AStudy of RealJournal

Asian-African time Applications

of Economics
of Operations
and Econometrics,
Management
Vol. 19,
tools...
No. 1, 2019: 31-56 31

A STUDY OF REAL TIME APPLICATIONS OF

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND
TECHNIQUES IN INDUSTRIAL UNITS
Sarbjit Singh

Abstract: This article describes how an industrial visit can be used in an operations
management course and explores in-depth the students’ perceived benefits of this
pedagogical tool. The students were divided into two groups, each group visited one
manufacturing plant. The two manufacturing plants visited were JSW Ispat steel plant at
Kalmeshwar, Nagpur and the other one was a Spacewood plant at MIDC, Hingna Road
Nagpur. The students revealed that this pedagogical tool provided challenges, satisfaction,
and significant learning outcomes indicated that this visit as a challenging experiential
learning activity. This study also reveals how students try to validate the theory with
application. They also believed that it had several advantages over other methods. We
conclude with the limitations of this tool its implications for business instructors and
future research.
Keywords- Basic Layouts, Quality Cells, Capacity Planning, Inventory Management,
Scheduling

I. INTRODUCTION
Industrial visit is used by many institutions for making their students aware of the working of
industry. As in India most of the students pursuing management programs are either fresher’s
or are having very less industry experience. To resolve this issue in the course of Operations
Management one complete day was given for Industrial visit. To check the learning of the
students they were divided into groups and each group was assigned one of the topics they have
covered in their Operations Management course. Therefore, this visit was planned in the end of
the course, followed by the report and presentations on Industrial visit.
The topics covered before the industrial visit were Introduction to the transformation
process, Operations and Strategy, Quality and Quality management, Process Capability and
Statistical Process Control, Process design, Capacity and Facility planning and role of Inventory
Management.
To have a comparative study two different manufacturing plants were chosen, one was
Steel plant and other was modular furniture manufacturing plant. The heterogeneous groups
were formed with well-defined criteria at commencement of the course and also topic were
assignment to them a month before their planned visit. The groups studied various topics
related to operations management and submitted and presented their reports. Some of the

*
Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur, India
32 Sarbjit Singh

observations made by students about the operations of the industries are given below.

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

JSW-Steel Coated Private Ltd.

JSW Group is a major player in steel industry with a formidable presence in Steel, Energy,
Cement and Ports. JSW Steel Ltd has become one of the largest steel plant in India through
speed and innovation in short span of time. Amongst the leading conglomerates in India, JSW
Group is a $13 billion company. It is an integral part of the O. P. Jindal Group, and has been a
part of major projects that have played a key role in India’s growth. Ranked among India’s top
business houses, JSW’s innovative and sustainable ideas cater to the core sectors of Steel,
Energy, Cement and Infrastructure. The Group continues to strive for excellence with its strength,
differentiated product mix, state-of-the-art technology, excellence in execution and focus on
sustainability.
Starting with a single plant in 1982, they are now India’s leading manufacturer of value-
added and high-grade steel products. With plants in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra,
they have the capacity to produce 18 million tons per annum (MTPA). Now, as they ramp-up
production plans, we are on track to hit the 40 MTPA mark, within a span of 10 years.
JSW Steel is one of the lowest cost steel producers in the world. It has established a strong
presence in the global value–added steel segment with the acquisition of steel mill in US and
a service centre in UK. JSW Steel has also formed a joint venture for setting up a steel plant in
Georgia. The Company has also tied up with JFE Steel Corp, Japan for manufacturing the
high grade automotive steel. JSW Steel has acquired a majority stake in Ispat Industries Ltd.
The Company has also acquired mining assets in Chile, USA and Mozambique. Today JSW
Steel has plants in six locations in India – Vijayanagar in Karnataka, Salem in Tamil Nadu,
and Tarapur, Vasind, Kalmeshwar and Dolvi in Maharashtra. JSW Steel’s manufacturing
units are located in Bellary District near Bangalore, near Mumbai and Tamil Nadu.
The flagship company of JSW Group, JSW Steel is one of India’s leading integrated steel
manufacturers with a capacity of 18 MTPA. It is one of the fastest growing companies in India
with a footprint in over 100 countries. The manufacturing facilities at Vasind & Tarapur
plants are located near major ports & Kalmeshwar plant is centrally located near Nagpur to
serve customers across the nation. Founded in the year 2013, JINDAL STEEL WORKS STEEL
COATED PRODUCTS LIMITED (JSWSCPL) is India’s largest manufacturer and exporter
of color-coated steel products, and a wholly owned subsidiary of JSW Steel. Prior to June
2013, Vasind and Tarapur plants were part of JSW Steel Ltd & Kalmeshwar plant was part of
JSW Ispat Steel Ltd., Pursuant to scheme of amalgamation/merger sanction by High Court
Mumbai, the entire downstream business of JSW Steel Ltd. (Vasind, Tarapur & Kalmeshwar
plants) was spun off as JSWSCPL with effect from 1st June, 2013. JSW offers a wide gamut
of steel products that includes Hot Rolled, Cold Rolled, Galvanized steel & Galvalume steel
and Colour coated products.
Kalmeshwar Plant
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 33

Located just 25 kilometers away from Nagpur, the Kalmeshwar Plant is spread over a massive
3, 44,344 sq. m., which makes it one of the biggest industries in the MIDC area. While taking
over its reins in 2010, their goal/vision was clear - to increase the product portfolio and reach
a larger client base through our art of state facilities. This plant has a pickling line, two rolling
mills, two galvanizing lines, two color-coating lines, a Galvanized line and 7 cut-to-length
lines, two profiling lines and a tile profiling line. Its basic advantageous feature is its Zero
Liquid Discharge Facility.
MISSION of the group: To extent their production to 70 MTPA (million tons per annum)
up to 2040.
One of the topic covered in the class was the transformation process.

