Group technology and Cellular Manufacturing

Dr. P. Kalpana, M.E., PhD.

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
IIITDM Kancheepuram

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Basic Principle- Group Technology
Similar things are done similarly
Things can be
Product design
Process planning
Fabrication assembly
Production control
Administrative Functions
•Similar parts as Part families
•Needs similar processing steps
•Organizing manufacturing facilities manufacturing cells
•Cell specializes in production of certain parts
Issues
Identifying the parts
Rearranging production machines into machine cells

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Group Technology
Benefits
GT promotes standardization of tooling, fixturing, and setups
Material handling is reduced
Simple process planning and production scheduling
Less set up time and work in progress
Improved worker satisfaction
Higher quality

Group technology can be used in following situations

Currently uses traditional batch production
Huge work in process inventory
High material handling effort
Long manufacturing lead time
The part can be grouped into part families

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Cellular manufacturing
Processing of each member of a given family is similar
Achieve efficiency by arranging machines into cells
Organizing the production equipment into machine cells where each cell specializes in the production
of a part family is called cellular manufacturing
Objectives
To Shorten manufacturing Lead time, Work part handling, waiting time, and batch size
To Reduce work in process inventory
To Improve quality and reduce process variability
To improve production scheduling
To reduce setup times

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Group Technology and cellular manufacturing
•Group Technology is a manufacturing technique by which parts having similarities in design attributes or
manufacturing processes are grouped together in Part Families.

Cellular Manufacturing is a method of designing the plant layout which takes advantage of Group
Technology to form Machine Cells to process parts lying within a particular part family.

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Traditional Vs Cellular layout

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Issues in Cell Design
Cell Formation
Cell scheduling sequencing
Cell performance evaluation
Economic justification
Nagare cells
Human Aspects
Reminder and Incremental cells

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What is part family?
•A part family is a collection of parts that are similar either in geometric shape and size or in the
processing steps required in their manufacture.
•The parts within a family are different, but their similarities are close enough to merit their inclusion as
members of the part family.

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Part Family
•A family of parts with similar manufacturing process requirements but different design attributes. All
parts are machined from cylindrical stock by turning; some parts require drilling and/or milling.

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Ways to Identify Part Families
Visual Inspection
Using best judgment to group parts into appropriate families, based on the parts or photos of the
parts
Parts classification and coding
Identifying similarities and differences among the parts and relating them by means of coding
scheme
Production flow analysis
Using information contained on operation and route sheets to classify parts

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Visual Inspection

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Part Classification and coding
Reasons for Coding
Design retrieval
Automated process planning
Machine cell design
It is based on
Part design attributes
Part manufacturing attributes
Both
classification and coding schemes:
Hierarchical structure, also known as a monocode, in which the interpretation of each successive
symbol depends on the values of the preceding symbols
Chain-type structure, also known as a polycode, in which the interpretation of each symbol in the
sequence is always the same; it does not depend on the values of preceding symbols
Mixed-mode structure, a hybrid of the two previous coding schemes

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Code Classification

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Code Classification

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Part Flow Analysis
Data Collection
Route sheets or operation sheets
Sortation of process routings
PFA Chart
Incidence Matrix
Clustering Analysis
Heuristic approach
Rank order clustering

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Rank-order Clustering

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Rank-order Clustering

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Rank-order Clustering

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Flexible Manufacturing Systems
Topics to be covered:
What is flexible manufacturing System
FMS Components
FMS Planning and implementation issues
Quantitative analysis of Flexible Manufacturing Systems

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Where to Apply FMS Technology

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Difference between FMS and CMS
Requires a significantly greater capital investment
Technologically more sophisticated for the human resources.

Potential benefits:
machine utilization
reduced factory floor space
greater responsiveness to change
lower inventory and manufacturing lead times
higher labor productivity

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Flexible Manufacturing System

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Capabilities of Manufacturing system to be flexible
The ability to identify the different incoming part or product styles processed by the System
Quick changeover of operating instructions
Quick changeover of physical setup.

Flexibility is an attribute that applies to both manual and automated systems.

In manual systems, the human workers are often the enablers of the system’s flexibility.

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Automated Manufacturing Cell

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Flexibility test in an automated manufacturing system

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Is the robotic work cell flexible?

