Unit 3 Facility or Layout Planning and Analysis

Introduction
In the previous unit, we learnt about the various methodologies used to
select the location of the plant, the flexibility in location choice, the trends
and practices across the globe and also techniques available to determine
the location for a particular type of industry. In this unit we will study about
facility or layout planning and analysis.
Production systems whether manufacturing a product or being responsible
for providing a service need a specific place to carry out their operations.
These systems also need an arrangement of machines, equipment, and
pathways for people to move. In addition, space is required to store
 materials, tools, and other accessories and also to provide necessary
support services like dining, parking of vehicles, resting, health care, and
space to interact with customers. Keeping these diverse requirements a
specific area of space is identified and neatly divided and allocated for
various activities and movements. This arrangement in general is called a
“layout” and represents typically a floor plan and also additional details.
Typically, a layout refers to the arrangement of facilities connected with
production, support, customer service, and other activities. It involves the
physical arrangement of work centers, storage, space for material handling
and movement, utility areas and other essential spaces required for
production and operations.
Plant layout is also defined as the organization of a company's physical
facilities to promote the efficient use of equipment, material, people and
energy
How does a layout differ from a floor plan?
A floor plan refers to two dimensional space; namely length and breadth for
different functional requirements whereas a layout looks at three
dimensional requirements, that is, the layout also looks for utilisation of
volumetric space.

Objectives of layout
The primary objective of plant layout is to increase productivity and also to
ensure employee satisfaction and lowering the costs. The major objectives
of a good plant layout are:
 Reduced risk to health and safety of employees
 Improved morale and worker satisfaction
 Increased output
  Fewer production delays
 Savings in floor space - production, storage, and service
 Reduced material handling
 Greater utilization of machinery, manpower, and service
 Reduced inventory-in-process
 Shorter manufacturing time
 Reduced clerical work and indirect labor
 Easier and better supervision
 Less congestion and confusion
 Easier adjustment to changing conditions
 Facilitate the overall production process.
 Minimize material handling costs
 Increase production throughout
 Effective utilization of available space
 Improve employee morale
 Utilize labor effectively
 Avoid unnecessary capital investment
 Provide flexibility
 Reduce in-process inventories

Classification of Facilities
The facilities in a manufacturing organisation can be classified as follows:
 Production facilities – Workshops, tool room, machine shop, assembly,
heat treatment, painting, testing and inspection.
 Support facilities – Storage, packing, administrative, library, service
centre, reception.
 Employee utilities – Vehicles’ parking, canteen, healthcare, rest room.
 Additional facilities – Conference hall, board room, customer service,
training hall.
The facilities in a service industry are almost similarly developed for various
activities. For example, in an airport the layout consists of:
 Runways for landing and take-off
 Parking area for employees and passengers
 Cargo area
 Baggage collection and retrieval
 Counters
 Security check area
 Canteens
 Administrative offices
 Storage area
 Health care
 Restrooms

Basis for Types of Layouts

The type of layout is generally determined by the following:
 Type of product – Different products and services require different
areas for various processes and support functions. For example, an
electronic product manufacturing layout is smaller and simpler compared
to a tractor manufacturing unit.
 Types of production processes – Different production processes
require different size of areas for operations. For example, a machining
process for an automobile component requires a larger area compared
to a sheet punching for a utensil.
 Volume of production – The space requirements are directly
proportional to the volume of production.

Why Layout decisions are important

Layout decisions are important for three basic reasons:
 They require substantial investments of both money and effort
 They involve long term commitments which make mistakes difficult to
overcome
 They have a significant impact on the cost and efficiency of short-term
operations
Further layout once set, may be difficult to change, because layout changes
are resisted by personnel, who would have adjusted to the existing layout
and many times such changes often require them to alter daily routines or to
undergo retraining. Hence, people normally wish to continue with existing
arrangements. Secondly, making any changes involves substantial
investment in time and money, also disturbs the existing schedule and may
even lead to temporary shutdown of operations till the new layout becomes
fully operational. This eventually leads to loss of revenue for quite some
time.
Many occasions demand a redesign of existing layout both due to
expansion of capacity and due to technical reasons. Most common reasons
for redesign of layouts include the following:
 Inefficient operations (for example, high cost, bottlenecks)
 Accidents or safety hazards
 Changes in the design of products or services
 Introduction of new products or services
 Changes in volume of output or mix of outputs
 Changes in the methods or equipment
 Changes in environmental or other legal requirements
 Morale problems
Case-let

Layout in a seminar hall

Seminar halls are very commonly constructed as a part of the academic
building in universities and institutes of higher learning. The seating
capacity may vary from 50 to 300 and typically people gather to listen
and discuss topics of common interest. They may also be used to
conduct training. Here the most important point is the convenience for
the speaker and also the participants. Because nowadays, the sessions
are more interactive in nature rather than monologues from one
speaker, it is necessary that the layout is carefully set.

