Layouts
Introduction:
Facilities layout corresponds to configuration of departments, sections, work centers,
equipment with focus being on movement of goods or services or works. A traveler making use of
the railway platform, or bus station or airport would be
a good example of work being moved through a facility. Often poor
design
of productive system can result in poor design
of
the facilities layout. After 9, 11, most of
the
airports in
the western world have shown that they are poorly designed
to handle air traffic and
passengers end
up paying a heavy price in
the form of long waiting hours and
even people visit airports
to see of their family or friend travelers end
up reaching the lobby area. The reason being no attention
was paid at
the time of design
or construction to separate boarding lounge form the ticketing counter
or
lounge. Such short
comings plague organizations and it's the task of
the operations manager to ensure
that product as well as
service layouts match organizations short
as well as long term plans.
Basic Layout Figure:
Need Of
Layout:
An
operations manager should be aware of
the fact that the need for a proper and effective layout
facility is always there,
it is often said that if there is
no facilities layout problem being faced by an
organization then it
is probably unaware
of its true potential. The need for layout planning arises both in
the process of designing new facilities and
in
Redesigning existing facilities. Some of
the common reasons faced by the organization include:-
·
In-efficient Operations (High Cost/Bottlenecks that hamper true potential).
·
Accidents or Safety Hazards.
·
Changes in
design of products or services.
·
Introduction of new products
or services.
·
Changes in volume of output or mix of outputs.
·
Changes in Methods or equipment.
·
Changes in Environmental and Legal requirements.
·
Morale Problems (
e.g. lack of face to face contact between
supervisor and worker or even senior management and junior management)
Definition:
Master plan or blueprint of a printed or published work (such as an advertisement, book, magazine, newspaper, or website) that lays out the arrangement of its
different graphic elements (such as body copy, colors, headlines, illustrations, scale). It establishes the overall appearance, relative importance, and relationships between the graphic elements to achieve a smooth flow of information (message) and eye movement for maximum effectiveness orimpact. Often alternative layouts (called roughs) are prepared to explore different arrangements before the final layout is made for printing or production.
Basic Layout Types:
These
are common Basic Layout Types are:
·
Product/Service layout:
A layout that uses standardized processing operations
to achieve smooth, rapid, high-volume flow
·
Process layout:
A Layout that can handle varied processing requirements
·
Fixed Position layout:
A Layout in which the product or project remains stationary
and workers, materials,
and equipment are moved as needed
·
Hybrid/Combination:
·
A Layout that makes use of
the combination of Product, Process or Fixed.
Product Layout:
Product layouts are used to
achieve
a smooth and rapid flow of large volumes of goods and
customers through a system.
The work is divided into a series of
standardized tasks, permitting specialization of both labor
and equipment.
The large volumes handled by these systems make it pertinent and necessary to invest in
equipment and job design.
Layouts should be
arranged
to make the best use of technological processing abilities to fulfill
the requirements of both product and services.
In manufacturing environments the lines are referred to
as production lines or assembly lines,
depending on
the type of activity involved.
In services side,
the word line may or may not be used like Healthcare/Hospital Services line,Carwash (absence of word line here)
or Cafeteria Line.Without standardization, many of
the benefits of the repetitive processing are lost.Product Layouts achieve
a high degree of labor and equipment utilization, which tends to offset
their high equipment costs.
Operations are so closely tied up that a mechanical failure or high absenteeism (rains) would
increase vulnerability of
the Systems.We can prevent breakdowns if we religiously follow preventive maintenance schedules,
inspection and replacement of worn part.
Advantages Of Product Layouts:
·
High rate
of output.
·
Low unit cost.
·
Labor specialization.
·
Low material handling cost.
·
High utilization of labor and equipment.
·
Established routing and scheduling.
·
Routing accounting and
purchasing
Disadvantages Of Product Layouts:
·
Creates dull, repetitive jobs.
·
Poorly skilled workers may not maintain equipment or quality of output of
service.
·
Fairly inflexible to changes in volume.
·
Highly susceptible
to shutdowns.
·
Needs preventive maintenance.
·
Individual incentive plans are impractical
Product Layout figure:
Process layout Characteristic:
Process layouts, also known as functional
layouts, group similar
activities together in departments or work centers according to the process or
function they perform. For example, in a machine shop, all drills would be
located in one work center, lathes in another work center, and milling machines
in still another work center. In a department store, women's clothes, men's
clothes, children's clothes, cosmetics, and shoes are located in separate
departments. A process layout is characteristic of intermittent operations,
service shops, job shops, or batch production, which serve different customers
with different needs. The volume of each customer's order is low, and the
sequence of operations required to complete a customer's order can vary
considerably. The equipment in a process layout is general purpose,
and the workers are skilled at operating the equipment in their particular
department. The advantage of this layout is flexibility. The disadvantage is
inefficiency. Jobs or customers do not flow through the system in an orderly
manner, backtracking is common, movement from department to department can take
a considerable amount of time, and queues tend to develop. In addition, each
new arrival may require that an operation be set up differently for its
particular processing requirements. Although workers can operate a number of
machines or perform a number of different tasks in a single department, their
workload often fluctuates--from queues of jobs or customers waiting to be
processed to idle time between jobs or customers.
Material
storage and movement are directly affected by the type of layout. Storage space
in a process layout is large to accommodate the large amount of in-process
inventory. The factory may look like a warehouse, with work centers strewn
between storage aisles. In-process inventory is high because material moves
from work center to work center in batches waiting to be processed. Finished
goods inventory, on the other hand, is low because the goods are being made for
a particular customer and are shipped out to that customer upon completion.