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Types of FMS

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Single Machine Manufacturing Cell

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Flexible Manufacturing Cell

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Features of three categories

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Features of three categories

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FMS Types-Levels of flexibility

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Dedicated Vs Random Order FMS

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Features of three categories

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FMS Components

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Work Stations

 Inspection Station

 Cleaning Stations

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Material handling and Storage

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Material Handling equipment

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Types of Layout

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FMS inline Layout

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FMS inline Layout

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FMS Loop Layout

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FMS Rectangular Layouts

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FMS Ladder Layout

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FMS Open Field Layout

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Robot centred Cell

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FMS Computer Functions

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FMS Computer Functions

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Duties performed by Human

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FMS Benefits

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FMS Benefits

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FMS Planning and Designing Issues

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FMS Planning and Designing Issues

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FMS Operational Issues

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Alternative Approaches to FMS
Mass customization
Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems
Agile Manufacturing

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Mass Customization
Upper limit of FMS
Satisfy large number of customers
Satisfy individual customer
Difference between Mass production and Mass customization

The consequences of product proliferation:

Large inventories
High purchasing cost
Too many set up
Too much special tooling
High overhead cost
So much design data
Customer confusion

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Mass Customization
Successful approaches of Mass customizers
Design of product that are customizable
Manufacturer customization
Cars
Merchant customization
Paint
Customization by customers
product variety
Soft and Hard
Minimize the difference in part style
Design modularity
Standard Modules
Postponement
Wait until customer order arrives

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Reconfigurable Manufacturing
Lies between Flexible manufacturing system and Transfer line
To change the production capacity
Alter physical structure with out major renovation
Narrow Customized part family
Characteristics of RMS:
Customized flexibility
Convertibility
Scalability
Modularity
Intergrate ability
Diagnostic Ability
Automatability

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Agile Manufacturing
Agile manufacturing can be defined as (1) an enterprise-level strategy of introducing new
products into rapidly changing markets and (2) an organization possessing the ability to thrive in a
competitive environment characterized by continuous and sometimes unforeseen change

Principles of Agile Manufacturing:

Organize to master change
Leverage the impact of people and information
Cooperate to enhance competitiveness
Enrich the customer

How does a company become Agile

Reorganizing the production system for agility
Managing relationships for agility

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Reorganizing the production system for agility
Master mass customization
Use reconfigurable manufacturing systems
Frequent new product introductions
Design products that are upgradeable and reconfigurable
Pricing by customer value.
Be an effective niche market competitor.

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Managing Relationships for Agility
Internal relationships
Make the work organization adaptive
Provide cross functional training
Encourage rapid partnership formation
Provide effective electronic communications capability
Relationships between the company and other organizations
to establish interactive, proactive relationships with customers
to provide rapid identification and certification of suppliers
to install effective electronic communications and commerce capability
to encourage rapid partnership formation for mutual commercial advantage
Virtual Enterprise
It may provide access to resources and technologies not availablein-house
it may provide access to new markets and distribution channels,
it may reduce product development time
it accelerates technology transfer

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Just In Time and Lean Production
Traditional Approach
Material requirements planning (MRP), capacity planning, inventory control
Nontraditional approach
Just In Time (JIT)
Deliver when required
Min WIP
High Quality
Strategy of Toyota production system

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Lean Production and Waste in Manufacturing
Lean production
doing more work with fewer resources
Give customers what they want
Mass Production
Accomplish work
less time
in a smaller space
with fewer workers and
less equipment
achieves higher quality levels

Toyota used Lean production system other automobiles used Mass Production

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Toyota Production System (TPS)
Challenges
Smaller Market
Scarcity of capital to invest
No Export option
TPS
produce a variety of car models
with fewer quality problems,
lower inventory levels,
smaller manufacturing lot sizes for the parts used in the cars
reduced lead times

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Comparison of Mass Production and Lean Production

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The structure of a lean production system.

Taiichi Ohno’s Structure of Lean Production

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Activities in manufacturing
Actual work
processing steps to fabricate a part and assembly operations to build a product.
Auxiliary work
loading and unloading a production machine that performs processing steps.
Muda

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Muda
• Production of Defective parts
•Overproduction, the production of more than the number of items needed
•Workers Waiting
•Non Value added processing steps
•Unnecessary Transport and handling of materials
•Excessive Inventories
•Unnecessary Movement of people
•Eschewed Talents (Under utilized Employees)

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Eliminating Muda
Eliminating production of defective parts
Mass Production
AQL
Replacement of defective item is possible
Lean Production
Zero Defects
Possibility of downtime
Workers inspect their own production
Minimize the delivery of defects to the downstream production station

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Eliminating Muda
Overproduction and excessive inventories
Both are correlated
Increased costs in the following areas:
Warehousing (building, lighting and heating, maintenance)
Storage equipment (pallets, rack systems, forklifts)
Additional workers to maintain and manage the extra inventory
Additional workers to make the parts that were overproduced
Other production costs (raw materials, machinery, power, maintenance) to make the parts that were
overproduced
Interest payments to finance all of the above
Kanban system
To produce only required quantity