Self Assessment Questions

1. A represents typically a floor plan and the additional details.
2. The main objective of plant layout is to and also to ensure
employee satisfaction
3. The type of layout is generally determined by the ,
, and .
 Nature of Layout Problems
The kinds of plant layout problems fall into four classes:
 Planning a complete new plant – Arranging all the facilities to work as
an integrated whole. The challenge is when a company goes into
production of a new product or moves to a new area. This is usually
handled by a team of specialists.
 Expanding or moving to an existing plant – Here the buildings and
services already exist posing limitations to the free-hand of the layout
engineer. The problem is, one of adapting the product, facilities, and
personnel of an existing organisation to a different but existing plant.
This is the time for abandoning old practices and equipment and
changing to improvement methods.
 Rearranging a present layout – This involves new and efficient
methods and equipment. The problem is one of using as much of the
existing facilities as is consistent with new plans and methods. The
problem occurs often with changes in model or style of products or with
modernisation of productive equipment.
 Minor adjustments in existing layouts – Reasons are changes in
operating conditions; changes in design of certain parts, increase in
sales volume, addition of new but similar product, adopting new
equipment, or new conveyor, or inspection changes. All these mean
adjustments are in the arrangement of work areas, personnel, and
material placement. These adjustments present the most frequent layout
problems. Here the layout engineer must build into or onto an existing
arrangement, various improvements without changing the over-all layout
plan and with a minimum of costly interruptions or adjustments to the
existing installation.

Redesigning of a layout
There are several reasons as to why a redesigning of an existing layout may
be required. These are as follows:
 Building not suited for requirements
 Product design or process changes made without making necessary
changes in the layout
 Installation of additional equipment without considering relationship to
the existing flow pattern
 Unexplainable delays and idle time
 Stock control difficulties
 Decreased production in an area
 Crowded conditions
 Many people are moving material
 Bottlenecks in production
 Backtracking
 Excessive temporary storage
 Obstacles in materials flow
 Scheduling difficulties
 Wasted cubic space
 Idle people and equipment
 Excessive time in process
 Poor housekeeping

6.8 Manufacturing facility layouts

The layout developed for a manufacturing purpose has to primarily favour
easy and smooth operations to enable the desired level of output. It is
equally important to take into account the possible expansions in volume
and variety of output. In addition, productivity, quality, and safety related
issues are given due importance to ensure the desired output with the
assured quality.
Therefore, factors considered while developing layouts for manufacturing
operations are as follows:
 The required capacity per time period of the facility
 The size, number and sequence of the machines that are necessary
 Technology of the productive processes
 Safety precautions, health care provisions, comfort needs, personal care
needs
 Accommodations for employees
 Building and size constraints
 The expected growth trends of the organisation
  The size, shape, weight, bulkiness, fragility, and other characteristics of
the material.

Types of Layouts
The four basic varieties of layouts for manufacturing facilities are:
 Process layout
 Product layout
 Group technology layout
 Fixed position layout
Process layout
This type of layout is concerned with the grouping of machines, process, or
services according to their function. This grouping of machines by function is
characteristic of job shops and batch type production facilities. Hence this
type of layout is also called as functional layout. Process layout typically
uses general purpose machines that can be changed over rapidly to new
operations for different product designs.
Consider a car service and repair centre. There may be several
departments or functional areas which are arranged based on space and
technical requirements like number of persons working, machines installed,
number of vehicles coming on an average, and other requirements. Each
car entering into the service centre will follow the following steps:
 Arrival at office
 Customer informs about the type of problem
 Front office guides the customer to drive the car to the required
departments
 Car is given the necessary service
 Customer returns to front office and makes payment
 Car exits from the service centre
Figure below depicts the various departments in a car service centre.
 Fig. 6.1: Car Service Centre

Product layout
Product layout commonly referred to as 'line layout', focuses on the
sequence of production or assembly operations required for manufacturing
or assembling a part or a product. These are used in mass or continuous
production. Examples are automobile assembly, cement manufacturing, oil
refining.
In contrast to process layouts, they are not flexible as they are specifically
designed for making or assembling one product. These layouts typically use
specialised machines that are set up once to perform a specific operation for
a long period of time on one product. Figure 6.2 depicts the various
machines in a component manufacturing layout.