Process
layouts in manufacturing firms require flexible material handling equipment
(such as forklifts) that can follow multiple paths, move in any direction, and
carry large loads of in-process goods. Aforklift moving pallets of
material from work center to work center needs wide aisles to accommodate heavy
loads and two-way movement. Scheduling of forklifts is typically controlled by
radio dispatch and varies from day to day and hour to hour. Routes have to be
determined and priorities given to different loads competing for pickup.
Process
layouts in service firms require large aisles for customers to move back and
forth and ample display space to accommodate different customer preferences.
The
major layout concern for a process layout is where to locate the departments or
machine centers in relation to each other. Although each job or customer
potentially has a different route through the facility, some paths will be more
common than others. Past information on customer orders and projections of
customer orders can be used to develop patterns of flow through the shop.
Advantages Of Process Layout:
- Flexibility. The firm has the
ability to handle a variety of processing requirements.
- Cost. Sometimes, the general-purpose
equipment utilized may be less costly to purchase and less costly and
easier to maintain than specialized equipment.
- Motivation. Employees in this
type of layout will probably be able to perform a variety of tasks on
multiple machines, as opposed to the boredom of performing a repetitive
task on an assembly line. A process layout also allows the employer to use
some type of individual incentive system.
- System protection. Since there
are multiple machines available, process layouts are not particularly
vulnerable to equipment failures
Disadvantages of Process Layout:
- Utilization. Equipment
utilization rates in process layout are frequently very low, because
machine usage is dependent upon a variety of output requirements.
- Cost. If batch processing is
used, in-process inventory costs could be high. Lower volume means higher
per-unit costs. More specialized attention is necessary for both products
and customers. Setups are more frequent, hence higher setup costs.
Material handling is slower and more inefficient. The span of supervision
is small due to job complexities (routing, setups, etc.), so supervisory costs are higher.
Additionally, in this type of layout accounting, inventory control, and
purchasing usually are highly involved.
Figure
of process layout:
Fixed-Position Layout:
A fixed-position layout
is appropriate for a product that is too large or too heavy to move. For
example, battleships are not produced on an assembly line. For services, other
reasons may dictate the fixed position (e.g., a hospital operating room where
doctors, nurses, and medical equipment are brought to the patient). Other
fixed-position layout examples include construction (e.g., buildings, dams, and
electric or nuclear power plants), shipbuilding, aircraft, aerospace, farming,
drilling for oil, home repair, and automated car washes. In order to make this
work, required resources must be portable so that they can be taken to the job
for "on the spot" performance Because the
fixed-position layout is specialized, we concentrate on the product and process
layouts and their variations for the remainder of this chapter. In the sections
that follow, we examine some quantitative approaches for designing product and
process layouts. Fixed-Position
Layouts were designed to meet the needs of a very particular type of
manufacturing operation, and material handling is only used to move specific
materials to and from fixed stations within the layout. For this reason, a
gantry crane is also the perfect solution for flexible material handling or as
a supplementary system to move equipment from one work area to another. Here,
the gantry crane isn’t used to move the product to the material; it’s used to
move the material to the product. With capacities up to 20 tons, heavy-duty
gantries like a wide flange or PF gantry crane system are a great option for
Fixed-Position Layouts, especially for those operations that need to move bulky
or large materials. These supplemental lifting systems will help facilities
free up existing overhead cranes, and provide wide, clear passage underneath
the gantry for machinery, vehicles, and personnel. They are also extremely
flexible because they don’t travel along a fixed path, and for operations
building large products, these cranes are durable and precise enough to lift
even the heaviest parts.
Advantages Of Fixed-Position Layout:
§ Easy for products which are
difficult to move.
§ Flexibility for change in
design, operation sequence, labor availability, etc., exists in this layout.
§ This layout is very cost
effective when many orders of similar type are existing in different stages of
progress.
§ Large project type of jobs
such as construction are suited in this layout
Disadvantages of Fixed-Position layout:
- Space. For many fixed-position
layouts, the work area may be crowded so that little storage space is
available. This also can cause material handling problems.
- Administration. Oftentimes, the
administrative burden is higher for fixed-position layouts. The span of
control can be narrow, and coordination difficult.
Figure
Of fixed-position layout: 
Combination Layout:
Combination Layout:
Also known
as hybrid layout, a mixture of three main layouts can be combination layout.
For example, one firm may utilize a process layout for the majority of its
process along with an assembly in one area. Alternatively, a firm may utilize a
fixed-position layout for the assembly of its final product, but use assembly lines
to produce the components and subassemblies that make up the final product Many situations call for a
mixture of the three main layout types. These mixtures are commonly called
combination or hybrid layouts. For example, one firm may utilize a process layout
for the majority of its process along with an assembly in one area.
Alternatively, a firm may utilize a fixed-position layout for the assembly of
its final product, but use assembly lines to produce the components and
subassemblies that make up the final product (e.g., aircraft)
Advantages Of Combination layout:
·
The layout allows production of small batches
further providing increased flexibility
·
Machine utilisation is higher than the other
layouts
·
It provides faster processing time, less
material handling, less work-in-process inventory and reduced set-up time which
in turn reduce overall costs of production
·
As workers are cross-trained to run almost
every machine, boredom is less of a factor leading to worker empowerment and
autonomy
Disadvantages Of Combination layout:
·
Greater labour skills required
·
Balance in flow of overall activities is
required in each cell
·
Some disadvantages of process and product
layouts are faced in cellular layout.
Figure of Combination layout:
More
Details and Refrences:
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