first production line（人员），or first production sideline（从第一个塔出口的产品，也叫生产一线）

生产一线就是生产现场。生产一线会因时、因事而不同，所以不能用“First Line”来解释。否则会产生“第一条生产线”的歧义。

agree with Ray. process workers, line workers, or something like that (IMO)

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内部培训 - [ Translate this page ]To be a Successful Production Line Managers 生产一线主管管理培训 ... 而其中生产一线主管在其中起着十分关键的作用。因此，提高他们的技术素养和管理技能，将有助于企业充分调动一线员工的工作积极性，进一步挖掘企业内部潜力，进而在激烈的市场竞争 ...
www.51index.com/Trainning.asp?TrainningID=102 - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

生产一线领导现场管理技能提升中国企业培训网 - [ Translate this page ]一线领导干部现场管理技能On-line supervisors management Skills 生产现场是生产型企业的中心，车间和制造部门管理的好坏，直接影响着产品“质量、成本、交货期”各项指标的完成，伴随着微利时代的到来和组织结构趋向扁平化的今天，现场管理在企业中将扮演 ...
www.chinacpx.com/k_display.asp?wsid=3311.html - 31k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages

staff or workers 'on the factory floor'?

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Note added at 18 hrs (2006-10-10 05:45:20 GMT) Post-grading
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成果检索 书名: 作者: 成果类型： 专著 译著 论文 译文 研究报告 其他 ... - [ Translate this page ]一句话，无论是在工厂车间（factory floor）还是在研发实验室都可以创造价值。创新导向型生产方式整合了所有工人的知识和智力，这些工人不仅包括研发科学家和科学家--他们创造了新技术和产品概念（product ideas）；而且还包括生产一线的工人-- ...
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Note added at 19 hrs (2006-10-10 06:05:44 GMT) Post-grading
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sometimes, 'on the line', or 'on the production line', sometimes 'out in the factory' ...

[There is also this: 'line manager' (but in the context of organisational structure, not production):


IMO first line manager shd be line manager:
哈佛经理所具备的管理知识—— 104高级人才加油站－－中国人力资源网 - [ Translate this page ]长期以来，许多中外学者从不同的研究角度出发，对管理做出了不同的解释，其中较有代表性的有：管理学家赫伯特·A·西蒙(Herbert A ... 组织中的主管人员一般分为三个层次，即上层主管(top manager)、中层主管(middle manager)和基层主管(first line manager ...
www.104.com.cn/detail.php?id=136232 - 16k - Cached - Similar pages

How about this (但是不一定是说'工厂的生产',服务业也可以包括在内)?:
应用文论文写作- - 管理学- 人力资源管理- 人力资源管理要为企业增值服务 - [ Translate this page ]而在公司内部，经理层也逐渐了解到人力资源管理的内涵：人力资源管理决不单单是人力资源部的事，而是每一个管理者的事，一线经理（Line Manager）也是人力资源管理的执行者，并开始主动承担更多的人员管理责任。从今年所做的员工满意度调查来看，“回顾 ...
www.write100.com/write/1337.htm - 31k - Cached - Similar pages ]

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http://www.cpit.ac.nz/subjects/business/programme.php?pc=NC0...

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first line management:

This qualification recognises the skills and knowledge expected of role holders or people seeking positions as team leaders, supervisors, charge hands or first line managers.

so...it's for production team leaders, charge hands, leading hands...

and it's 'first line' (a new term for me)...

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Note added at 4 days (2006-10-14 08:34:15 GMT) Post-grading
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Here '主管' is translated as 'charge-hand':

http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:A4K9iaO6nuIJ:sinalog.org...

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"Last National Day holiday I got a call from home saying they’d arranged a girl for me to start courting to marry. The lass were in Guangzhou as well, she also graduated high school, she were a charge-hand. I was none too happy so Dad says ‘Well then bring one back yourself when you come home for New Year!’ I were that irritated I couldn’t speak. "

"国庆节的时候，家里给我打电话，说给我张罗了个对象。那女孩也在广州打工，也有高中文凭，还是主管。我不乐意，爸就说，那你今年过年带个回来！呛得我 说不出话。"

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-> 就是'基层主管' -> on-line supervisors, team leaders, charge hands, leading hands -> 好像 the term is 'first-line managers'. or you could call it 'first-tier managers', maybe (below middle management).