Fig. 6.2: Component Manufacturing Layout

Group technology layout
In group technology, machines are grouped into a cell. The cell acts like a
product layout which is land within a larger process layout environment. It
requires that each cell process is a family of parts that have many common
characteristics, such as machining operations, similar machine set - ups and
common raw materials. Due to these common characteristics, the parts can
be produced in a different path through a cell much like a product layout.
Figure 6.3 depicts the facilities arrangement in a group technology layout.

Fig. 6.3: Facilities Arrangement in a Group Technology Layout

(Source: tutor.com)

Fixed position layout

In this type of layout, the product is located in a fixed position and all the
resources like workers, materials, machines and equipment's are
transported to that location. Missile assembly, large aircraft assembly, ship
construction and bridge construction are examples of fixed-position
layouts. These layouts are used when a product is bulky, large, heavy or
fragile. These minimise the amount of product movement required. Figure
6.4 depicts a large aircraft assembly.

Fig. 6.4: Aircraft Assembly

Hybrid layout
Most manufacturing facilities use a combination of layout types. For
example, one may basically adopt a process layout with one section of the
facility using an assembly line, or vice versa. Such combinations of layouts
are called hybrid layouts.

Layout Planning
When to select product layout or process layout?
Table 6.1 depicts certain factors and logic that we go by while designing the
type of layout.
Table 6.1: Differences between Product and Process Layout

Product layout Process layout

1. Mass production of one product 1. A large variety of' products with low
or similar types of products to medium demand
2. Standardised product with little 2. Emphasis is on special orders or
or no design changes products having significant and
frequent design changes
3. Possibility of achieving good 3. Difficult to achieve good equipment
equipment and labour balances and labour balances
4. Minimum requirement of in- 4. Many inspections are required in a
process inspection sequence of operations
5. Use of special purpose 5. Use of general purpose machines
machines
6. Materials or products permit 6. Materials or product are too large or
bulk or continuous handling by heavy and used in small quantities
mechanical means
7. The same machine or work 7. Frequent need to use the same
station is seldom used for more machine or work station for two
than one operation or more different operations
8. Production of stock i.e. for 8. Production for individual orders
steady demand
9. Movement of equipment is 9. Expensive machinery which is
generally not very costly costly to move is involved
When to use Fixed Position Layout:
This type of layout is preferred when
 The operation or process requires only hand tools and/or simple or light
machines
 The cost of moving major components is very high
 There is a demand for skill
 Production of product is only at specified times
As stated in Systematic layout planning by Muther, R. (1984), there are
four levels of detail in a plant layout design:
 Site layout – shows how the building should be located
 Block layout – shows the sizes of departments in buildings and their
relative location
 Detailed layout – shows the arrangements of machines and
workstations in the departments
 Workstation layout – shows locations of every part of the workstation
There are essentially two types of approaches in designing a new layout. In
the first method; the departments or functional areas to be located adjacent
or non-adjacent are identified, using a closeness rating suggested by
Richard Muther. In the second method; the total distance traveled becomes
the focal point, and the departments are organised essentially to minimise
the total distance traveled by materials and or by people.
According to Richard Muther’s, simplified systematic layout planning,
following steps are suggested for developing new layouts:
 Chart the relationships
 Establish space requirements
 Diagram activity relationships
 Draw space relationships
 Evaluate alternative arrangements
 Detail the selected layout plan
The closeness between pairs of departments is based on the following
criteria:
 Departments use same equipment or facilities
 Departments share the same personnel or records
 Common sequence of work flow in the departments
 Ease of communication
 Similar work performed
Closeness is avoided if departments:
 Have unsafe or unpleasant conditions
 Operations in one department disturbs the neighboring department
The “closeness rating” is expressed using a letter code and later converted
to a number to simplify the calculations.
Example 1
The letter codes stated here help to express the degree of closeness
between two departments taken as a pair:
A – Absolutely necessary = 16
E – Essential or especially important = 8
I – Important = 4
O – Ordinarily important or okay = 1
U – Unimportant = 0
X – Undesirable = -80
The example here is taken from www.resourcesystemconsulting.com.
Figure 6.5 depicts the closeness ratings given using a special chart known
as REL chart.

