equipment.

Safety may be incorporated into the layout by a careful study of workplace arrangement, material handling methods, storage techniques, ventilation, lighting, fire protection, and all other factors involved in an operation. It will be noted that often it is impossible fully to achieve these objectives. In fact, some of them are rather almost in opposition to each other. Nevertheless, each represents an important goal toward which the layout engineer must strive. When objectives in a particular situation seem to be opposed, an equitable solution must be reached that will be most effective in light of all factors considered.

Functions and Activities in Facilities Design

In carrying out the objectives stated above, the facilities design or plant layout group will perform a large number and a wide variety of activities. ather than try to record an incomplete list, the Facilities Planning and Design Activity Generator is offered in !able "#$. !he three lists contain the raw material for %&, "&' theoretical potential activities of the (acility )lanning and *esign function. !hat is, any combination of the words +one from each column, will yield a possible activity or project. -ctually, of course, some will be nulls, and in others a change in word sequence may be required for proper sense. It will be noted that the center column pretty well identifies the entire range of facilities design interests. !he two outer columns serve to delineate the tremendous number of potential activities the designer might become involved in.

The Continuing Need for Facilities Design Work

.ne might wonder, /What does the facilities designer do, once a facility is designed0/ Well he is not among the unemployed1 In almost every plant, there are always changes and improvements to be worked out, new equipment to be integrated, future plans to be developed, and many other related tasks. In fact, one large manufacturer, occupying ",$&&,&&& sq ft of plant, has said that their layout turns over every five years at a cost of 2'.&&3sq ft to re#arrange. !his certainly generates a large amount of facilities design work. !hen, too, there should always be a long range plan, or layout possibly as follows4

10 years ahead 5stimate of total space requirement, by function. 6 years ahead Area Allocation Diagram, by department +see 7hapter "$,. 2 years ahead ough layout of area under consideration. 1 year ahead *etailed layout of area. 8 to 12 months ahead -ppropriation approved.
uch a long#range plan provides for the orderly development of both improvement and e9pansion, and assures that all moves will be made in the direction of one master plan, which of course is being continuously up#dated. !hen, almost as if in conclusion, another source states4 It is obvious that if we are to achieve greater stability of unit costs and prices, productivity growth is essential. If we are to improve the /quality of life/ +to be

interpreted as the reader sees fit,, the alternative to higher ta9es and3or a reduction of other demands is higher productivity and higher output. If we are going to continue to have a high and rising standard of living, productivity is the sine qua non. Increasing productivity is usually a desired result of facilities design, or re#design. It is accomplished by the design efforts necessary to carry out the several objectives of the facilities design process.

Objectives of Facilities Design

If a finished layout is to present an effective arrangement of related work areas, in which goods can be economically produced, it must be planned with the objectives of layout well fi9ed in mind. !he major objectives are to4 ". $. <. '. 6. 8. >. %. (acilitate the manufacturing process. :inimi;e material handling. :aintain fle9ibility of arrangement and of operation. :aintain high turnover of work#in#process. =old down investment in equipment. :ake economical use of building cube. )romote effective utili;ation of manpower. )rovide for employee convenience, safety, and comfort in doing the work.

- brief discussion of each of these objectives will guide the layout engineer in pursuing them. Facilitating the manufacturing process. !he layout should be designed in such a way that the manufacturing process can be carried on in the most efficient manner. Some specific suggestions are4 ". Arrange machines, equipment, and work areas so that material is caused to move smoothly along in as straight a line as is possible. $. liminate all delays possi!le" It has been said that during %& per cent of the time a part is in the plant it is either being moved or stored only $& per cent of the time is productive. <. Plan the #low so that the work passing through an area can be easily identified and counted, with little possibility of becoming mi9ed with other parts or batches in adjacent areas. '. $aintain quality o# work by planning for the maintenance of conditions that are conducive to quality. !hese and many other suggestions will be more completely e9plained as the following chapters present the layout planning procedure. Minimizing material handling. - good layout should be planned so that material handling is reduced to a minimum. Wherever practicable, handling should be mechanical? and all movement should be planned to move the part toward the shipping area. Where possible, the part should be /in#process/ while in transit, as in painting, baking, degreasing, etc. :aterial handling will be dealt with in greater detail in later chapters.

