Factory Layout

Concept Of Layout
Plant layout is the placing of right equipment
coupled with right method in the right place to
permit the processing of a product in the most
effective manner through the shortest possible
distance and through the shortest possible time.
Factors Influencing facility layout
Materials : storage method, form, weight
Product : Light weight v/s Heavy weight
Worker : Safety and Comfort
Machinery : weight, noise, vibration, hazard
Type of industry : continuous or intermittent
Location : climate, space, inflow-outflow
Managerial policies : storage requirement, employee amenities


Principles of Layout
(Features of Good layout)
1) The Principle of Minimum
Travel
Involves minimum handling
2) Principle of Sequence
Smooth flow of Production
3) Principle of Usage
Facilitates movement of men
Accessible Location of Stores
Facilitates supervision and
control
4) Principle of Compactness
Maximum utilization of available
space
5) Principle of Safety and
Satisfaction
Provides better working
condition (Hygiene)
6) Principle of Flexibility
7) Principle of Minimum
Investment.
8) Principle of co
ordination and
integration
Types of Layout
Process layout or Functional layout or Job shop
layout
Product layout or Line processing layout or Flow-line
layout
Project Layout or Fixed position layout
Process Layout
Designed to facilitate processing items or providing
services that present a variety of processing
requirements.
The layouts include departments or other functional
groupings in which similar kinds of activities are
performed.
A manufacturing example of a process layout is the
machine shop, which has separate departments for
milling, grinding, drilling, and so on.


Advantages
Reduced investment of machines as they are
general purpose machines.
Greater flexibility in the production.
Better and more efficient supervision is possible
through specialisation.
There is greater scope for expansion as the
capacities of different lines can be easily
increased.
This types of layout results in better utilization of
men and Machinery.
It is easier to handle breakdown of equipment by
transferring work to another machine or station.
There is full utilization of equipment.
The investment of equipment would be
comparatively lower.
There is greater incentive to individual worker to
increase his performance.
Disadvantages
There is difficulty in the movement of materials.
Mechanical devices for handling materials cannot
be conveniently used.
This type of layout requires more floor space.
There is difficulty in production control.
Production time is more as work-in-progress has
to travel from place to place in search of
machines.
There is accumulation of work-in-progress at
different places.

Product (Assembly) layout
Product layouts are used to achieve a smooth and
rapid flow of large volumes of products through a
system.

A job is divided into a series of standardized tasks,
permitting specialization of both labor and
equipment.

The large volumes handled by these systems usually
make it economical to invest huge amount of money
in equipment and job design.

For instance, if a portion of a manufacturing
operation required the sequence of cutting and
painting, the appropriate pieces of equipment would
be arranged in that same sequence.

Operations are arranged in the sequence required to
make the product

Product layouts achieve a high degree of labor and
equipment utilization.


Advantages
There is mechanisation of material handling and
consequently reduction in materials handling cost.
This type of layout avoids production bottlenecks.
There is economy in manufacturing time.
This type of layout facilitates better production
control.
This type of layout requires less floor area per unit
of production.
Work-in-progress is reduced and investment
thereon is minimised.
Early detection of mistakes or badly produced
item is possible.
There is greater incentive to a group of workers to
raise their level of performance.

Disadvantages
Product layout is known for its inflexibility.
This type of layout is also expensive.
There is difficulty of supervision.
Expansion is also difficulty.
Any breakdown of equipment along a production
line can disrupt the whole system.
Fixed Position Layout
In fixed-position layouts, the item being worked on
remains stationary, and workers, materials, and
equipment are moved as needed.
Fixed-position layouts are used in large construction
projects (buildings, power plants, and dams),
shipbuilding, and production of large aircraft and
space mission rockets.
Fixed-position layouts are widely used for farming,
firefighting, road building, home building,
remodeling and repair, and drilling for oil.

Advantages
Layout is fully flexible
capable of absorbing any sort of change in product
and process.
Lower labor cost [People are drawn from functional
departments]
Saving in time
Less floor space because machines and equipment
are in moving position.
Most suitable way of assembling large and heavy
products.
Disadvantages
Higher capital investment
Unsuitability for manufacturing or assembling small
products in large quantities.
It is suitable only in case where the product is big or
the assembling process is complex.