Figure 1
A transformation process is any activity or group of activities that takes one or more
inputs, transforms and adds value to them, and provides outputs for customers or clients.
Where the inputs are raw materials, it is relatively easy to identify the transformation involved,
as when milk is transformed into cheese and butter. Often all three types of input – materials,
information and customers – are transformed by the same organization. For example,
withdrawing money from a bank account involves information about the customer’s account,
materials such as cheques and currency, and the customer. Treating a patient in hospital involves
not only the ‘customer’s’ state of health, but also any materials used in treatment and information
about the patient. One useful way of categorizing different types of transformation process is
into:
• Manufacture – the physical creation of products (for example cars)
• Transport – the movement of materials or customers (for example a taxi service)
• Supply – change in ownership of goods (for example in retailing)
• Service – the treatment of customers or the storage of materials (for example hospital
wards, warehouses)

Transformation Process at JSW Steel Coated Products Ltd. (Studied by Students)

34 Sarbjit Singh

At JSW Steel iron ore is transformed into hot rolled coils ,cold rolled coils, corrugated
sheets hence the Transformation process is of manufacturing type, where different types of
steel coils are manufactured from raw iron ore and aluminum.

INPUTS
· Iron ore
· Zinc and Silicon Alloy
· Paint
· Nickel
· Hydraulic acid
· paint drum
· paint lifter
· cranes
· bridles
· oven
· steamers
· furnace

TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
· Blast Furnace
First the iron ore is passed through a blast furnace and is transformed into mild steel sheet
and is cut into sheets of maximum width of 2mm.
· PICKLING :
At this unit a continuous process of rust removal takes place. The rust is removed using
hydrochloric acid which transforms the coil into a clean white coil
· ACCUMULATOR :
To hold the next coil when the previous coil has left.
· ROLLING :
There are three rolling mills in JSW Plant. The sheet is passed through the roller machine
8 times and the coil is transformed into a shiny cold rolled coil. The coil’s thickness and length
is specified by the customer accordingly rolling is performed during this process many coils
get damaged and hence are sent to the grinding machine.
· GALVANIZING:
In this phase the coil is loaded in different lines and are passed through oven for cleaning.
Once the coil is cleaned it is sent for steam bath. Now the coil is ready to be galvanized but it
is hot and hence it is passed through fans, furnace etc. This process is known as QUINCHING.
The coil is galvanized using zinc and silicon. The coil is coated with zinc and silicon with
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 35

minimum 80% of coating. It is then pulled and taken outside. It is done daily at the rate of 40
metric ton/hour.
· FINISHING LINE :
There are two types of lines present in finishing line.
· SLITTER LINE :
The coil is cut into pieces according to the width demanded by the customer.
· CUTTING LINE :
The coil is cut into pieces of different lengths as demanded by the customer. Once the
sheet is cut into desired length and width it is sent for profiling and corrugation.
· COLOR COATING :
First a primer is applied followed by top color and bottom color. The color range is 60-
70 colors.
· QUALITY ASSURANCE:
Once the product is turned into finished good it is sent for quality testing. Different tests
are performed such as bending test, shade test, clipping test and scratch test to ensure the
quality of the product.

OUTPUT
According to the demand three types of sheets are produced namely hot rolled coil, cold rolled
coil and colored sheets as well as colored corrugated and profiled sheets.
The students were able to understand the transformation process involved in the steel
industry. Also on of the group presented on the supply chain management of the JSW plant.

Supply Chain Management at JSW (Reported by Students)

Supply Chain Management is a process of managing the flow of goods and services, which
include all natural processes, raw materials and components into finished product which is
finally delivered to the end customer. It can be explained as the “designing, Planning, Executing
and Monitor & Control of supply chain activities which includes the areas of Operational
management, Logistics, Procurement and IT & Marketing.
Supply-Chain Management (SCM) acts as a connecting link of Production, Shipment, and
Distribution of a product. This helps the organizations to minimize the cost and deliver product
to the customer/consumer at faster rate.
Supply-Chain management should be effective to ensure that business activities run
uninterrupted and flexible. JSW key elements of supply chain includes-
· Procurement of raw material such as Iron ore, coal, limestone etc.
· Transportation of raw material
· Procurement of support services.
At JSW KALMESHWAR PLANT, Procurement of raw material carried through the
36 Sarbjit Singh

rail transport from Bellary, Karnataka and Dolvi, Maharashtra. Their maximum (98%) raw
material transport through rack only, as it is convenient to transport.
Here at Kalmeshwar Plant, generally the raw material comes from Bellary, in the form of
HR-COIL (whose length is 6000 mm, weight is 22 tonnes) and 2600 tonnes per day in one
rack which then processed through different processes and transformed into finished goods as
per the requirement of the customer. After the transformation of input raw material into
finished goods, that can deliver to the customer.
In the JSW steel, Kalmeshwar, they have the policy as the finished goods deliver through
a proper channel only. They cannot sell the finished goods to anyone without this channel
(including Employee’s also). Finished goods mainly went for the Project through OEM channel
and to the market through Distributor’s Channel. They have a policy of 1 retail distributor at
1district only in which the distributor act as a linking node between company and customer.

