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Process Selection & Facility Layout

PROCESS SELECTIONPROCESS SELECTION

◦ Processes convert inputs into outputs

◦ Process selection refers to deciding on the way production of goods or services will be organized

◦ It affects the entire organization and its ability to achieve its mission and effective supply chain system

PROCESS SELECTION (CONTD.)PROCESS SELECTION (CONTD.)

◦ Key aspects help in process selection are –

◦ Capital Intensity – The mix of equipment and labor that will be used by the organization

◦ Process Flexibility – The degree to which the system can be adjusted to changes in processing requirements due to such factors as changes in product or service design, changes in volume processed and changes in technology

How much variety in products or

services will the system need to

handle

What degree of equipment

flexibility will be needed

What is the expected volume

of output

Forecasting

Product andService Design

TechnologicalChange

CapacityPlanning

ProcessSelection

Facilities andEquipment

Layout

Work Design

PROCESS SELECTION (CONTD.)PROCESS SELECTION (CONTD.)

PROCESS TYPESPROCESS TYPES

JOB SHOP

◦ A job shop usually operates on a relatively small scale. It is used when a low volume of high variety goods or service will be needed.

◦ Here processing is intermittent – work includes small jobs, each with different processing requirements

◦ High flexibility using general purpose equipment and skilled workers are important characteristics of a job shop

Organization producing state of the art tools

Hospital medical service

PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)

BATCH

◦ Batch processing is used when a moderate volume of goods or services is desired. Also it can handle a moderate variety in products or services

◦ The equipment need not be as flexible as in a job shop but processing is still intermittent

◦ The skill level of workers does not need to be as high as in a job shop because there is less variety in the jobs

Bakeries which make bread, cakes, cookies in batches

Plane carrying batches of people from airport to airport

Class room lecture, Concerts, Television programs

PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)

REPETITIVE

◦When higher volumes of more standardized goods or services are needed, repetitive processing is used. Standardized output means only slight flexibility of equipment is needed

◦ The requirement of skilled workers is generally low

Manufacturing plants producing pencils, television sets etc.

Automatic carwash, cafeteria lines etc.

PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)

CONTINUOUS FLOW

◦When a very high volume of nondiscrete, highly standardized output is desired, a continuous system is used

◦ These systems have almost no variety in output and hence no need for equipment flexibility

◦ Highly specialized equipment can turn down the requirement of expert worker

Factory producing sugar, flour, steel, salt

Internet service

PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)PROCESS TYPES (CONTD.)

PROJECT

◦ A nonrepetitive set of activities directed toward a unique goal within limited time frame

◦ A project is used for work that is nonroutine, with a unique set of objectives to be accomplished in a limited time frame

◦ Equipment flexibility and worker skill can range from low to high

Building a dam, making a motion picture,

Launching a new product or service

AUTOMATIONAUTOMATION

◦ Automation is machinery that has sensing and control devices that enable it to operate automatically

◦ Automation can range from factories that are completely automated to a single automated operation. Now a days service is also enjoying automation. For example, Bank ATM system

◦ Automation offers a number of advantages over human labor

◦ It has low variability whereas it is difficult for a human to perform a task in exactly the same way, in the same amount of time

◦Machines do not get bored or distracted, nor they go out on strike, ask for higher wages or for labor grievances

AUTOMATION (CONTD.)AUTOMATION (CONTD.)

◦ Automation is frequently pushed as a strategy necessary for cost competitiveness

◦ Automation also offers a number of disadvantages over human labor

◦ Technology is very expensive, usually it requires high volumes of output to offset high costs

◦ Automation is much less flexible. Once the process has been automated, there is substantial reason for not changing it

Careful planning is necessary to successfully integrate automation into a production system

Manufacturing cell, N/C machine, FMS

TYPES OF AUTOMATIONTYPES OF AUTOMATION

FIXED AUTOMATION

◦ It is the most rigid type automation. Sometimes referred as Detroit type automation

◦ It uses low cost, specialized equipment for a fixed sequence of operations. Low cost and high volume production are its primary advantages

◦Minimal variety and the cost of making major changes in either product or process are its primary limitations

TYPES OF AUTOMATION (CONTD.)TYPES OF AUTOMATION (CONTD.)

PROGRAMMABLE AUTOMATION

◦ Programmable automation involves use of high cost, general purpose equipment controlled by a computer program. The computer provides both the sequence of operations and specific details about each operation

◦ It has the capability of economically producing a fairly wide variety of low volume products in small batches

Robot is a machine consisting of a mechanical arm, a power supply and a controller. Robots can handle a

wide variety of tasks including welding, assembly, loading and unloading of machines, painting and testing.

TYPES OF AUTOMATION (CONTD.)TYPES OF AUTOMATION (CONTD.)

FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION

◦ Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS): A FMS is a group of machines that include supervisory computer control, automatic material handling and robots. This system can produce a variety of similar products. Systems can range from three or four machines to more than a dozen

◦ It has the capability of reducing labor cost and maintain the quality constantly

◦ It requires less capital investment and offers high flexibility than fixed automation

◦ FMS helps to achieve both the flexibility of job shop processing and productivity of repetitive process systems

FACILITIES LAYOUTFACILITIES LAYOUT

◦ The configuration of departments, work centers, and equipment, with particular emphasis on movement of work (customers or materials) through the system

◦ Product layouts

◦ Process layouts

◦ Fixed-Position layout

◦ Combination layouts Layout decisions

involve long

term

commitment

OBJECTIVE OF LAYOUT DESIGNOBJECTIVE OF LAYOUT DESIGN

◦ Facilitate attainment of product or service quality

◦ Use workers and space efficiently

◦ Avoid bottlenecks

◦Minimize unnecessary material handling costs

◦ Eliminate unnecessary movement of workers or materials

◦Minimize production time or customer service time

◦ Design for safety

PRODUCT LAYOUTPRODUCT LAYOUT

◦ Layout that uses standardized processing operations to achieve smooth, rapid, high-volume output

PROCESS LAYOUTPROCESS LAYOUT◦ Layout that can handle varied processing requirements

Good for

repetitive &

continuous

process

Good for job

shop & batch

process

FIXED POSITION LAYOUTFIXED POSITION LAYOUT

◦ Layout in which the product or project remains stationary, and workers, materials, and equipment are moved as needed

◦ Line Balancing is the process of assigning tasks to workstations in such a way that the workstations have approximately equal time requirements.

◦ Precedence diagram Tool used in line balancing to display elemental tasks and sequence requirements.

◦ Cycle time is the maximum time allowed at each workstation to complete its set of tasks on a unit.

◦ Layout in which machines are grouped into a cell that can process items that have similar processing requirements is cellular layout.