Chapter#06

Layout Planning Models and

Design Algorithms
 Facility Layout
• Facility layout is simply the way a facility is
arranged in order to maximize processes that
are not only efficient but effective towards the
overall organizational goal.
• It consists of two levels:
– Block layout
– Detailed layout
 Block Layout
• Block layout shows the location, shape, and
size of each planning department.

• Block layout is concerned primarily with

macro flows in the facility.
 Detailed Layout
• Detailed layout shows the exact location of all
the equipment, work benches and storage areas
within each department.

• Detailed layout is concerned with micro flows

in the facility.
 Which layout comes first!
• First, we must obtain the basic requirement of
each department (such as space requirement,
shape constraints, etc) and then develop a set
of alternative block layouts.

• Once the desirable block layout is identified,

the analyst can then develop a detailed layout
of each department.
 Layout Procedures
• Many procedures are available
• Broadly classified:
– Construction layout method
• It involves developing a new layout “from scratch”
– Improvement layout method
• Generating layout alternatives by doing improvements
in an existing layout
Apple’s Plant Layout Procedure
Apple’s Plant Layout Procedure
Reed’s Plant Layout Procedure
 Reed’s Plant Layout Procedure
• Most important
– Prepare layout planning chart
• Layout planning chart incorporates the following:
– Flow process, including operations, transportation,
storage and inspections
– Standard times for each operations
– Machine selection and balance
– Manpower selection and balance
– Material handling requirements
Layout Planning Chart
 Systematic Layout Planning
• A well known procedural solution approach for
the layout problem is the Systematic Layout
Planning (SLP), which is developed in the early
1970s by Muther
• It consists of four phases:
– determining the location of the area where facilities
will be laid out
– establishing general overall layout
– establishing detailed layout plans
– installing the selected layout
Activity Relationship Chart
 Relationship Diagram
• Relationship diagram position the activities
spatially.
• Proximities are typically used to reflect the
relationship between pair of activities
• Relationship diagram are usually two-
dimensional
Relationship Diagram
 Space Requirement Diagram
• It involves the determination of the amount of
space to be assigned to each activity

• Once the space assignments have been made,

space templates are developed for each
planning department, and space is “hung on
the relationship diagram” to obtain the space
relationship diagram
Space Requirement Diagram
Alternative Block Layout
 Algorithmic Approaches
• It helps the analyst to develop and improve the
layout.

• It provides the objective criteria to facilitate

the evaluation of various layout alternatives
that emerge in the process.
 Algorithm Classification
• Layout algorithm can be classified on the type
of input data.
• Qualitative data (Relationship Chart)
• Quantitative data (To and From Chart)
• It can be classified w.r.t Objective Function.
a) Distance based objective
b) Adjacency based objective
Distance Based Objective
Adjacency Based Objective
 Modeling Techniques for Algorithm
• There are many method/techniques which are
used in various layout Algorithms.
• Here we will discuss only two:
a) Pairwise Exchange Method

b) Graph Based Method

 Department Shapes and Main
Aisles
• Attaining good department shapes is an
important consideration in finalizing block
layout
• Irregular department shapes leads to irregular
main aisles
• For efficient material handling, safety and
evacuation in emergency
Main aisle should connect all the departments in a
facility with
• Minimum travel
• Minimum number of turns
• Minimum jog overs
• Controlling department shapes is straight forward for
rectangular departments obtained with BLOCPLAN
and MIP
• It is straight-forward to define and measure shape of
rectangle
• It is ratio of longer side to its shorter side
• Non rectangular shapes those obtained with
CRAFT and MULTIPLE

• Shape measurement and control is not straight

forward for given two alternatives but “similar
shape” for the same department

• One alternative may be regarded as acceptable

while other regarded as poor
• First measure obtained by dividing the area of
the smallest enclosing rectangle (SER) by area
of department

• The second measure is obtained by dividing

the longer side of SER by its shortest side

• Third measure based on observation, given an

object with fixed area the perimeter of the
object generally increases as its shape become
more irregular
• Measure the shape of a department by dividing
its perimeter by its area

• It is difficult to predict reasonable value for it

• Above ratio is normalized as follow

• If ideal shape for a department is square, then

ideal shape factor
S*=(P/A)*=4√A/A=4/√A
• Normalized Shape Factor F is equal to

F=S/S*=P/A/4/√A=P/4√A

• If a department is square shape then we obtain

F=1.0 otherwise F>1.0

• Reasonable shapes are obtained if

1≤F ≤1.4
First measure Second measure
For figure a,b,c,d
a) =1 a) = 4
b) 25/16=1.5625 b) =1
c) =1.5625 c) =1
d) =1.5625 d) =1
Third measure perimeter
a) =1.25 a) =20
b)=1.25 b) =20
c) 1.5 c) =24
d) 1.625 d) =26
40