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Eliminating Muda
Unnecessary processing steps
Adding unwanted features
Energy is expended
Improper work design
wasted hand and body motions
unnecessary work elements
Inappropriate hand tools
inefficient production equipment
poor ergonomics
safety hazards
Can be removed work study and method study

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Eliminating Muda
Unnecessarily people and materials movement
Reasons
Inefficient workplace layout
Inefficient plant layout
Improper material handling method
Production machines spaced too far apart
Larger equipment than necessary for the task
Conventional batch production

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Eliminating Muda
workers waiting
reasons why workers are sometimes forced to wait:
Waiting for materials to be delivered to the workstation
Waiting because the assembly line has stopped
Waiting for a broken-down machine to be repaired
Waiting while a machine is being set up by the setup crew
Waiting for the machine to perform its automatic processing cycle on a work part

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Just-In-Time Production Systems
Produce when required
Minimize WIP
Requisites
a pull system of production control
setup time reduction for smaller batch sizes
stable and reliable production operations

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A pull system of production control
Make to order
Down stream triggers the production of the previous stage
Push System
MRP
More inventory
Large queue in the system
•Kan means card Ban means signal
parts production and
parts delivery in the plant

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Operation of a kanban system between workstations

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Setup Time Reduction for Smaller Batch Sizes
•Economic order Quantity

•Total inventory cost

•Total Cost

•Work elements in setting up a machine

•Internal elements
•External elements

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Setup Time Reduction for Smaller Batch Sizes

Approaches to eliminate internal elements in a setup up time

Motion studies and methods improvements
Two workers working in parallel
Eliminate or minimize adjustments in the setup
Use quick-acting fasteners
Use U-shaped washers
Design modular fixtures
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Stable and Reliable Production Operations
Production levelling
on-time delivery
defect-free components and materials
reliable production equipment
A workforce that is capable, committed, and cooperative
a dependable supplier base

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Stable and Reliable Production Operations
Production Leveling
Smooth Production fixed schedule
Minimum Perturbations
overtime
unscheduled setups
variations from normal work procedures
Other exceptions.
Approaches used to accomplish production leveling
Authorizing overtime during busy periods
Using finished product inventories to absorb daily ups and downs in demand
Adjusting the cycle times of the production operations
Producing in small batch sizes that are enabled by setup time reduction techniques.
In the ideal, the batch size is reduced to one

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Stable and Reliable Production Operations
On-Time Deliveries
No starving is allowed
Zero Defects
high quality in every aspect of production
Trained workers to inspect
Reliable Equipment
Breakdown cant be tolerated
total productive maintenance
Workforce and Supplier Base
cooperative, committed, and cross-trained
To deal with variety of products
Production workers as well as Inspectors
Follow all standards to suppliers
Multiple deliveries to work stations (Near by suppliers)

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Stable and Reliable Production Operations
New policies in dealing with vendors
Reducing the total number of suppliers
Entering into long-term agreements and partnerships with suppliers
Establishing quality and delivery standards
Placing the company’s own employees in supplier plants
Selecting parts suppliers that are located near the company’s final assembly plant

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Autonomation
automation with a human touch
stopping the process automatically when something goes wrong
preventing mistakes
total productive maintenance

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Autonomation
Stop the Process:
Equipped with automatic stop devices
When defects occurs
Avoid down time
Improves overall quality
When batch size reached
Avoid overproduction
Control Devices
Sensors to detect abnormal operation
a device to count the number of parts that have been produced
a means to stop the machine
An alternative Approach
worker in continuous attendance to monitor its operation
Handling multiple machines
Increases workers productivity

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Autonomation
Error Prevention
poka-yoke
use of low-cost devices that detect and/or prevent them
Relieves the worker of constantly monitoring the process for errors
Mistakes in manufacturing
omission of processing steps,
incorrectly locating a work part in a fixture,
using the wrong tool,
not aligning jigs and fixtures properly on the machine tool table
neglecting to add a component part in an assembly

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Autonomation
Functions performed by poka-yoke
Detecting work part deviations
Detecting processing and methods deviations
Counting and timing functions
Verification functions
Stop the process.
Provide an alert

•Total productive maintenance (TPM) is a coordinated group of activities whose objective is to minimize
production losses
Losses
equipment failures,
malfunctions,
low utilization

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Worker Involvement
Continuous Improvement
kaizen means continuous improvement of production operations
to involve all workers as well as their supervisors and managers
to solve problems in production
Visual Management and 5S
The principle behind visual management is that the status of the work situation should be evident just
by looking at it.
Sort (Seiri)
Set in order (Seiton).
Shine (Seiso).
Standardize (Seiketsu).
Self-discipline (Shitsuke).

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