IME 6040: FACILITIES PLANNING AND DESIGN

Fall 2008; Thursday 5:30 - 8:50 pm; JCI

INSTRUCTOR

Azim Houshyar, Professor of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

Room E-219 Park Ave Building, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Phone: 269/276-3363, E-mail: houshyar@wmich.edu
Web Site: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~houshyar/

OFFICE HOURS

Friday 2:30-4:00 PM

Catalog Description (2006-2008):

An analytical approach to the planning and design of manufacturing facilities and material
handling systems. Lecture/Lab: (3-0), Credit: 3 hrs, Prerequisites: IME 4040, 4140 or
permission of instructor.
Prerequisites by Topic:
Understand the concept of plant location, product analysis, process design, equipment
selection, materials handling, and plant layout (IME 4040 or 4140).
Textbook:
Dr. Houshyar Personal Notes. Access to the notes will be provided on the first day of class.
References:
1. Heragu, Facilities Design, PWS Publishing Company, 1997.
2. Francis, McGinnis & White, Facilities Layout and Location, Prentice Hall, 1992.
3. Sule, Manufacturing Facilities, 2nd Ed.,PWS Publishing Company, 1998.
4. James and Alcorn, A Guide to Facilities Planning, Prentice Hall, 1991.
5. Black, The Design of the Factory with a Future, McGraw Hill, 1991.
Software:
1. WinQSB, Version 1,Yih-Long Chang, Version 2, Wiley,2003.
2. BLOCPLAN-90, Donaghey, IE Dept, University of Houston, 2001.
3. PLANT LAYOUT, IBM PC, IIE Microsoftware, Edited by: Gary Whitehouse.
4. LayOPT, Relsease 1, By: Production Modeling Corp., 1995.
5. Layout iQ, 2008.
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on a modified class average with a minimum grade of 83% required to
receive a grade of "B".
Quiz and Homework
15%
Case Studies (Report; presentations and active participation in group discussions) 35%
Midterm
25%
Final
25%
The tests will be graded on a numerical scale. At the end of the term, the grades will be added up
for all the items and then converted to a letter scale.
93 - 100
A
89 - 92
BA
83 - 88
B
79 - 82
CB
73 - 78
C
69 - 72
DC
60 - 68
D
Below 60
E

Lecture Topics:
Strategic facilities planning; and production, process, and schedule design
Flow, space, and activity relationships
Personnel requirements and material handling
Layout
Computer-aided layout
Warehouse operations
Manufacturing operations and facilities systems
Introduction to facilities location models
Single facility and multi-facility discrete location and layout problems
Single facility and multi-facility continuous location and layout problems
Facility layout models & Linear & quadratic assignment problems
Analysis of AS/RS systems & Warehouse and storage layout models

(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)
(one week)

Objectives1:
At the conclusion of the semester the student should be able to:
1. Apply knowledge of mathematics and engineering to production problems such as
strategic facilities planning; production, process and schedule design; flow, space, and
activity relationships; personnel requirements and material handling; warehouse operations;
manufacturing operations and facilities systems (a).
2. Apply knowledge of mathematics and engineering to facility layout problems such as
Layout; computer-aided layout; facility layout models; machine layout models; warehouse
and storage layout models (a).
3. Apply knowledge of mathematics and engineering to facility location problems such as
single facility and multi-facility discrete location and layout problems; single facility and multifacility continuous location and layout problems; linear & quadratic assignment problems (a).
4. Analyze and solve facility layout and location problems (a, b, c, f).
5. Report and present individual and group project results (e, g, h).
Performance Criteria2:
The student should demonstrate proficiency to:
Objective 1:
a) Provide accurate description to the production system questions.
b) Determine the appropriate solution technique to solve production system problems.
Objective 2:
a) Provide accurate description to facility layout questions.
b) Determine the appropriate solution technique to facility layout problems.
Objective 3:
a) Provide accurate description to facility location questions.
b) Determine the appropriate solution technique to facility location problems.
Objective 4:
a) Identify the applications of facility layout and facility location techniques to any
manufacturing system.
Objective 5:
a) Participate in teamwork, class discussion, case studies, and submit written and oral
reports to the class.

1
2

Letter in parenthesis refers to the ABET-TAC criteria.