Inventory
Inventory is a stock of items kept by an organization to meet the internal or external customer
demand. The main purpose of inventory is to maintain the flow of goods as their storage and its
movement. It refers to all work that occurred which includes raw materials, partially finished
goods and Finished goods.
In JSW plant there is an inventory of raw material, work-in-process and finished goods.
They have 18000 HR Coil capacity at their raw material inventory and 9000 for WIP and
27000 for finished goods. Other than this they have scrap material where they store the scrap
material and later on they sold them also at lower price than finished goods market price.

LEAD TIME
Lead time can be understood as the complete process time from initial starting to manufacture
finished good. It can be describe as the total length of time required to manufacture the product.
In JSW, we have notice lead time at different section of shop floor where these HR coil
passes through different processes as in pickling process it takes 100 coils per day, For GI
process it takes 21 days to complete and for CR coil they took 4 days to complete the process.

About Jindal Steel Works Steel Coated Products Ltd.

In India and over the globe, JSW Group has turned out to be one of the significant players in
steel industry with a challenging in Steel, Energy, Cement and Ports. And in a very short span
of time, JSW Steel Ltd has managed to become one of the biggest steel plant in India with the
assistance of enhanced speed and consistent development. JSW Group is a $13 billion organization
and is one of the main conglomerates in India. One of the most vital parts of the O. P. Jindal
Group, it has been a piece of significant tasks that has played a key part in India’s general
development. JSW is positioned among India’s best business houses for its inventive and
supportable thoughts that takes into account the core divisions of Steel, Energy, Cement and
Infrastructure. The Group keeps on buckling down for brilliance with its quality, separated
item blend, best in class innovation, magnificence in execution and spotlight on supportability.
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 37

One of the main parts of JSW Group, JSW Steel is one of India’s best performing coordinated
steel producing organization with a capacity of 18 MTPA. Spread cross 100 nations, it is one
of the quickest developing organizations of India. With manufacturing units and offices at
Vasind and Tarapur plants situated near ports and Kalmeshwar plant situated close to Nagpur
encourages the organization to serve clients the country over.
Established in the year 2013, JINDAL STEEL WORKS STEEL COATED PRODUCTS
LIMITED (JSWSCPL) is India’s biggest producer and exporter of color-coated steel items,
and a subsidiary of JSW Steel. Before June 2013, Vasind and Tarapur plants were a part of
JSW Steel Ltd and Kalmeshwar plant was a part of JSW Ispat Steel Ltd. Furthermore, post
that, the whole downstream business of JSW Steel Ltd. (Vasind, Tarapur and Kalmeshwar
plants) is presently name as JSWSCPL with impact from 1st June, 2013. JSW offers a wide
assortment of steel items. A portion of these are Hot Rolled, Cold Rolled, Galvanized steel and
Galvalume steel and Color covered items.

Location Planning of JSW Steel Coated Products Limited

Location Planning is a procedure of choosing the correct area for the manufacturing unit and
facility of an organization. It ought to have adequate access to the clients, laborers, transportation,
and so on. The primary target of the company is to fulfill the clients with its products and
services. To fulfill the clients of the company, it is important to define and plan a procedure
around its manufacturing unit. A manufacturing unit is where all sources of inputs, for example,
raw material, equipment, skilled and experienced workers, and so forth meet up and items are
fabricated for the clients. Furthermore, a standout amongst the most imperative and essential
components deciding the achievement of the manufacturing unit is the location.
The assurance of location of the manufacturing unit is a basic and an extremely key choice
for the business. A few variables which help in deciding the location of a unit are competition,
cost and relating related impacts. Location planning is an orderly procedure which uses different
systems.

Location Selection Factors

For an organization which works in a worldwide domain; cost, accessible framework, work
ability, government strategies and condition are critical elements. An appropriate location gives
satisfactory access to clients, talented workers, transportation etc. A right location guarantees
accomplishment of the association in current worldwide focused condition.

Industrialization
A geographic area turns into a point of focus for different manufacturing units in view of
numerous variables, parameters and issues. These components are can be divided into primary
elements and secondary elements. A primary factor which prompts industrialization of a specific
area for specific manufacturing of items is material, work and nearness of comparative
manufacturing units. Secondary components are consists of credit financing, corresponding
framework, communication infrastructure, and insurance against any damages.
38 Sarbjit Singh

Errors in Location Selection

Location Planning is basic for business continuity and accomplishment of the association. So it
is vital to stay away from mistakes and errors while making choice for locations. Errors and
mistakes in determination can be separated into two general categories: Behavioral and Non-
Behavioral. Behavioral errors are choice made by administrators of the organization where
individual components are considered before achievement of location, for instance, shifting
from personal houses at hometown to new office location. Non-Behavioral errors incorporate
absence of appropriate investigative practice and analysis, disregarding basic components and
attributes of the business.

Area Strategy
The objective of an organization is customer satisfaction for that it needs reach to the clients at
least conceivable cost. This is accomplished by creating location strategy. Location planning
helps the organization in deciding correct product offering, advertising, demanding forecast in
various markets, best area to get to clients and best manufacturing and administration location.

Elements affecting area of JSW steel covered items, Nagpur

On the off chance that the association can arrange the correct area for the manufacturing office,
it will have adequate access to the clients, specialists, transportation, and so forth. For business
achievement, and upper hand following are the basic elements:
Customer Proximity: As JSWSCP Ltd is located in the center of the country and is very
well connected through rails and road transport, it is very easy for them to transport their
product of their customers. It also reduces their overall transportation cost and decreases the
time in reaching the customer.
Business Area: JSWSCP Ltd is located at Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation,
Kalmeshwar area. There are similar manufacturing units around in this vicinity and it makes
business area conducive for facility establishment.
Availability of Skill Labor: Due to a number of Industrial Training Institutes in Nagpur,
some very good educational institutions, and availability of experienced and skilled workers is
another important criteria, which plays a very role for JSWSCP ltd to be located in Nagpur.
Suppliers: Since, JSW Steel Coated Products ltd is one of the largest manufactures and
exporter of color coated steel in India, a continuous and top notch quality supply of the raw
materials is a must for them. And how they get this supply is another very important and
critical factor in determining the location of manufacturing facility.
Environmental Policy: The JSW steel coated products ltd is in the MIDC, Kalmeshwar
which is located in the outskirts of the Nagpur city. There are treatment plants installed inside
the manufacturing plant to ensure that any waste that goes out of the plant is very well treated
and is not harmful for the general population. So, the company makes sure that it not affect the
environment and proper measures are taken to maintain the environment policy.

Capacity Planning Of JSW Steel Coated Products Limited

AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 39

Capacity Planning is defined as the ability to accomplish, store or deliver. For an organization,
capacity would be the ability of an offered system to produce output within a stipulated and
given time. In tasks, limit is alluded as a measure of the info assets accessible to create relative
yield over timeframe. As a rule, terms limit is alluded as most extreme creation limit, which
can be achieved inside a typical working calendar.
Capacity Planning is fundamental to decide ideal usage of resources and assumes a critical
part basic decision making process, for instance, augmentation of existing tasks, alteration to
product offerings, beginning new items, and so on.
JSWSCPL is India’s biggest producer and exporter of Coated Steel with an aggregate
limit of 1.8 MTPA with the ability to deliver 0.69 MTPA of Color Coated Steel. The Company
has altogether extended its steel making limit in India. It has expanded from 1.6 MTPA in
2002 to an installed crude steel limit of 18.0 MTPA in 2016, through natural and inorganic
development techniques. Its present activities in India involves 12.50 MTPA (around 70% of
the capacity) of flat products and 5.50 MTPA (around 30% of the capacity) of long products.
JSW Steel’s broad arrangement of flat and long products incorporates hot rolled coils, sheets
and plates, cold rolled coils and sheets, galvanized and galvalume products, pre-painted galvanized
and galvalume products, thermo-mechanically treated (‘TMT’) bars, wire rods and special
and customized steel bars, plates and pipes, rounds and blooms of different sizes and cold
rolled non-grain customized products. The Company is one of India’s biggest manufacturers
and exporters of coated flat steel products.

FACILITY LAYOUT
In manufacturing, facility layout consists of configuring the plant site with lines, buildings,
major facilities, workstations, storage areas, aisles, and common areas within an existing or
proposed facility. An efficient layout can reduce unnecessary material handling, help to keep
costs low, and maintain product flow through the facility.

Types of Layout
There are three basic layout types:-
1. Process layout
2. Product layout
3. Fixed-position layout
There are three hybrid layouts:-
1. Cellular layout
2. Flexible manufacturing system
3. Mixed model assembly lines
40 Sarbjit Singh

Figure 2
Firms in the upper-left hand corner of the product-process matrix have a Process layout.
Firms in the lower-right hand corner of the product-process matrix have a Product layout.

STUDY OF LAYOUT DESIGN OF JSWSCPL

JSWSCPL has basically Cellular Layout, with different lines dedicated for different jobs.
Within these cellular layouts, the process is carried through product as well as process layout.

Figure 3
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 41

CELL 1 (Pickling line and Galvanizing line 1 and 2)

Pickling line

Figure 4
Pickling is a metal surface treatment used to remove impurities, such as stains, inorganic
contaminants, rust or scale from ferrous metals, copper, precious metals and aluminum alloys.
Metal surfaces can contain impurities that may affect usage of the product or further processing
like plating with metal or painting. Various chemical solutions are usually used to clean these
impurities.
Raw material (the raw steel thin sheet) is first fed into the Pickling line. In Pickling line
the steel sheet is unrolled and is treated with concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCL) to make it
rust free. The whole process of de-rusting is in product layout setup on an assembly line. The
output is white steel sheet. It is then rolled by the help of an Accumulator.

Galvanizing line

Figure 6
42 Sarbjit Singh

JSWSCPL has two Galvanizing lines. In Galvanizing line a continuous hot-dip coating
process is used. The molten coating is applied onto the surface of the steel in a continuous
process. The steel is passed as a continuous ribbon through a bath of molten zinc. Then, the
steel passes into the heating or annealing furnace to soften it and impart the desired strength
and formability. In this annealing furnace, the steel is maintained under a reducing gas
atmosphere, composed of hydrogen and nitrogen, to remove any oxide that may be on the steel
surface. The exit end of the furnace is connected with a vacuum chamber, known as a “snout,”
to the molten coating bath to prevent any air from re-oxidizing the heated steel product. In the
bath, the steel product is sent around a submerged roll and reacts with the molten metal to
create the bonded coating, and then removed in a vertical direction.
Once the product is removed from the bath, high-pressure air is used to remove any excess
molten zinc to create a closely controlled coating thickness. Then the steel is cooled to allow
the metal to solidify onto the steel surface, which is done before the steel contacts another roll
to avoid transferring or damaging the coating.
The galvanizing process is carried out in product layout setup.

