Production layout is one of the key factors that can decide if your manufacturing operation is profitable or it is not profitable. Production layout is the way that you will configure devices on your manufacturing floor. Each device must be placed on the production floor so that it can contribute efficiently to the overall production process. The placement of all the devices in relation to the other devices in production must yield an optimum design for the flow of products through the manufacturing process. There are standard types of production layout that are created based on the volume and speed at which products are manufactured. You must pick the appropriate production layout that will give you the most efficient and cost-effective way to create products. One production layout may be better that others that you could establish for you operation. You must consider the factors of environment, available area, required speed, and other factors to choose the right configuration for your plant floor.
One of the basic types of layout is the process layout. This floor plan for manufacturing is associated with products that are created in small batches. The production layout is such that similar production devices are grouped together in a work area. Each of the devises in a given area shares in the efficiency of the the throughput of products that moves through the work area. Each of the devices in the area can perform the functions that are required to get the work done right. All the work that is required on a batch of products is done before all the products in the batch are moved to the next work area for continued work. This type of layout has been used extensively in job shop and machine shop operations for quite a while. Some of these operations have been successful in growing in volume of production or size of operation to become sizable manufacturers.
Another widely used layout for production is the product layout. This is the layout that can support high speed, high volume production, and does so in many different types of companies of various sizes. Usually the layout for a floor of this type will have all the work cells that contribute to the production in a straight line. This does not have to be the case, for some operations have devices configured in various formats, it depends on what the consistency and efficiency of production dictates. Starting at the beginning of the production line, raw materials are introduced to the production process and inspection may occur to determine if the the raw materials are up to the standard that is required for manufacture. Then the raw materials are passed from one work area to another, down the production line as the product is completed. An automated material handling device in the form of a conveyor belt or robotic device can be used to move the products down the line as they are completed.
As the use of automation becomes more prevalent in manufacturing, combinations of production layouts are being created. Part of a manufacturing process may be laid out as a straight production line. This could be an operation that uses the line to build sub-assemblies. These sub-assemblies could then passed to another part of manufacturing operation that is laid out in the process format where the sub-assemblies are use to complete the total assembly of a product. The layout is strictly dependent on the efficiency that is derived from its use. The pressure of automation in manufacturing has caused the creation of cellular layout. This is a type of floor plan that allows for the manufacture of parts and/or products of similar type, size, shape, and function. These products require very similar manufacturing to complete them. The manufacture of these products can be done in a work cell that can have several employees assigned to it. All the employees that work in the cell have the training to operate any of the devices that are located there. All of the employees assigned to a given work cell have the responsibility for the quality of any and all products that are produce there. The work cell in this type configuration can also be found in combination with other types of layouts where the efficiency warrants its use.
Automation has applied positive pressure on the overall design of production floors. There has been a trend toward the reduction in size of manufacturing plants where the smaller floor space has automated devices placed closer together for efficiency. These layouts are usually designed to reduce the requirement for material handling and movement which reduces cost. Where material handling is required to support production there is a greater application of automated guided vehicles and automated retrieval systems.
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