6-1 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Operations Management
William J. Stevenson
8th edition
6-2 Process Selection and Facility Layout
CHAPTER
6
Process Selection
and Facility Layout
Operations Management, Eighth Edition, by William J. Stevenson
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights
6-3 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Introduction
• Process selection
• Deciding on the way production of goods or
services will be organized
• Major implications
• Capacity planning
• Layout of facilities
• Equipment
• Design of work systems
6-4 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Selection and System Design
Figure 6.1
Facilities and
Forecasting Capacity Equipment
Planning
Product and Layout
Service Design
Process
Technological Selection Work
Change Design
6-5 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Strategy
• Key aspects of process strategy
– Capital intensive – equipment/labor
– Process flexibility
– Adjust to changes
– Design
– Volume
– technology
6-6 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Selection
• Variety
• How much Batch
• Flexibility
• What degree
• Volume
Job Shop Repetitive
• Expected output
Continuous
6-7 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Types
• Job shop
• Small scale
• Batch
• Moderate volume
• Repetitive/assembly line
• High volumes of standardized goods or services
• Continuous
• Very high volumes of non-discrete goods
6-8 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Product – Process Matrix
Figure 6.2
Process Type
Job Shop Appliance repair Not
Emergency room feasible
Batch Commercial
bakery
Classroom
Lecture
Repetitive Automotive
assembly
Automatic
carwash
Continuous Not Oil refinery
feasible Water purification
(flow)
6-9 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Product – Process Matrix
Figure 6.2 (cont’d)
Dimension
Job variety Very High Moderate Low Very low
Process Very High Moderate Low Very low
flexibility
Unit cost Very High Moderate Low Very low
Volume of Very High Low High Very low
output
6-10 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Automation
• Automation: Machinery that has sensing and
control devices that enables it to operate
• Fixed automation
• Programmable automation
6-11 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Automation
• Computer-aided design and
manufacturing systems (CAD/CAM)
• Numerically controlled (NC) machines
• Robot
• Manufacturing cell
• Flexible manufacturing systems(FMS)
• Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM)
6-12 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Facilities Layout
• Layout: the configuration of departments,
work centers, and equipment, with particular
emphasis on movement of work (customers
or materials) through the system
6-13 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Importance of Layout Decisions
• Requires substantial investments of money
and effort
• Involves long-term commitments
• Has significant impact on cost and
efficiency of short-term operations
6-14 Process Selection and Facility Layout
The Need for Layout Decisions
Inefficient operations
For Example: Changes in the design
High Cost of products or services
Bottlenecks
Accidents
The introduction of new
products or services
Safety hazards
6-15 Process Selection and Facility Layout
The Need for Layout Design (Cont’d)
Changes in
environmental Changes in volume of
or other legal output or mix of
requirements products
Morale problems
Changes in methods
and equipment
6-16 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Basic Layout Types
• Product layouts
• Process layouts
• Fixed-Position layout
• Combination layouts
6-17 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Basic Layout Types
• Product layout
• Layout that uses standardized processing
operations to achieve smooth, rapid, high-
volume flow
• Process layout
• Layout that can handle varied processing
requirements
• Fixed Position layout
• Layout in which the product or project remains
stationary, and workers, materials, and
equipment are moved as needed
6-18 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Product Layout
Figure 6.4
Raw Finished
Station Station
Station Station
Station Station
Station
materials 1 22 33 44 item
or customer
Material Material Material Material
and/or and/or and/or and/or
labor labor labor labor
Used for Repetitive or Continuous Processing
6-19 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Advantages of Product Layout
• 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
6-20 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Disadvantages of Product Layout
• Creates dull, repetitive jobs
• Poorly skilled workers may not maintain
equipment or quality of output
• Fairly inflexible to changes in volume
• Highly susceptible to shutdowns
• Needs preventive maintenance
• Individual incentive plans are impractical
6-21 Process Selection and Facility Layout
A U-Shaped Production Line
Figure 6.6
In 1 2 3 4
Workers
Out 10 9 8 7
6-22 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Layout
Figure 6.7
Process Layout
(functional)
Dept. A Dept. C Dept. E
Dept. B Dept. D Dept. F
Used for Intermittent processing
Job Shop or Batch
6-23 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Product Layout
Figure 6.7
(cont’d)
Product Layout
(sequential)
Work Work Work
Station 1 Station 2 Station 3
Used for Repetitive Processing
Repetitive or Continuous
6-24 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Advantages of Process Layouts
• Can handle a variety of processing
requirements
• Not particularly vulnerable to equipment
failures
• Equipment used is less costly
• Possible to use individual incentive plans
6-25 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Disadvantages of Process Layouts
• In-process inventory costs can be high
• Challenging routing and scheduling
• Equipment utilization rates are low
• Material handling slow and inefficient
• Complexities often reduce span of supervision
• Special attention for each product or customer
• Accounting and purchasing are more involved
6-26 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Cellular Layouts
• Cellular Production
• Layout in which machines are grouped into a
cell that can process items that have similar
processing requirements
• Group Technology
• The grouping into part families of items with
similar design or manufacturing characteristics
6-27 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Functional vs. Cellular Layouts
Table 6.3
Dimension Functional Cellular
Number of moves between many few
departments
Travel distances longer shorter
Travel paths variable fixed
Job waiting times greater shorter
Throughput time higher lower
Amount of work in process higher lower
Supervision difficulty higher lower
Scheduling complexity higher lower
Equipment utilization lower higher
6-28 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Other Service Layouts
• Warehouse and storage layouts
• Retail layouts
• Office layouts
6-29 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Design Product Layouts: Line
Balancing
Line Balancing is the process of assigning
tasks to workstations in such a way that
the workstations have approximately
equal time requirements.