Quality Check
During the process of galvanizing, several jobs are carried out in a process layout format. The
tasks of Quality Check (QC) is carried immediately after galvanizing process. The defective
galvanized sheet is separated from the finished sheet.

Packing
The perfectly galvanized sheet is then rolled and packed with a plastic coating on the outer
surface of the sheet. This packing process is also carried out in process layout format.

CELL 2 (Color Coating Line (CCL))

Color coating is a term used to describe the application of a decorative and/or protective organic
coating to steel substrate supplied in coil form. Color coated steel is also called as pre-painted
steel.
Color coatings are paint coatings and are specialty products, which are used to give the
steel a long term protection under a broad range of corrosive conditions, extending from
atmospheric exposure to full immersion in strongly corrosive solutions. A color coating provides
little strength to the substrate steel, yet it protects the steel so that its strength and integrity can
be maintained.
Color coating of steel is a continuous and highly automated industrial process for efficiently
coating of coils of steel. In this process of application of color coating, the substrate steel gets
protective and decorative coating. This process of color coating is also called a duplex coating.
As it is a continuous process the color coating line of JSWSCPL can be classified as a product
layout design.
The colored sheet of steel is then proceeded for packing. A plastic coating is applied on it
and then rolled and packed.
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 43

Figure 7 Schematic arrangements of color coating structure

CELL 3 (Galvalume line)

Galvalume is a process which consists of 55% aluminum, 43.5% zinc and 1.5% silicon by
weight. A small but important addition of silicon is done to provide good coating adhesion to
the steel substrate when the product is roll-formed, drawn, or bent during fabrication.
Galvalume steel sheet combines the excellent barrier corrosion protection of aluminum
with the galvanic protection of zinc. The result is a coating that lasts a long time, a coating that
provides cut-edge protection along sheared edges. Galvalume steel sheet is the preferred product
when long term resistance to atmospheric corrosion is desired.
The Galvalume process in JSWSCPL is carried out in a separate cell and the process is
again continuous in nature which can be classified as product layout.

CELL 4 (Finishing line)

In finishing line of JSWSCPL, profiling of steel sheet was done according to the desired
shapes. Mostly it is done to prepare the sheets used in the rooftops. They can be designed
according to the desired specifications. Thus this process can be classified as process layout
design. The shapes are customizable and thus requires [* File contains invalid data | In-line.JPG
*]more time as compared to other processes that are carried out in the factory.
44 Sarbjit Singh

Figure 8
The advantages of cellular layout that JSWSCPL has are as follows:
· Reduced material handling and transit time.
· Reduced setup time.
· Reduced work-in-process inventory
· Better use of human resources
· Easier to control
· Easier to automate
Several disadvantages of cellular layouts that persists at JSWSCPL are as follows:
· Poorly balanced cells.
· Expanded training and scheduling of workers
· Increased capital investment
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 45

Industry Analysis

Spacewood
Spacewood is India’s leading manufacturer of Modular Furniture. It offers complete solutions
for Modular Kitchens, Home & Office furniture. It also offers solutions for various institutional
needs. It has state of the art factory strategically located in Nagpur, logistic centre of India
spreader over 15 acres. It is equipped with most modern European technology with Specialization
in Membrane pressing, Lacquering and Melamine lamination technology. It manufactures
100,000 Kitchen cabinets, 30,000 bedroom sets and 50,000 Works stations every year. The
products are designed by Professional designers with International design expertise and
collaboration. It has 20 years knowledge base experience and has flawless designs. It has
comprehensive wood and metal work area where the raw materials as an input is put in use and
final product comes in picture. It has all automated cutting, drilling and forming process.
Spacewood is about Modular Furniture and Modern Architecture. It has covered a big
market share because of its timely supply of goods, advance technology and is covering the
PAN India. The product manufactured here are flexible in using. These products are height
adjustable, have 120 degree shift (linear workstation), hybrid system (tables) etc.
46 Sarbjit Singh

Special Characteristics’ of Spacewood:

1. Scale of work: With a skilled man force of over 1000 people, Spacewood manufacture up
to 10,000 kitchen cabinets, 36,000 bedroom sets, 2,500 customized wardrobes and 4000
complete kitchens every month.
2. Quality Assurance: Spacewood maintain the highest quality standards which include
certifications of ISO 9001, ISO 14001 – 2004, and ISO 18001 – 2007. They are the only
manufacturer in India to have FIRA UK quality certification, and the first ever company to
have received FDI from Japan.
3. Design Expertise: A fleet of in-house designers from leading design schools across the
globe roll out a whole range of products with international world class styling and finesse.
4. Pan India presence: Stakeholders of Spacewood includes over 350 dealers, 17 company
owned stores, a huge sales force and over 1 lakh satisfied customers.
5. Kaizen: Spacewood focuses on the continuous improvement in the production.
6. In-house development & Design Team: Spacewood strives hard to stand out among the
competitors in terms of design, quality and flexibility in their production as per the market
demand.

Transformation Process at Spacewood (Presented by Students)

Cutting Process
The cutting process is done with the beam saw machine and is done in two ways-

· With the help of CNC

CNC Machining is a process used in the manufacturing sector that involves the use of computers
to control machine tools. Tools that can be controlled in this manner include lathes, mills,
routers and grinders. The CNC in CNC Machining stands for Computer Numerical Control. On
the surface, it may look like a normal PC controls the machines, but the computer’s unique
software and control console are what really sets the system apart for use in CNC machining.
Under CNC Machining, machine tools function through numerical control. A computer
program is customized for an object and the machines are programmed with CNC machining
language (called G-code) that essentially controls all features like feed rate, coordination,
location and speeds. With CNC machining, the computer can control exact positioning and
velocity. CNC machining is used in manufacturing wooden parts. Spacewood uses this technique
and cuts around 250 300 boards daily.

