Q&A Hero

Question

Product-oriented layout: Seeks the best personnel and machine utilization in repetitive or continuous production.

19) What techniques can be used to overcome the inherent problems of fixed-position layouts?

Answer: Some actions that can be taken to overcome the problems of a fixed-position layout are to develop good schedules, accurately define requirements, and take a rational approach to the layout, as opposed to politicizing the decision.

20) "Having a focused work center is like having a factory within a factory." Discuss. Include in your discussion what conditions make focused work centers appropriate.

Answer: A focused work center is a permanent product-oriented set of equipment within a process-oriented facility. It requires group technology or equivalent, a high level of staff training and flexibility, and good support or imagination to get started.

21) Why do work cells increase the use of equipment and machinery?

Answer: Work cells increase the use of equipment and machinery because of better scheduling and faster material flow.

22) What are the advantages of focused factories?

Answer: Focused factories are better able to stay in tune with their customers, produce quality products, and operate at higher margins.

23) Explain how a load-distance model helps solve problems in process layout.

Answer: The problem in process layout is to hold down material movement and material handling. The load-distance model calculates these movements from department to department, and can find that set of departmental space assignments that minimize the aggregate material handling cost. This is an optimal layout for a process layout, given the pattern of loads and distances.

24) Identify the four requirements for cellular production.

Answer: (1) identification of families of products, often through the use of group technology codes or equivalents; (2) a high level of training, flexibility, and empowerment of employees; (3) being self-contained, with its own equipment and resources; and (4) test (poka-yoke) at each station in the cell.

25) A facilities manager at a company headquarters once said, "I'd like to use Muther's office relationship chart or the load-distance model to solve our layout problems, but neither tool can optimize. I want the best layout possible." Discuss.

Answer: The manager should not be so quick to reject models that find satisfactory, but not necessarily optimal, solutions. The load-distance model can optimize relatively small problems, but large problems are beyond the explicit enumeration required for optimization. That's why CRAFT and other software seek "acceptable" solutions. The office relationship diagram is not an optimizing tool at all, as it uses labels, not numbers, to indicate desirability of closeness.

26) What design guidelines help retail layouts to maximize customer exposure to products?

Answer: Design guidelines that help retail layouts maximize customer exposure to products include: