The document discusses different layout strategies for manufacturing facilities including process layout, product layout, and assembly line balancing. It provides examples of layouts used at Volvo that group machines into banks and separate lines into definite supervisory groups to facilitate teamwork and worker communication. The document also discusses techniques for solving assembly line balancing problems such as using precedence tables and assigning tasks to stations based on longest operation times.

1. Facility Layout
Dr. Everette S. Gardner, Jr.

2. Machine shop process layout
Receiving Grin-
Mills ders
Raw matl. Large number
of
storage Assem- low volume
bly products
Drills
Planers
Finished
Inspec- goods
Lathes Automatics tion storage
Part A
Part B
Facility Layout 2

3. Product layout
Raw matl. Fabrication
Rec- storage line-part B
eiving Fabrication Planer
line-part A
Finished Lathe
goods Drill
Small number
storage Mill of
Mill high volume
Drill products
Grinder
Mill
Assembly line Automatic
Facility Layout 3

4. Possible solutions to the process
layout problem
6 Department problem has 6! or 720 possible solutions:
A B C
D E F
I.E., there are 720 different arrangements of the 6 departments
on the 6 locations on the grid.
Facility Layout 4

5. Possible solutions to the process
layout problem (cont.)
Problem complexity grows exponentially:
Nbr. depts. Solutions
10 3,628,800
15 1.31 x 10^12
20 2.43 x 10^18
50 3.04 x 10^64
Facility Layout 5

6. Solutions considered by Craft
• N! solutions to problem with N depts.
• Craft considers only
N(N-1) pairs of exchanges,
2 starting with each
dept.
Facility Layout 6

7. Craft initial layout of furniture plant
A B C
D E
F G
I H
J
TOTAL COST = $2524.68
Facility Layout 7

8. Craft final layout
A E C I G F B H J D
TOTAL COST = $766.68
Facility Layout 8

9. Synopsis of assembly line
balancing
1. Set up a precedence table.
2. Compute required cycle time:
C = (production time) / (required output in units)
3. Compute minimum cycle time:
CMIN = time for longest task
4. Compute minimum number of stations :
SMIN = (sum of all times) / C
Facility Layout 9

10. Synopsis of assembly line
balancing (cont.)
5. Select rule by which tasks are assigned to work
stations.
Examples:
(1) select tasks with longest operation times first or
(2) select tasks with largest number of following tasks first
6. Assign tasks to the first work station until the sum
of the task times are equal to the cycle time, or no
other tasks are feasible. Repeat for stations 2, 3,
… until tasks are assigned.
7. Evaluate the efficiency of the balance:
E = (sum of all times) / (actual nbr. of stations x C)
Facility Layout 10

11. Line balancing quiz
0.4
B 0.3 1.1
1.1 0.5 E G 0.7 0.3
A C I J
1.2 0.4 0.8
D F H
Balance this production line to achieve an output of 367 units per
day. Available production time is 8 hrs. less a 40 min. lunch break.
Use the largest number of following tasks rule to select tasks for
work stations. Break ties with the longest operation time.
Facility Layout 11

12. Multiple solutions in line balancing
6
B 4
F
7
3 C 5
A H
5 5
D G
2
E
Facility Layout 12

13. Multiple solutions in line balancing
(cont.)
84
Number of solutions
25
3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stations
Facility Layout 13

14. Volvo layouts
Rotating
round table
with definite
cycle time --
facilitates teamwork
Facility Layout 14

15. Volvo layouts (cont.)
Horseshoe
conveyor
sections to
enable worker
communications
Facility Layout 15

16. Volvo layouts (cont.)
Interim storage
Storage areas to separate
line into definite
supervisory groups
Supervisor Supervisor
B A
Facility Layout 16

17. Volvo layouts (cont.)
Machines grouped
in banks of 3
so workers can
exchange jobs and
assist each other
in set-up
Facility Layout 17

18. Volvo continued
E
S S
E
S S
E
S S
Connections of subassembly islands feed parts/components to
end-assembly islands—each island functions as a separate team
Facility Layout 18