Design of Facility Layout

Principles which drive design of the facility layout need to take into the consideration objective of facility
layout, factors influencing facility layout and constraints of facility layout. These principles are as follows:

Flexibility: Facility layout should provide flexibility for expansion or modification.

Space Utilization: Optimum space utilization reduces the time in material and people movement
and promotes safety.

Capital: Capital investment should be minimal when finalizing different models of facility layout.

Process Planning
Process development for process design can be summarized through following steps:
1. Process Requirement: The very 1st step is to collect and gather information to give structure
with the end objective. That is to make process requirement document highlighting various
stages, risk and stakeholders for production. This will include assessment of available technology,
raw material requirement, factory/plant layout and demand forecast.
2. Team Building: Once the process requirements are finalized, for each objective, a team is
finalized based on skill level and experience. Function of the team is to get familiarize with the
whole process.
3. Planning and Implementation: Process planning team will develop module; policies and
procedure require for production, which are after required approval internal as well as external is
implemented.
4. Audit: A regular audit is carried out to ensure that process thus implemented is in line and
delivering value to customers.
5. End of Life: Over a course of time there may be enhancement of the product or product may get
discontinued in these circumstances, process thus develop is discontinued.

Group Technology (GT) is a multi-faceted approach to batch production that includes

the reconfiguration of plant equipment from a functional layout to a series of
product-oriented layouts that are referred to as manufacturing cells. The cells are
dedicated to process families of parts that have similar machine operations. The
purported benefits of GT over traditional functional layouts range from reduced
work-in-process inventory and throughput times to increased worker satisfaction
and productivity. However, recent simulation studies challenge some of these claims
of superior performance for cellular layouts.

Design of plant layout involves decision of placement of various equipments and facilities in a
manufacturing plant. The design attempts to achieve an optimum balance between several

objectives which may often be conflicting with each other. The objectives to be optimized in
designing a plant lay out include the following.

Provide enough space for the various equipments, facilities and activities carried out in
the plant. The facilities include the facility for storage and movement of raw material, work in
progress and finished goods required or produced in the plant. The activities carried out in the
plant include the manufacturing operations as well as maintenance activities.

Facilitate smooth movement of material during manufacturing process.

Reduce the material handling cost.

Provide good and safe working environment for the people working in the plant.

Reduce the total space requirement.

Reduce the cost of facilities to be constructed or fabricated.

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Plant Layout and its principles

A plant layout is the placing of the right items coupled with the right place and
the right method, to permit the flow of production process through the shortest
possible distance in the shortest possible time.
The principles of plant layout can be stated as1. Integration of all factors - The plant should integrate all the essential
resources of men, machines and materials in order to give an optimum level
of production.
2. Minimum Movement - The less the movement of men, machines and
materials, the less will be the cost of production. Thus, minimum movement of

theses resources will provide cost efficiency.

3. Unidirectional flow - All materials should progressively move towards the
same direction i.e. towards the stage of completion. Any back-tracking should
be avoided here.

4. Efficient space handling - The space used up during the plant work also
costs money as more the space required, more will be the floor rent. The
materials should be organized in stacks in a proper and recognizable order to
maintain space efficiency.
5. Inherent safety - The environment of the plant should be safe for the
workers as well as the machines. There should be fire extinguishers and fire
exits placed strategically. There should be minimum contact of the labour to
toxic chemicals and environment.
6. Maximum observation capacity - The layout of the plant should such that
all of its resources and workforce can be observed and evaluated at all points
in time. This helps in better supervision of work and helps in increasing both
effectiveness and safety.
7. Maximum accessibility - The layout of the plant should ensure that all
essential resources are accessible to the labour and machines without any
delay. The aisles should be free from obstacles. The materials should be
placed as close,to the machines concerned, as possible.
8. Minimum Handling - The ineffective handling of materials leads to a rise in
cost. Materials should be handled in stacks and transferred in one go.
Handling of a material twice in the same direction must be avoided.
9. Maximum protection - The layout should ensure the protection of the
materials and machines while they are in the working or the storage stage.

The security system should be efficient without making too many doors or
barriers.
10. Maximum flexibility - The plant layout should not be rigid and permanent.
If the need arises, the plant layout should be able to change itself without
being expensive.
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Analysis
Decision to be made: Relative location of the different working
areas (same type of equipment).
Criteria: reduction of distance and material handling costs: Increase of operations
efficiency.
If it exists a clear material flow that carries out more volume
than anyone else, the layout could be similar to a Product
oriented plant layout.
The main factor for the analysis is the material handling and
transportation costs among the different working areas.
Sometimes, quantitative information relative to material handling flows is not
available, or its not the main factor to be considered, being the qualitative factors
the most important ones in this case
Analysis
Process:
Information gathering.
Plan development.
Quantitative criteria: transportation costs.
Qualitative criteria: closeness priorities.
Information gathering
We have to know the space requirements by working
area.

Demand forecast production plan working hours

number of workers and equipment.

Consider demand and production fluctuations

Analysis
Information gathering
Working area space.

Static area (Se): Physical space for equipment and

workstations.

Gravitation area (Sg): Allocation of tools and

materials. Area where operators develop their work.

Evolution area (Sv): Space to allow operators and

material movements.