Fig. 6.5: Present Layout

Figure 6.6 depicts an improved arrangement of the layout.

Fig. 6.6: Improved Rearrangement

Figure 6.7 depicts the improvement appreciated by converting the closeness

codes into mathematical scores.

Fig. 6.7: Closeness Codes Converted into Mathematical Scores

Figure 6.8 depicts the current layout and proposed layout with mathematical
scores.

Fig. 6.8: Current Layout versus Proposed Layout

Example 2
Consider six departments numbered 1 to 6 and the closeness rating as
depicted in Figure 6.9.

Fig. 6.9: Six Departments with the Closeness Rating

 To start with, highest priority is given for two ratings namely A and X. Hence
the departments with these ratings are listed separately.
“A” rating: 1-2, 1-3, 2-6, 3-4, 4-6, 5-6
“X” rating: 1-4, 3-4, 3-6
Assuming a 2 (rows) by 3 (columns) grid for the department configuration,
the following solution is generated as depicted in table 6.2:
Table 6.2: Solution for the Department Configuration

Department configuration Solution

1 2 6
3 5 4

Evaluating Plant Layouts

A layout once developed must be evaluated for its effectiveness or
efficiency. No one measure of success can be identified for this purpose and
to a large extent several measures may have to be used to evaluate or
compare layouts. Each layout problem is quite unique and hence, there is
no general procedure readily available which can be used for evaluating a
layout. For instance, in a case where material handling is the primary
problem in establishing a new layout, total distance moved by a product
could perhaps be considered as a measure of effectiveness. One overall
measure that is often used is the return on investment.
Techniques for evaluating layout may be generally classified as:
 Systematic
 Optimising .
Systematic technique provides an organised approach to selecting the best
layout whereas the optimising techniques enable the determination of a
solution which is the best.
The following methods are applicable:
 Cost comparison
 Productivity evaluation
 Space and/or volume utilisation evaluation
One common technique that is helpful in determining the magnitude of
product flow is the materials handling between departments. The tool is
called the travel chart or the load-distance matrix, which assists in designing
a new layout and valuating a layout.
A typical travel chart will show; how many items or how much material is
being transported or how many people are moving between departments,
and it is necessary to find out what is the corresponding total time or
distance. This is usually done by multiplying the load by the distance
traveled and is used as a measure to evaluate the layout. Typically called as
the load x distance analysis, it also helps to find busy routes and also
indicates how much of backward movement or reverse flow takes place in
the given layout. Table 6.3 depicts
Table 6.3: Travel chart
To: A B C D E
From
A 15 20 6

B 3 12 14

C 20 10 6
D 18 4 12
E 14 18
All diagonal elements will be zero indicating nothing can go to a department
from the same department. For example from A to A it is zero units
transported. The values above the diagonal indicate the movement in the
forward direction, and the values below the diagonal represent possible
back tracking and attempt should be made to eliminate or minimise this. The
units or numbers used in the travel chart represent an amount of material
handling for example, pallet loads per day, frequency of trips, etc. The
calculation procedure enables the evaluation of different layouts; to find out
the total load times, the distance for each layout, and the results are
tabulated. It is to be remembered that while the load remains the same the
other variable namely; the distance keeps depending on the relative location
of the departments. In a linearly arranged layout as depicted in the figure
6.10, the distance increases as the departments are added.
 A B C D E
Fig. 6.10: Linearly Arranged Layout

How are the distances measured?

The department or area identified for each operation is assumed to be
rectangular in most of the cases though this may not be the case always.
Rarely irregular shapes may also be encountered. Firstly, in all the cases
the distance from one room or one department to another room or
department is measured from geometrical centre to geometrical centre, as
the average distance considering the various possible locations within the
given area. Secondly, the distances are always assumed to be along the
straight paths, and the travel is along the straight (rectilinear) direction only
disregarding diagonal movements though possible in some cases. Further,
in many cases, it is assumed that the departments are all of the same size
to simplify the measurements and the calculations.
Two data tables are usually provided to calculate the load-distance values.
One table gives the load or quantity moved between the departments and
other table or figure gives the distances.
Example 3
A small workshop has four departments A, B, C, and D, each measuring 10
metres by 10 metres. The initial layout is depicted in figure 6.11. The umber
of trips between each pair of departments is: A and B = 50, A and C = 20, A
and D = 30, B and C = 10, B and D = 25, and C and D = 40.
1. Determine the total load distance in the given layout.
2. Suggest one improved layout, which is the total load distance for this layout
should be less than the total load distance of the original layout.