· Manually(Penal Saw)
The other process is by doing manually. This is done by workers sometimes when there is a side
project along with the main one. Maximum of 10-12 boards can be cut in a day. It is usually for
small scale manufacturing.
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 47

Table Top Processing

The process used in table top processing is edge cutting.
Edge Banding is the name of both a process and an associated narrow strip of material
used to create durable and aesthetically pleasing trim edges during finish carpentry. Edge
banding is used to cover the exposed sides of materials such as plywood, particle board or MDF,
increasing durability and giving the appearance of a solid or more valuable material. Common
substitutes for edge banding include face frames or molding. Edge banding can be made of
different materials including PVC, ABS, acrylic, melamine, wood or wood veneer.
Traditional edge banding was a manual process requiring ordinary carpentry tools and
materials. In modern applications, particularly for high-volume, repetitive manufacturing steps
such as cabinet doors, edge banding is applied to the substrate by an automated process using
a hot-melt adhesive. Hot melt adhesives can be water or solvent based and may consist of
various raw materials including EVA, PUR, PA, APOA, and PO. A substrate primer may also
be used as a bonding agent between the adhesive and the substrate. Thicker edge bandings
typically require a slight concavity to provide a tight glue line. The thickness can vary from
.018" to 5mm or even more. The machine that applies the edge banding is called edge bander.
An edge bander bonds the edge banding to the substrate, trims the leading and trailing edges,
trims top and bottom flush with the substrate, scraps any surplus, and buffs the finished edge.

CNC ROUTER
A computer numerical control (CNC) router is a computer-controlled cutting machine related
to the hand-held router used for cutting various hard materials, such
as wood, composites, aluminum, steel, plastics, and foams. CNC routers can perform the tasks
of many carpentry shop machines such as the panel saw, the spindle molder, and the boring
machine. They can also cut mortises and tenons. A CNC router is very similar in concept to a
CNC milling machine. Instead of routing by hand, tool paths are controlled via computer
numerical control. The CNC router is one of many kinds of tools that have CNC variants.
A CNC router typically produces consistent and high-quality work and improves factory
productivity. Unlike a jig router, the CNC router can produce a one-off as effectively as
repeated identical production. Automation and precision are the key benefits of CNC router
tables. A CNC router can reduce waste, frequency of errors, and the time the finished product
takes to get to market.

HOT PRESS MACHINE

The job of a laminating press is to bond layered materials together to create a stronger material
than the original. Typically this is done to achieve a cosmetic or performance aspect to the face
for commercial or industrial use. Many laminating processes involve coating a film, textile,
plastic, metal, wood, or other porous or non-porous substrate with a surface to strengthen it to
be used for a much broader range of purposes. Laminating presses, and their processes, each
have a unique set of parameters, typically revolving around temperature, pressure, time,
humidity, moisture content, etc. Hot presses use heating platens, or rollers, heated with steam,
48 Sarbjit Singh

oil, or electricity. Cold presses use ambient platens, or rollers, to generate force. The amount
of temperature, pressure, time, and moisture content, all factors into how the process is
determined. The end game of every laminating process is to achieve a rapid turnaround of
laminated materials, and to move them into the flow of producing an end product.

CLEARING AND PACKAGING

This is the last process wherein the product is been checked labeled and then packed for users.
Usually rejections are very less ranging from 8-10. Around 450-500 table tops are made in a
month and then after it depends on the demand.

METAL WORKING PLANT

Shear machine
Shearing, also known as die cutting, is a process which cuts stock without the formation of
chips or the use of burning or melting. Strictly speaking, if the cutting blades are straight the
process is called shearing; if the cutting blades are curved then they are shearing-type operations.
The most commonly sheared materials are in the form of sheet metal or plates; however rods
can also be sheared. Shearing-type operations include: blanking, piercing, roll slitting, and
trimming. It is used in metalworking.

Turret machine
A turret punch or turret press is a type of punch press used for metal forming by punching.
Punching, and press work in general, is a process well suited to mass production. However the
initial tooling costs, of both the machine and the job-specific press tool, are high. This limits
punch work from being used for much small-volume and prototype work. A turret punch is one
way of addressing this cost. The tooling of a turret punch uses a large number of standard
punch tools: holes of varying sizes, straight edges, commonly-used notches or mounting holes.
By using a large number of strokes, with several different tools in turn, a turret press may make
a wide variety of parts without having to first make a specialized press tool for that task. This
saves both time and money, allowing rapid prototyping or for low volume production to start
without tooling delays.

Bending machine
Universal bending machines consist of a basic machine that can be adjusted with little effort
and used for a variety of bends. A simple plug-in system supports quick and easy exchange of
tools. The basic machine consists of a CNC-operated side stop, a work bench, and software for
programming and operating. Its modular construction offers an affordable entry into the bending
technology, because after an initial investment the machine can be customized and extended
later without any conversion. That means the basic machine delivers a bending stroke, and the
tool determines the kind of bending.
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 49

Punching machine
Punch presses are developed for high flexibility and efficient processing of metal stampings.
The main areas of application are for small and medium runs. Those machines are typically
equipped with a linear die carrier (tool carrier) and quick change tools. Today the method is
used where the application of lasers are inefficient or technically impractical. CNC is the
abbreviation of Computer Numerically Controlled.