Number in parenthesis refers to the evaluation method

Computer Usage:
Extensive use of computer software is required throughout this course. The software of choice
is listed in the reference section of this syllabus. Majority of problems can be solved using the
software. Students are encouraged to solve the problems manually, and then reconfirm their
results using the software, if possible. Case studies may be solved by use of computer, as well.
Academic Honesty Policy: Same as the university's policy
You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and
procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty.
These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission,
plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at
http://catalog.wmich.edu under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there
is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the
Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you
believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult
with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the
submission of an assignment or test.
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is mandatory. The student will receive a score of zero for any assessment item not
submitted because of absence. This includes the quizzes and the exams. Extreme
circumstances will be considered on an individual basis, however, arrangements must be made
prior to the due date, and supporting documentation is necessary.
Quiz:
Starting with the second week, every week there may be a 10-20 minutes quiz on the subject
matters covered in the previous sessions. The same rules of test apply to quizzes as well.
Test:
The test will be administered during the lecture period on the day indicated in the schedule. You
are responsible for the material up to the day of the test. During each test you are allowed to use
a calculator. You will have one hour to complete the test.
Notes:
1. An electronic version of all cases is available at my web site. The address of the site is:
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~houshyar/
2. You will be provided with a username and a password, so you can visit the site to download
the lectures, samples of quiz and exams, as well as the syllabus.
3. The style of teaching is based on the notion of Critical Thinking. As such, students are
expected to review the chapter prior to coming to class. In doing so, the class time will be
dedicated to answering questions and solving problems. Therefore, rather than an elaborate
lecture plan, a brief review of the main topics will be conducted in class, but you should
study them in detail, and ask questions, if necessary.
4. It is highly recommended that students come into the class well prepared. Then we will have
the opportunity to answer questions and concerns brought up at the beginning of the
session.
5. There are numerous computer software for solving facility layout and location problems. You
may choose any software to solve the assignments.

Project and Case Studies:

Students will be grouped randomly. Each group of two/three students is assigned several
cases to be analyzed thoroughly. At previously announced dates (shown below), each team will
be asked to present their findings to the class. In addition to the oral presentation, a written
report should be submitted, as well. The cases are posted on the web. Every team is
responsible for reviewing the case and preparing a short, but concise report. There is a limit of
five pages per report. Additional supporting materials can be attached to the report as
appendices. Teams will be randomly selected and asked to present their findings. Every
member of the group has to participate in the presentation. These presentations are to be
formal, and are limited to 10 minutes, each.
Calendar of Events
1. Sep 11
2.

Sep 18

3.

Sept 25

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Oct 2
Oct 9
Oct 16
Oct 23
Oct 30
Nov 6
Nov 13
Nov 20

The first five cases (Cases 1-5) on the Case study no. 10 titled "20 short case
problems in M.H." is due
The second five cases (Cases 6-10) on the Case study no. 10 titled "20 short
case problems in M.H." is due
The third five cases (Cases 11-15) on the Case study no. 10 titled "20 short
case problems in M.H." is due
Case titled "Automobile final assembly Plant" is due
Case titled "Design of a conveyorized production line" is due
Case titled "Consolidation of Accro Plastics" is due
Midterm Exam on Ch 1 - Ch 11 of notes
Case titled "Common conduit's new layout" is due
Case study no. 20 titled "Optimizing M.H. system costs" is due
Term project titled "Wizard Computer" is due
Final Test on analytical facility location and layout problems.

COURSE OUTLINE - IE 6040

Lecture Dates

Topics

Chapter

Thursday Sept 4

Strategic Facilities Planning

Production, Process, and Schedule Design

Ch 2
Ch 3

Thursday Sept 11

Flow, Space, and Activity Relationships

Ch 4

Thursday Sept 18

Personnel Requirements

Ch 5

Thursday Sept 25

Material Handling

Ch 6

Thursday Oct 2

Layout
Computer-Aided Layout

Ch 7
Ch 8

Thursday Oct 9

Warehouse Operations

Ch 9

Thursday Oct 16

Manufacturing Operations (Self-Study Chapter)

Facilities Systems (Self-Study Chapter)
Review of Facility Layout topics for the first test

Ch 10
Ch 11

Thursday Oct 23

First test

Thursday Oct 30

Introduction to Facilities Location Models

Discrete Location and Layout Problems:
Single-Facility Discrete Location Problems
Multi-Facility Discrete Location Problems

Thursday Nov 6

Single Plant Location Model

Multi-Facility Discrete Location Problems with Fixed Costs
Continuous Location and Layout Problems:
Single-Facility Continuous Minisum Location Problems
Single-Facility Continuous Minimax Location Problems
Multi-Facility Continuous Minisum Location Problems

Thursday Nov 13

Facility Layout Models

Linear & Quadratic Assignment Problems
Analysis of Automated AS/RS Systems
Warehouse and Storage Layout Models
Machine Layout Models
Review of Analytical Facility Location/Layout Problems

Thursday Nov 20

Final test (5:30 to 7:00 pm), Comprehensive