Operations With TQM (Layout-and-Flow)

Layout and flow
Source: Alamy/AG Stock USA Inc.
Slack, Chambers and Johnston, Operations Management 5th Edition © Nigel Slack, Stuart Chambers, and Robert Johnston 2007
Layout and flow
Functional design
Operations stra
Supply network design tegy
Layout Operations m
and flow anagement
Design Improvement
Functional tec Job

hnology design Planning and
control
Product/service
design
Layout involves the relative positioning of transformed resour
ces within operations and functions and the allocation of tasks
to the resources, which together dictate the flow of transforme
d resources through the operation or function
Relative positioning of tran Allocation of tasks to transf

sforming resources orming resources
Flow of transformed resour

ces
Source: J Sainsbury plc
Detailed design techniques
Fixed position – resource location analysis
Functional layout – flow charts and relationship charts
Cell layout – product flow analysis
Product layout – assembly line balancing techniques
Example of a functional layout in a library,
showing the path of just one customer
Loan books in subject order
Online and
CD-ROM acces
s room
Study desks To journ

al stack
Company reports
Enquiries
Current j
ournals
Reference
section
Reserve co
llection
Store r Counter staff
oom Copying area
Entrance Exit
Ground-floor plan of a department store, showing the sp
orts goods shop-within-a-shop retail ‘cell’
Books
and vid
eos Footwear Sports shop Menswear
Perfumes
& jewellery
Confectionery, n Elevators
ewspapers, mag
azines, stationer Women’s clothing
y
Luggage
and gifts
Entrance
An army induction centre which uses product layout
Waiting are Waiting are

Lecture theatre a a
Blood
Doctor Doctor test
Uniform iss X-ray
Records: pe
uing area rsonal histo
ry and medi
Blood cal details
Doctor Doctor test
X-ray
Blood
Doctor Doctor test
Uniform sto
re X-ray
A product layout in a paper manufacturing operation
A restaurant complex with all four basic layout types
Cell layout buffet
Fixed-position layout s
ervice restaurant
Line layou
Starter bu
Dessert b
t cafeteria
uffet
ffet
Main course
buffet Service line
Preparation
Oven
Functional layout kitchen
Cool room
Grill
Freezer Vegetable preparation
Advantages and disadvantages
Fixed-position layout
Very high product and mix flexi

bility
Advantages Product/customer not moved
High variety of tasks for staff
Very high unit costs

Disadvantages
Scheduling space and activities ca
n be difficult
Functional layout
High product and mix flexibility
Relatively robust in the case of

Advantages disruptions
Easy to supervise
Low utilization
Disadvantages Can have very high WIP
Complex flow
Cell layout
Can give good compromise
Fast throughput
Advantages
Group work can result in good
motivation
Can be costly to rearrange exis

ting layout
Disadvantages
Can need more plant
Product layout
Low unit costs for high volume
Advantages Opportunities for specialization

of equipment
Can have low mix flexibility

Disadvantages Not very robust in the case of disru
ptions
Work can be very repetitive
Flow is interm Low High
Volume
ittent
Fixed-position l
High
ayout
Regular flow more feasible

Functional la
yout
Variety
Cell layout
Product la
yout
Flow become
Low
s continuous
Regular flow more important
Relationship between functional types and basic layout types
Manufacturing fu Basic layout type Service functiona

nctional types s l types
Project processes
Professional services
Jobbing processes
Functional layout
Service shops
Batch processes
Cell layout
Mass processes Mass services

Product layout
Continuous processes
Long and thin versus short and fat layouts
A 60-minute task with a required cycle time of 15 minutes
15 15 15 15
1 every 15 minute
s
60
30 30
1 every 15 min 60
1 every 15 minu
utes tes
30 30 60
60
Long and thin versus short and fat
Long or short describes the number of stages

Fat or thin describes the amount of work at each stage
Advantages of long-thin processes Advantages of short-fat processes

controlled flow higher mix flexibility
simple materials handling higher volume flexibility
lower capital requirement ( greater robustness
no duplication) less monotonous
greater efficiency higher ownership
higher space utilization
Key Terms Test
Locating the position of a product or service such that it remains
largely stationary, while transforming resources are moved to
and from it.
Cell layout
Locating transforming resources with a common purpose such a
s processing the same types of product, serving similar types
of customer, etc., together in close proximity (a cell).
Product layout
Locating transforming resources in a sequence defined by the p
rocessing needs of a product or service.
Key Terms Test
Shop-within-a-shop
An operations layout which groups together facilities that have a comm
on purpose; the term was originally used in retail operations but is n
ow sometimes used in other industries, very similar to the idea of a
cell layout.
Line layout
A more descriptive term for what is technically a product layout.
Combinatorial complexity
The idea that many different ways of processing products and services
at many different locations or points in time combine to result in an
exceptionally large number of feasible options; the term is often use
d in facilities layout and scheduling to justify non-optimal solutions (
because there are too many options to explore).
Key Terms Test
Flow record chart
A diagram used in layout to record the flow of products or ser
vices between facilities.
Relationship chart
A diagram used in layout to summarize the relative desirabilit
y of facilities to be close to each other.
Heuristic procedures
‘Rules of thumb’ or simple reasoning short-cuts that are deve
loped to provide good but non-optimal solutions, usually to
operations decisions that involve combinatorial complexity.
Key Terms Test
CRAFT
Computerized Relative Allocation of Facilities Technique, a h
euristic technique for developing good, but non-optimal, s
olutions.
Cluster analysis
A technique used in the design of cell layouts to find which pr
ocess groups fit naturally together.
Production flow analysis (PFA)

A technique that examines product requirements and proces
s grouping simultaneously to allocate tasks and machines
to cells in cell layout.
Key Terms Test
Remainder cell
The cell that has to cope with all the products that do no
t conveniently fit into other cells.
Cycle time
The average time between units of output emerging fro
m a process.
Total work content

The total amount of work required to produce a unit of o
utput, usually measured in standard times.
Key Terms Test
Line balancing
The activity of attempting to equalize the load on each s
tation or part of a line layout or mass process.
Balancing loss
The quantification of the lack of balance in a production
line, defined as the time that is not used for productiv
e purposes expressed as a percentage of the total ti
me invested in making a product.
Key Terms Test
Long thin
A process designed to have many sequential stages, ea
ch performing a relatively small part of the total task; t
he opposite of a short fat process.
Short fat
A process designed to have relatively few sequential sta
ges, each of which performs a relatively large part of t
he total task; the opposite of a long thin process.

Operations With TQM (Layout-and-Flow)

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Layout and flow

Source: Alamy/AG Stock USA Inc.

Functional tec Job

Relative positioning of tran Allocation of tasks to transf

Flow of transformed resour

Source: J Sainsbury plc

Fixed position – resource location analysis

Functional layout – flow charts and relationship charts

Cell layout – product flow analysis

Product layout – assembly line balancing techniques

Study desks To journ

Waiting are Waiting are

Cell layout buffet

Very high product and mix flexi

High variety of tasks for staff

Very high unit costs

High product and mix flexibility

Relatively robust in the case of

Can give good compromise

Can be costly to rearrange exis

Low unit costs for high volume

Advantages Opportunities for specialization

Can have low mix flexibility

Regular flow more feasible

Regular flow more important

Manufacturing fu Basic layout type Service functiona

Mass processes Mass services

Long or short describes the number of stages

Advantages of long-thin processes Advantages of short-fat processes

Production flow analysis (PFA)

Total work content

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