Spot welding
Resistance spot welding (RSW) is a process in which contacting metal surface points are joined
by the heat obtained from resistance to electric current. It is a subset of electric resistance
welding. Work-pieces are held together under pressure exerted by electrodes. Typically the
sheets are in the 0.5 to 3 mm thickness range. The process uses two shaped copper alloy
electrodes to concentrate welding current into a small “spot” and to simultaneously clamp the
sheets together. Forcing a large current through the spot will melt the metal and form the weld.
The attractive feature of spot welding is that a lot of energy can be delivered to the spot in a
very short time .That permits the welding to occur without excessive heating of the remainder
of the sheet.

Grinding machine
A grinding machine, often shortened to grinder, is any of various power tools or machine tools
used for grinding, which is a type of machining using an abrasive wheel as the cutting tool.
Each grain of abrasive on the wheel’s surface cuts a small chip from the workpiece via shear
deformation.
Grinding is used to finish workpieces that must show high surface quality (e.g., low
surface roughness) and high accuracy of shape and dimension. As the accuracy in dimensions
in grinding is of the order of 0.000025 mm, in most applications it tends to be a finishing
operation and removes comparatively little metal, about 0.25 to 0.50 mm depth. However,
there are some roughing applications in which grinding removes high volumes of metal quite
rapidly. Thus, grinding is a diverse field.

Pre-Treatment Planting
Treatment before powder coating process are as follows:
1. Derusting
2. Water swirl-1
3. Water swirl-2
4. Degreasing
5. Degreasing-2
6. Water swirl-3
7. Water swirl-4
50 Sarbjit Singh

8. Dm work-1
9. Oxsilan
10. Dm work-2
11. Dm water-3
12. Water drying oven

Powder coating plant

Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main
difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating
does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The
coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and
form a “skin”. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to
create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for
coating of metals, such as household appliances, aluminum extrusions, drum hardware and
automobile and bicycle parts.

Finished products
And finally the products are assembled and labeled and packed for further use.

Plant Layout of Spacewood

Keeping in view the type of industry and volume of production, the type of layout selected and
used by Spacewood is Process Layout.
The process layout is particularly useful where low volume of production is needed. If the
products are not standardized, the process layout is more desirable, because it has creator
process flexibility than other. In this type of layout, the machines and not arranged according
to the sequence of operations but are arranged according to the nature or type of the operations.
This layout is commonly suitable for non-repetitive jobs.
Same type of operation facilities are grouped together such as lathes, cutting machines etc
are placed at one place and all the drill machines are at another place and so on.
See Figure for process layout of Spacewood. It is an overview of layout followed by
Spacewood plant.

Figure 9
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 51

Figure 10
1. Cutting: Cutting is given to the workers to use 80% of board for less wastage. Proper
checking of quality is done after cutting and then it is transferred to next step. Automated
and manual both type of cutting is done as per the requirements. To control the waste
the byproducts is used again to make wood powder.

Figure 11
2. Edge band machine is used in next stage for applying edge band. It is also called
lipping. As per the design edging is done by using binding glue. This glue melts at 180
degree centigrade.
3. Then wood is sent to CNC router for curving and drilling ranging in shape from square
to circle. Curve edging is done manually by using TAPPER.

Figure 12
52 Sarbjit Singh

4. Pressing and Lamination: In the next step pressing is done to put laminates on the
board.

Figure 13
5. For metal powder coating is done for coloring process and then shearing machine is
used for metal cutting.

As per students observations the advantages and disadvantages of process layout

Advantages of Process Layout:

(i) There will be less duplication of machines. Thus, total investment in equipment purchase
will be reduced.
(ii) It offers better and more efficient supervision through specialization at various levels.
(iii) There is a greater flexibility in equipment and man power thus load distribution is easily
controlled.
(iv) Better utilization of equipment available is possible.
(v) Break down of equipment can be easily handled by transferring work to another machine/
work station.
(vi) There will be better control of complicated or precision processes, especially where much
inspection is required.

Limitations of Process Layout:

(i) There are long material flow lines and hence the expensive handling is required.
(ii) Total production cycle time is more owing to long distances and waiting at various points.
(iii) Since more work is in queue and waiting for further operation hence bottle necks occur.
(iv) Generally, more floor area is required.
(v) Since work does not flow through definite lines, counting and scheduling is more tedious.
(vi) Specialization creates monotony and there will be difficult for the laid workers to find job
in other industries
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 53

QUALITY ASSURANCE OFFICE AT SPACE WOOD

Spacewood Office Solutions Pvt. Ltd has an office which solely concentrates on the Quality
Assurance of manufacturing processes in Metal as well as Wooden Plant. They keep a quality
check over the finished goods as well.

Wooden Plant
Quality test for raw material- Major purchasing from Spacewood (Nagpur), Green lamp (Pune),
Associate (Bangalore).
1. Grains are tested first. Table- Horizontal grains. Shutter- Vertical grains.
2. Check through Swatch card/catalogue.

Board Cutting
It is done through Beam saw Machine and 80% of the board is utilized.
Quality Parameter-
· Corners (chip opp) are checked.
· Diagonals are checked.
· Dimensionsare checked.
· Grain check after cutting.
· Machine life is approx. 25 years and weekly maintenance is done.
· Cutter re-sharping done daily.
· 1 out of 250 boards get damaged or goes in scrap.