10 A B

10 C D
10 10

Fig. 6.11: Initial Layout

Table 6.4 depicts the load x distance between various departments.
Table 6.4: Distance between various departments

Between Load Distance Load X Distance

A and B 50 10 500
A and C 20 10 200
A and D 30 20 600
B and C 15 20 300
B and D 20 10 200
C and D 40 10 400
Total 2200

From the calculations it is clear that two major values namely 600 and 500
are between A and C, and A and D. A and C are adjacent and hence, C and
D will be interchanged to make A and D adjacent to each other. Then the
resultant layout will be as depicted in the figure 6.12.

Fig. 6.12: Resultant Layout

Again the load-distance calculations are carried out and the results are
depicted in the table 6.5.
Table 6.5: Long distance calculations

Between Load Distance Load X Distance

A and B 50 10 500
A and C 20 20 400
A and D 30 10 300
B and C 15 10 150
B and D 20 20 400
C and D 40 10 400
Total 2150
We notice that the total load distance has decreased from 2200 to 2150 and
hence, this change is justifiable.
Example 4
Four departments A, B, C, and D are to be located in four rooms marked 1,
2, 3, and 4 as depicted in the figure 6.13. The centre to centre distance
between adjacent rooms is 20 feet. The flows between the departments are
as depicted in the table 6.6. The supervisor, Mr. Jeff wants department B to
be in Room 2 only. Obtain the layout satisfying this condition and find the
total cost of movement?
Suppose Mr. Jeff agrees to give up his choice and wants a layout with the
minimum total cost of movement, what will be the new layout and its total
movement cost? What improvement do you see?

1 2 3 4
Fig. 6.13: Layout
Table 6.6: Flow between Departments in Units

To → A B C D
From ↓
A - 25 30 20
B - - 15 25
C 35 - - 50
D 40 - - -

Example 5
Six departments marked A, B, C, D, E, and F are to be located in six
production areas marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The quantity moved between
the departments is depicted in the table 6.7. Obtain the layout that
minimises the total distance traveled. The adjacent departments are located
at a distance of 1 unit (say equal to 20 feet). Figure 6.14 depicts the six
production areas.
1 2 3
4 5 6
Fig. 6.14: Six Production Areas
 Table 6.7: Quantity Moved between Departments
From – To A B C D E F
A 50 100 20
B 30 50 10
C 20 100
D 50
E
F
Answer: Figure 6.15 depicts the optimum solution.

A C F
B D E
Fig. 6.15: Optimum Solution

The total load X distance is = 490 units

Assembly Line Balancing

Assembly line refers to a special arrangement of facilities typically along a
straight line or a u-shaped line, exclusively to produce assemblies or
finished products. The assembly starts in the form of a skeleton at one end
and passes through several “work stations” where; different operations are
performed and components are added, and the final assembly is obtained
after passing through successive stages. The line is arranged so as to
produce a specified number of products over a certain time period. To
facilitate easy mounting of components and fast operations, the assembly
moves at certain speed and rolls over at the end of the line.
Concept of line balancing
A simple line (typically set up for the purpose of assembly) consists of a
series of work stations, and the total work content of the product, which is
expressed in terms of the total time is divided among these workstations
equally. For example, consider five operations performed at A, B, C, D, and
E. Each one can be a workstation or more than one operation can be
combined at a single workstation. In a simple line like this it is easy to
visualise the flow and also to make out the work allocation. Figure 6.16
depicts a simple line flow indicating the work stations.
 Fig. 6.16: Simple Line Flow Indicating the Work Stations