6-30 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Cycle Time
Cycle time is the maximum time
allowed at each workstation to
complete its set of tasks on a unit.
6-31 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Determine Maximum Output
OT
Output cap acity =
CT
OT = operating time per day
D = Desired o utput rate
OT
CT = cycle tim e =
D
6-32 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Determine the Minimum Number
of Workstations Required
(D)(∑ t)
N =
OT
∑t = sum of task times
6-33 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Precedence Diagram
Figure 6.10
Precedence diagram: Tool used in line balancing to
display elemental tasks and sequence requirements
0.1 min. 1.0 min.
A Simple Precedence
a b Diagram
c d e
0.7 min. 0.5 min. 0.2 min.
6-34 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Example 1: Assembly Line Balancing
• Arrange tasks shown in Figure 6.10 into
three workstations.
• Use a cycle time of 1.0 minute
• Assign tasks in order of the most number of
followers
6-35 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Example 1 Solution
Revised
Time Assign Time Station
Workstation Remaining Eligible Task Remaining Idle Time
1 1.0 a, c a 0.9
0.9 c c 0.2
0.2 none - 0.2
2 1.0 b b 0.0 0.0
3 1.0 d d 0.5
0.5 e e 0.3 0.3
0.3 - - 0.5
6-36 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Calculate Percent Idle Time
Idle time per cycle
Percent idle time =
(N)(CT)
Efficiency = 1 – Percent idle time
6-37 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Line Balancing Rules
Some Heuristic (intuitive) Rules:
• Assign tasks in order of most following
tasks.
• Count the number of tasks that follow
• Assign tasks in order of greatest positional
weight.
• Positional weight is the sum of each task’s
time and the times of all following tasks.
6-38 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Example 2
0.2 0.2 0.3
a b e
0.8 0.6
c d f g h
1.0 0.4 0.3
6-39 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Solution to Example 2
Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4
a b e
f g h
c d
6-40 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Parallel Workstations
30/hr. 30/hr. 30/hr. 30/hr.
1 min. 1 min. 2 min. 1 min.
Bottleneck
30/hr. 1 min. 30/hr.
60/hr. 60/hr.
1 min. 1 min. 1 min.
30/hr.
1 min. 30/hr.
Parallel Workstations
6-41 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Designing Process Layouts
Information Requirements:
1. List of departments
2. Projection of work flows
3. Distance between locations
4. Amount of money to be invested
5. List of special considerations
6. Location of key utilities
6-42 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Example 3: Interdepartmental Work Flows
for Assigned Departments
Figure 6.12
30
170 100
1 3 2
A B C
6-43 Process Selection and Facility Layout
• Author’s note:
• The following three slides are not in the 8e,
but I like to use them for alternate examples.
6-44 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Layout
Milling
Assembly
Grinding
& Test
Drilling Plating
Process Layout - work travels
to dedicated process centers
6-45 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Functional Layout
222 222 222
111
2
Mill Drill Grind
22
444 3333
444
22
33
1111
2222 Assembly
33
44
111333
33
33
44
33
4
33
111 111
33
Heat 111 Gear
3
333Lathes
treat cutting 444
6-46 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Cellular Manufacturing Layout
Heat Gear
-1111 Lathe Mill Drill -1111
treat cut
Heat
Mill Drill Grind - 2222
Assembly
222222222 treat
Heat
3333333333 Lathe Mill Grind - 3333
treat
44444444444444 Mill Drill Gear - 4444
cut
6-47 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Flexible Manufacturing
VD7
Process at Trek Bikes
6-48 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Location/Criteria
PS11
Guitar site location
6-49 Process Selection and Facility Layout
Process Overview
AB2
Aluminum tubing, suppliers at Hillerich & Bradsby
