Plant layout Essay

PLANT LAYOUTOutline of ContentsWhat is Plant layout? emergency of favourable layoutFactors affecting good layoutPrinciples of good layoutAdvantages of good layoutSymptoms of poor layoutTypes of layoutWhat is PLANT LAYOUT?Plant layout refers to the arrangement of physical facilities such as forms, equipment, tools, furniture etc. in such a manner so as to have quickest flow of material at the lowest cost and with the least amount of handling in processing the produce from the receipt of raw material to the delivery of the final product. Plant Layout is a plan of an optimum arrangement of facilities including personnel, operating equipment, storage space, material handling equipments and wholly other supporting services a long with the design of best structure to contain all these facilities. A good layout is unrivalled which allows material rapidly and this instant for processing. This reduces transport handling, clerical and other costs down per unit. Space requirement are mi nimized and it reduces idle machine time and idle time of man.Necessity of good plant layout minimization of material handling optimal utilization of available floor space settlement of bottlenecks through balancing of all capacitiesMinimization o employment delaysEasy supervision and better manpower resources through elimination of idle timeElimination of physical efforts required by workersElimination or improvement of objectionable operations. E.g. Operations with bad odor, vibrating operations etc.Avoiding industrial accidentsBetter working conditions like light, ventilation, noise control etc. Optimum utilization of machinery and equipment through proper use.Minimization of cost so that product will be available at cheaper rate to customer anddelivery in time.Factors affecting facility LayoutNature of plant-Engineering/ affect IndustryType of cropion-Mass/Flow, Batch, Job ShopType of Production-Make to Stock/order, std/specPlant Location-Area available, building type-storeyVo lume of Production-Scale of productionTypes of machines and equipment-automationRepairs and maintenance -Policy, schedule on siteArrangement of material handling equipmentFuture expansion planPrinciples of good Layout minimum HandlingInterdependenceMinimum investmentIntegration of factors-3MMinimum movement-Distance/FlowContinuous flow-forwardOptimum utilization of available spaceMaximum visibilityMaximum accessibilityMaximum tractabilitySafety, Security and SatisfactionAdvantages of Good Plant LayoutProper and efficient utilization of available floor spaceTransportation of work from one point to other point without any delay Proper utilization of production capacity.Reduce material handling costsUtilize labor efficientlyReduce accidents bid for volume and product flexibilityProvide ease of supervision and controlProvide for employee safety and healthAllow easy maintenance of machines and plant.Improve productivitySymptoms of suffering LayoutDelays and work stoppage in manufactu ring processSlow movement of material through the plantCongestion of materials, components and work in pull aheadPoor utilization of spaceHigh material handling and transportation costsExcessive handling by skilled workersProduction cycles and delays in delivery psychological or physical strain on operatorsDifficulties in maintain effective supervision and controlUnderutilization of machines and workersLack of flexibility and difficulty in production formulation and controlTypes Of Layoutthither are mainly four types of plant layout(a) Product or line layout(b) Process or functional layout(c) bushel position or location layout(d) Combined or group layoutProduct or line layoutIn this type of layout the machines and equipments are arranged in one line depending upon the ecological succession of operations required for the product. It is also called as line layout. The material moves to another machine sequentially without any backtracking or deviation i.e. the output of one machin e becomes input of the next machine. It requires a very little material handling. It is used for mass production of standardized products.Advantages of Product layoutLow cost of material handling, ascribable to straight and short route and absence ofbacktracking Smooth and continuous operationsContinuous flow of workLesser inventory and work in make headwayOptimum use of floor spaceSimple and effective inspection of work and simplified production controlLower manufacturing cost per unitDisadvantages of Product layoutHigher initial capital investment in special purpose machine (SPM) High overhead chargesBreakdown of one machine will affect the production process.Lesser flexibility of physical resources.Process layoutIn this type of layout the machines of a similar type are arranged together at one place. This type of layout is used for batch production. It is preferred when the product is not standardized and the quantity produced is very small.Advantages of Process layoutLower in itial capital investment is required.There is high degree of machine utilization, as a machine is not blocked for a single productThe overhead costs are relatively lowBreakdown of one machine does not disturb the production process. Supervision can be more effective and specialized.Greater flexibility of resources.Disadvantages of Process layoutMaterial handling costs are high due to backtrackingMore skilled labour is required resulting in higher cost.Work in progress inventory is high needing greater storage space More frequent inspection is needed which results in costly supervision Combined layoutA combining of process & product layout is known as combined layout. Manufacturing concerns where several products are produced in repeated numbers with no likelihood of continuous production, combined layout isfollowed Fixed position or location layoutFixed position layout involves the movement of manpower and machines to the product which remains stationary. The movement of men and ma chines is advisable as the cost of piteous them would be lesser. This type of layout is preferred where the size of the job is bulky and heavy. Example of such type of layout is locomotives, ships, boilers, generators, wagon building, aircraft manufacturing, etc.Advantages of Fixed position layoutThe investment on layout is very small.The layout is flexible as change in job design and operation sequence can be easily incorporated. Adjustments can be do to meet shortage of materials or absence of workers by changing the sequence of operations.Disadvantages of Fixed position layoutAs the production period being very long so the capital investment is very high. Very large space is required for storage of material and equipment near the product. As several operations are often carried out simultaneously so there is possibility of confusion and conflicts among different workgroups.