UNEX FlowCell are setting a new standard for what’s possible at the lineside.
By prioritizing flexibility, ergonomics, and flow, these systems transform assembly operations into lean, adaptable environments that empower workers and maximize productivity.
Ready to make your lineside assembly more efficient? Contact UNEX to learn how FlowCell modular workstations can help you streamline operations, eliminate waste, and keep your production moving forward.