TQM-Chapter 6

• Layout - it refers to the configuration of departments, work centers, and equipment, with particular emphasis on movement of work (customers or materials) through the system.
• Layout decisions are important for three basic reasons:

  1. They require substantial investments of money and effort.
  2. They involve long-term commitments, which makes mistakes difficult to overcome.
  3. They have a significant impact on the cost and efficiency of operations,
• Three basic types of layout+

  1. Product layouts - are most conductive to repetitive processing.
  2. Process layouts -are used for intermittent processing.
  3. Fixed-position layouts - are used when project requires layouts.
• Product layout - layout that uses standardized processing operations to achieve smooth, rapid, high-volume flow.
• Production line - standardized layout arranged according to a fixed sequence of production tasks.
• Assembly line - standardized layout arranged according to a fixed sequence of assembly tasks.
•  REPETITIVE PROCESSING: PRODUCT LAYOUTS

  1. Product layout
  2. Production line
  3. Assembly line
• NONREPETITIVE PROCESSING: PROCESS LAYOUT

  1. Process layout (functional layout)-
  2. Intermittent processing
• Process layout (functional layout) - layouts that can handle varied processing requirements.
• Intermittent processing - non repetitive processing.
• Fixed-position layout - layout in which the product or project remains stationary, and workers, materials, and equipment are moved as needed.
• Combination layout - A combination layout is possible where an item is being made in different types and sizes. Here machinery is arranged in a process layout but the process grouping is then arranged in a sequence to manufacture various types and sizes of products
• Cellular production - layout in which workstations are grouped into a cell that can process items that have similar processing requirements.
• Two types of effective Cellular layout:

  1. Single-minute exchange of die (SMED)
  2. Right-sized equipment
• Single-minute exchange of die (SMED)- enables an organization to quickly convert a machine or process to produce a different (but similar) product type.
• Right-sized equipment- is often similar than equipment used in traditional process layouts, and mobile, so that can quickly be reconfigured into a different cellular layout in different location.
• Group technology - The grouping into part families of items with similar design or manufacturing characteristics
• Two primary methods: (Technology group)

  1. Visual inspection
  2. Examination of design and production data
• Visual inspection - is the least accurate of the three but also the least costly and the simplest to perform.
• Examination of design and Production data - is more accurate but much more time-consuming; it is perhaps the most commonly used method of analysis.
• Service layouts - can often be categorized as product, process, or fixed-position layouts

  • it requirements are somewhat different from manufacturing layout requirements. The degree of customer contact and the degree of customization are two key factors in service layout design
• Warehouse and storage layouts - the design of storage facilities presents a different set of factors than the design of factory layouts. Frequency of order is an important consideration; items that are ordered frequently should be placed near the entrance to the facility, and those ordered infrequently should be placed toward the near of the facility
• Retail layouts - the objectives that guide design of manufacturing layouts pertain to cost minimization and product flow

  - with retail layouts such as department stores, supermarkets, and specialty stores, designers must take into account the presence of customers and the opportunity to influence sales volume and customers attitude through carefully designed layouts

   
• Office layouts - are undergoing transformations as the flow of paperwork is replaced with the increasing use of electronic communications.
• Automation in Service - one way to improve productivity and reduce costs in services is to remove the customer from the process as much as possible

  -automated services is one increasingly used alternative
• Designing product layout - refers to arrangement of workers and machines in the sequence that operations need to be performed.
• Line balancing - The process of assigning workload evenly across production and workstations.

  -the goal of this is to minimize the idle or delay time and maximize the output while maintaining a smooth workflow.
• Cycle time - Refers to the maximum time allowed at each workstations to perform assigned task before the work moves on.