REJECTION AND REWORK SECTIONS

Some boards are not properly aligned and they are hence are categorized in the ‘Rework
section’. Whereas, some are completely rejected and are categorized in ‘Rejection section’.
This is done to keep quality check.
The cut boards are then carefully wrapped so as to avoid any damages.

Pannel Saw
Manual cutting is done
Quality Parameter-
· Weekly maintenance is done.
· Cutter resharping after 10-12 boards.
· 1 out of 50 board is get damaged or goes in scrap.

Through Feed Edge Band Machine

After cutting the edges are covered.
54 Sarbjit Singh

Quality Parameters-
· Material used REHAU polymer.
· Thickness of .5mm, .8mm, 1.8mm, 2mm.
· Weekly maintenance of Bearings.
· Cutter is changed every 3 months.
· Conveyor belt is changed every year.

Cnc Router
Computer Numerical Router used for round cutting, curving and arches.
Quality Checks-
· Driller for hole is checked and changed daily.
· Weekly maintenance of machine.
· Drilling bit/tool is changed after every 150 panel cut.
· Bed is cleaned daily.
· Vacuum pad is weekly checked.

Finishing
Finishing is done by trimmer or hand cutting.
Quality Checks-
· Glue Pot cleaning is done weekly.
· Bearing is checked every 2-3 weeks.
· Trimming blade is changed every 2 months.
· On an average 5 rejection of table top and 10 rework is accounted from 450 items.

Post Forming
· Radius of curvature is checked
· Hydraulic system of lamination is checked weekly.

Metal Plant
Quality Test for Raw Material- CRCA (Cold Rolled Close Annealed) Sheets are used,major
purchasing from Tata distributers.
· Thickness is tested (.8mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm.)
· Content test (Silicon content, iron content)
· Tensile strength is measure over standard parameters.
AStudy of Real time Applications of Operations Management tools... 55

Shear Machine
Cutting of Sheets are done through this machine
Quality Checks-
· Hydraulic system is checked weekly.
· Cutter and blades are checked daily.
· Bearing are checked monthly.
· Greasing is done daily.

Turret Machine
It is used for punching.
Quality Checks-
· Check the hydraulic pressure to make sure it’s at 4.5 MPa
· Clean the chips out of the chip pan, and grease any part that may need to be greased
· Check to make sure the chuck pressure is at the right operating pressure
· Chip conveyor is cleaned and checked every 3 months or 500 hours

Bending Machine
Used for bending and providing shape to sheets.
Quality Parameter-
· Weekly maintenance of machine is done.
· Tools pressure is checked daily.
· Greasing is done daily.

Spot Welding
Electrical welding is done with the use of this machine.
Quality Parameter checked by quality Office-
· Carbon test of welding tip is done daily.
· Radius of welding tip is checked daily.
· Dish/Grinding is checked after 20 pieces.
After all these processes to maintain the quality the metal piece is passed through different
tanks containing different chemical combinations and process in a sequential order as follows.
1. Derusting (Chemical-Gardacid,Concen-20-25%,Temp-Ambient,8-10min)
2. Water Sill-1 (PH 2-7,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
3. Water Sill-2 (PH 5-7,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
4. Degreasing-1(Chemical-Gardoclean 1135AL,3-4%concen,Temp-55’-60’, time 8-10min)
5. Degreasing-2 (Chemical-Gardoclean 390/2,4-5%concen,Temp-65’-70’, time 8-10min)
56 Sarbjit Singh

6. Water Sill-3(PH 7-10,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)

7. Water Sill-4(PH 7-10,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
8. DM Water-1(PH 5-9, Conductivity-<250us/cm,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
9. Oxsilan{ (98003,9905,9950,9960)PH 4-6,Temp-Ambient,Time3-4min.}
10. DM Water-2(PH 5-8,Conductivity<200us/cm,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
11. DM Water-3(PH 5-8,Conductivity<50us/cm,Temp-Ambient,1-2min)
12. Water Drying Oven (Temp-110’-150’, Time10-15min.)

Powder Coating Process

After all the process it is coated with powder. Process is combination of machine and man.
Speed of conveyor belt is 1.5m/min.
Quality Parameters checked
· Conveyor belt is checked every month.
· Bearing is changed in 2 months and checked weekly.
· Daily greasing of machine is done
· A weekly maintenance test is done. (Preventive Maintenance)

Quality Dashboards
· Spacewood also keeps a special check over quality by putting up a dashboard for all
the employees and labor force to have a continuous look over it and take action
respectively.
· They also pay significant attention to customer complaints so that they don’t make
their customer unsatisfied. Even this is put up to maintain the quality standards.

Concluding Remarks-
The Industrial visit proved to be very successful tool for experiential learning. The students
were very enthusiastic and asked questions on the various operations tools and techniques to the
tour coordinator assigned by the plant for coordinating the visit. Students were able to relate
various concepts with the practice. Also from the observations made by the students mentioned
above it can be concluded that they learnt a lot from this visit. Thus, Industrial visit can be
incorporated as a pedagogical tool, it enhances the learnings of the students. Our Institute has a
system of taking feedback on the course twice. The feedback on the course has improved
drastically after the industrial visit. Most of the students have mentioned about the learnings
form an industrial visit in their feedback.

References
https://spacewood.in/
https://www.jsw.in/
https://www.tradeandindustrydev.com/industry/manufacturing/traditional-industrial-vs-advanced-manufacturing-
t-8304