As the items move along the line, the work is progressed intermittently and
leaves the line as a finished product. Typically the objective is, to divide the
work content equally among the workstations so that the workstations are
loaded as evenly as possible. This is known as balancing. Firstly, if such a
balance is not achieved, a certain amount of inefficiency will arise because
some stations will have more work to perform than others, and all the
stations are expected to process same number of items per period of time.
Secondly, unequal work content at different workstations leads to unequal
work distribution and also formation of queue of items. Hence, to ensure a
smooth flow, all the workstations are given the same time to process the
items. The entire line typically, on a manual or power-driven conveyor
moves from workstation to workstation at a constant rate.
The time required to complete the work allotted to each station is known as
the “service time” and the time available at each station is known as the
“cycle time”, normally longer than the service time. The cycle time includes
both the productive as well as the non-productive time along with idle time if
any. Non productive time includes time for movement, handling and
inspection time. The manner in which the work content is allocated to the
station is influenced by the technological sequence of the assembly and
expressed by precedence requirements, that is, one operation must be
completed before the other operation can start. Such constraints limit the
ability to achieve complete or perfect balance while allocating work to
stations.
The allocation of work elements to a workstation may also be influenced by
“zoning” constraints which occurs in two ways: positive zoning constraint
demands that certain operations have to be clubbed together because of
certain sharing of resources, and negative zoning which insists that certain
operations should be clubbed together because of interference or conflict.
All these constraints make it very difficult or impossible to achieve perfect
line balance and hence, a certain amount of balancing delay or balancing
loss is inevitable. Balance delay is defined as the total time available to
complete the given job and the total time required. In other words, the
balance delay is the difference in time between the service time and the
cycle time, expressed as a percentage of the cycle time.
The objective of line balancing is that, given a desired cycle time, the
attempt is to assign work elements to workstations to:
 Minimise idle time or balancing delay
 Minimise the number of work stations
 Distribute balancing delay evenly between stations
 Avoid violating any constraints
As it is difficult to achieve all these objectives simultaneously at least one
objective has to be satisfied. Based on this premise, several researchers
have proposed different heuristic methods to realise the desired goal.
Discussing all the different approaches is beyond the scope of this topic and
hence a few methods are illustrated.
Several calculations are involved in line balancing. The different terms and
corresponding calculations are stated here as follows:
Cycle time, C
1
C=
r
Where, c = cycle time in hours per unit, and r = desired output rate in units
per hour
Theoretical minimum number of workstations:

TM =
t
c (to be rounded up)

Where, t  total time required to assemble each unit, and c = cycle

time

Idle time  nc  t

Where, n = number of stations, and c = cycle time

Total time required to assemble oneunitt=

(%) Efficiency=
 t 100
nc
Balance delay (%) = 100 – Efficiency
Assigning the operations or tasks to workstations is based on heuristics as
given here:
 Longest task time – Choose the available task with the longest task time
 Most following tasks – Choose the available task with the largest
number of following tasks
 Ranked positional weight – Choose the available task for which the sum
of following task times is the longest
 Shortest task time – Choose the available task with the shortest task
time
 Least number of following tasks - Choose the available task with the
least number of following tasks
Practice problems (Ref: Heizer and Render (2008) Operations
Management)
An assembly line is to operate eight hours per day with a desired output of
240 units per day. Table 6.8 depicts the task times and precedence
relationships.
Table 6.8: Task Times and Precedence Relationships

Immediate
Task Task time (seconds)
predecessor
A 60 None
B 80 A
C 20 A
D 50 A
E 90 B, C
F 30 C, D
G 30 E, F
H 60 G
Draw the precedence diagram. What is the cycle time? Balance this line
using the “longest task time” rule. Find the efficiency and the balance delay.
First we draw the precedence diagram. Figure 6.17 depicts the precedence
diagram.

Fig. 6.17: Precedence Diagram

Cycle time = production time per day/ required output per day
= (8 hour/day) (3600 seconds / hour) / 240 units per day =
120 seconds per unit
After drawing the precedence diagram, the next step is to assign the tasks
to the workstations. First we calculate the theoretical minimum number of
workstations as follows:
Minimum number of workstations = total task time / Cycle time
= 420 / 120 = 3.5 or rounded as 4 (Workstations cannot be a fraction)
Now using this number of workstations the tasks have to be assigned
without violating the precedence relationships. Furthermore, in each
workstation the total task time cannot exceed the cycle time.
Starting from workstation 1, task A has a task time of 60 seconds and can
only be clubbed with another task such that the total time doesn’t exceed
120 seconds.
A + B = 60 + 80 = 140 (Not feasible because exceeds 120)
A + C = 60 + 20 = 80 (Feasible)
A + D = 60 + 50 = 110 (Feasible)
Between the two feasible combinations, A + D is selected using the rule
“longest task time”.
Similarly, other tasks are assigned and line is balanced. The final allocation
of tasks to the four workstations is depicted in the Table 6.9.
 Table 6.9: Final Allocation of Tasks to the Work Stations

Work station Task Task time Idle time

A 60
I
D 50 10
B 80
II 20 20
C
E 90
III 30 0
F
G 30
IV H 60 30
The workstations are marked in the precedence diagram also as depicted in
the Figure 6.18.