Maintaining flexibility. -lthough a plant or department may be planned for the production of a certain quantity of a certain item, there are many occasions when it will be necessary to alter its production capabilities. :any of the changes thus called for may be more easily made if they are anticipated in the original planning. - common way to facilitate the rearrangement of equipment is to install utility systems into which service connections can be easily tied when the building is constructed. @ood e9amples are the electrical ducts and the cutting#compound pipe lines which are installed overhead, down the centers of bays. Such arrangements permit machines to be plugged%out, moved into new locations, and plugged%in again, almost at will. Maintaining high turnover of work in process. !he greatest operating efficiency is obtainable only when the material is moved through the necessary processes in the shortest possible time. 5very minute a part spends in the facility adds to its cost, through the tie#up of working capital. !he nearest to an ideal situation e9ists in the process#type industry where, by its nature, the material passes, sometimes without stopping, from the start to the finish of the process. If in#process storage of material is reduced to a minimum, the overall material turnover +manufacturing, time is reduced, the amount of work#in#process is reduced, inventory is decreased, and a lower amount of working capital is tied up therein. !hese savings, in turn, reduce production costs. Reducing investment in equipment. !he proper arrangement of machines and departments can aid considerably in reducing the quantity of equipment required. (or e9ample, two different parts, both requiring the part#time use of an internal grinder, may be routed through the same machine, thus eliminating the cost of a second machine. (oresight in selecting the method of processing may sometimes save purchasing a machine. If it is found that one part, as processed, calls for broaching, and will use only part of the capacity of a machine, a switch to drilling and reaming might be effected and the job done on equipment already available. Making economical use of building cube. 5ach square foot of floor area in a plant costs money. .ne manufacturer, for e9ample, has calculated his floor area cost to be 2".&& per square foot per month. !his amount includes all overhead costs. .nly if each square foot is used to best advantage can the attending overhead costs per unit of product be kept down. (loor area occupied by equipment in operation pays its own way? unoccupied, wasted, or idle floor area is a burden. )roper layout dictates minimum spacing between machines, after the necessary allowances for the movement of men and materials have been made. With proper consideration of machine spacing in relation to other factors, much floor area can be saved. -t that, many manufacturers find that only about 6& per cent of their floor area is occupied by production equipment.

Promoting effective use of manpower. - large amount of productive manpower may be wasted through poor layout practices. )roper layout, on the other hand, may increase the effective utili;ation of labor. Suggestions such as the following should lead to increased labor utili;ation4 ". &educe manual handling of materials to a minimum. $. $inimi'e walking" !wenty per cent of the time spent on one assembly line was occupied by men walking to and from material supplies and keeping up with the assembly conveyor as it moved along. !his time loss was reduced considerably by bringing materials closer to the workers with specially designed racks, hoppers, and conveyors, and having the conveyor inde9 at predetermined intervals, instead of moving continuously. <. (alance machine cycles, so that, as nearly as possible, machines and workers are not unnecessarily idle. Well#balanced operation necessitates good material handling, good production control, good methods engineering, and good super# vision. '. Provide #or e##ective supervision" In theory, the supervisor might stand in the midst of his group, so that he would be in immediate contact with each employee. -lthough such a plan seems hardly possible, it is necessary to emphasi;e that a properly laid#out department is easier to supervise than one that is spread out over too large an area, is too congested, or otherwise hinders the relationship between the supervisor and his men. well#laid#out department makes it easier for a supervisor to handle more employees, keep work moving, and conserve his time for his more important duties.

Providing for employee convenience safety and comfort Satisfying this objective requires attention to such items as light, heat, ventilation, safety, removal of moisture, dirt, dust, etc. 5quipment causing e9cessive noise should be isolated as much as possible or enclosed in an area with sound#deadening walls and ceiling. 5quipment that vibrates should be cushioned, or specially mounted, to prevent the transmission of vibration to the floor or surrounding objects. Safety must also be assured by proper planning of the layout. :achines and au9iliary manufacturing equipment must be so placed as to prevent injury to personnel and damage to material and to other