Fig. 6.18: Precedence Diagram

T = 420 = 0.875 or 87.5%

The efficiency =
Na C 4(120)

And balance delay = 1- Efficiency = 1- 0.875 = 0.125 or 12.5 %

 Activity 1
The desired output for an assembly line is 360 units which operates 450 minutes per day. Table 6.10 d
Table 6.10: Task Times and Precedence Relationships

Immediate
Task Task time (seconds)
predecessor
A 30 None
B 35 A
C 30 A
D 35 B
E 15 C
F 65 C
G 40 E, F
H 25 D, G

Material handling
In a typical manufacturing organisation, apart from the people it is the flow of
materials in various forms that will be moving through the layout, as the
materials undergo different types of processing. Traditionally materials in a
manufacturing environment are classified as (1) raw material, (2) work-in-
process or semi finished goods, and (3) finished goods. It is very common to
see these materials being moved from place to place either manually or by
power driven equipment. Due, to the volume and variety today it is very
common to see the materials being moved through automated systems
along guided paths. They are even remotely controlled and monitored. Any
layout that is designed for manufacturing operations; should take into
account the required material handling, and movements, and accordingly
provide the necessary space and convenience for the people to handle the
same. In addition, safety and speed of movement should also be
considered. Further, enough space may be necessary in between the
workstations for temporary storage and subsequent movement. With space
becoming a major concern, it is necessary that material handling might be
done in limited space with a critical look on safety and efficiency issues. In
addition, due to developments in technology, a wide variety of material
handling equipment is available in the market and hence, the production
managers have to make a careful choice to minimise capital investment and
reasonable returns.
Selection and types of material handling equipments
Following are the types of equipments that help us in bringing efficiency to
the process:
1) Horizontal travel: Horizontal travels are in the aisle. The picker is a
worker, who walks or rides a vehicle, and picks the item or product, and
puts into the cart or vehicle. He/she may also pick and place the item on
a conveyor. The storage system could be one of the following:
 Pallet racks
 Shelves
 Storage drawers
 Gravity flow racks
The pallet racks can have only one or two levels.
2) Person aboard: In person aboard system, the picker is on a platform of
the vehicle. He/she can move up and also horizontally along the aisle.
3) Part to picker: Part to picker is a mechanised system. Here a
storage/retrieval device carries the trays or bins to the person picking.
These act on the instructions received through a remote control device
with the picker. More than one picker can also access the system.
4) Special equipment: For high throughput and space efficiency, special
equipment are made which are in the form of:
 Moveable shelves
 Rotary racks
 Mobile shuttles that travel in lanes
 Automatic item picker which has dispensing mechanisms that eject
items on a conveyor belt
5) Workplace equipment – Items can be kept on a work bench and be
picked up. The carts are also used to keep items for being picked up.
It should be noted that any of the systems described above have to suit the
purpose and economies that can be derived. Before implementing any of
these, a detailed study of alternatives, a plan for expansion or reduction in
the requirement of a particular product or a probable shifting of the location,
etc will have to be undertaken.
Some of the factors affecting the selection of equipment are listed here:
(See Figure 6.19)
Material properties
 Size, weight and nestability
 Carton counts, pallet counts
 Value
 Fragility
 Environment – temperature, humidity
System requirements for the product
 Volume per product
 Number of order to be shipped
 Response time
 Supporting processes – labelling, pricing
 Growth factors
Economic factors
 Investment required
 Project life
 Rate of return
Figure 6.19 depicts the factors affecting the selection of equipment
 Fig. 6.19: Factors Affecting the Selection of Equipment

Self Assessment Questions

4. A layout is concerned with the grouping of machines,
process, or services according to their function
5. In group technology, machines are grouped into .
6. Missile assembly, large aircraft assembly, ship construction and bridge
construction are examples of type of layouts.
6.16 Terminal Questions
1. What are the objectives of layout?
2. Why layout decisions are considered crucial in a plant design?
3. Why redesign of layouts may be necessary?
4. How do you classify the layouts?
5. What do you understand by “line balancing”? What happens if balance
doesn’t exist?

6.17 Answers

Self Assessment Questions

1. layout
2. increase productivity
3. type of product, volume of production, types of production process
4. process layout
5. cells
6. fixed-position