{"id":3744,"date":"2015-06-26T21:41:11","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T21:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/masterybusiness1xngcxmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=3744"},"modified":"2015-10-06T13:58:34","modified_gmt":"2015-10-06T13:58:34","slug":"facility-layouts","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/clinton-introbusinesswmopen\/chapter\/facility-layouts\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: Facility Layouts","rendered":"Reading: Facility Layouts"},"content":{"raw":"

Facility Layouts<\/h2>\r\n

The next step, after planning the production process, is deciding on plant layout<\/span>\u2014how equipment, machinery, and people will be arranged to make the production process as efficient as possible. In this section, we\u2019ll examine four common types of facility layouts: process, product, cellular, and fixed position.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Process Layout<\/h3>\r\n

The process layout<\/span> groups together workers or departments that perform similar tasks. Goods in process<\/em> (goods not yet finished) move from one workstation to another. At each position, workers use specialized equipment to perform a particular step in the production process. To better understand how this layout works, we\u2019ll look at the production process at the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Let\u2019s say that you just placed an order for a personalized teddy bear\u2014a \u201chiker bear\u201d with khaki shorts, a white T-shirt with your name embroidered on it, faux-leather hiking boots, and a nylon backpack with sleeping bag. Your bear begins at the fur-cutting workstation, where its honey-brown \u201cfur\u201d coat is cut. It then moves to the stuffing and sewing workstation to get its insides and have its sides stitched together. Next, it moves to the dressing station, where it\u2019s outfitted with all the cool clothes and gear that you ordered. Finally, it winds up in the shipping station and starts its journey to your house.<\/p>\r\n

For a more colorful \u201cOnline Mini-Tour\u201d of this process, log on to the Vermont Teddy Bear Web site<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Product Layout<\/h3>\r\n

Remember our Peeps at the start of the module? They were an example of a product layout. In a product layout<\/span>, high-volume goods are produced efficiently by people, equipment, or departments arranged in an assembly line<\/em>\u2014that is, a series of workstations at which already-made parts are assembled<\/em>. Just Born, a candy maker located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, makes a product called Marshmallow Peeps on an assembly line. First, the ingredients are combined and whipped in huge kettles. Then, sugar is added for color. At the next workstation, the mixture\u2014colored warm marshmallow\u2014is poured into baby-chick\u2013shaped molds carried on conveyor belts. The conveyor-belt parade of candy pieces then moves forward to stations where workers add eyes or other details. When the finished candy reaches the packaging area, it\u2019s wrapped for shipment to stores around the world.<\/p>\r\n

Both product and process layouts arrange work by function<\/em>. At the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, for example, the cutting function is performed in one place, the stuffing-and-sewing function in another place, and the dressing function in a third place. If you\u00a0are a cutter, you cut all day; if you\u2019re a sewer, you sew all day: that\u2019s your function. The same is true for the production of Marshmallow Peeps at Just Born: if your function is to decorate peeps, you stand on an assembly line and decorate all day; if your function is packing, you pack all day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Cellular Layout<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_3789\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"236\"]\"Figure<\/a> Figure 1. Cellular Layout[\/caption]\r\n

Arranging work by function, however, isn\u2019t always efficient. Production lines can back up, inventories can build up, workers can get bored with repetitive jobs, and time can be wasted in transporting goods from one workstation to another. To counter some of these problems, many manufacturers have adopted a cellular layout<\/span>, in which small teams of workers handle all aspects of building a component, a \u201cfamily\u201d of components, or even a finished product. Each team works in a small area, or cell, equipped with everything that it needs to function as a self-contained unit. Machines are sometimes configured in a U-shape, with people working inside the U. Because team members often share duties, they\u2019re trained to perform several different jobs. Teams monitor both the quantity and the quality of their own output. This arrangement often results in faster completion time, lower inventory levels, improved quality, and better employee morale.<\/p>\r\n

Cellular manufacturing is used by large manufacturers, such as Boeing, Raytheon, and Pratt & Whitney,\u00a0as well as by small companies, such as Little Enterprise, which makes components for robots.\u201c<\/span>\u00a0Figure 1, \"Cellular Layout,\" above,\u00a0illustrates a typical cellular layout.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Fixed Position<\/h3>\r\nIt\u00a0is easy to move teddy bears and marshmallow candies around the factory while you\u00a0are making them, but what about airplanes or ships? In producing large items, manufacturers use fixed-position layout<\/span> in which the product stays in one place and the workers (and equipment) go to the product. This is the arrangement used by General Housing Corporation in constructing modular homes. Each house is constructed at the company\u2019s factory in Bay City, Michigan, according to the customer\u2019s design. Because carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and others work on each building inside the climate-controlled factory, the process can\u2019t be hindered by weather. Once it\u2019s done, the house is transported in modules to the owner\u2019s building site and set up in one day. For a closer view of General Housing Corporation\u2019s production process, go to the General Housing Web site<\/a>.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n

Check Your Understanding<\/h2>\r\nAnswer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this section. This short quiz does not<\/strong> count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.\r\n\r\nUse this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/217","rendered":"

Facility Layouts<\/h2>\n

The next step, after planning the production process, is deciding on plant layout<\/span>\u2014how equipment, machinery, and people will be arranged to make the production process as efficient as possible. In this section, we\u2019ll examine four common types of facility layouts: process, product, cellular, and fixed position.<\/p>\n

Process Layout<\/h3>\n

The process layout<\/span> groups together workers or departments that perform similar tasks. Goods in process<\/em> (goods not yet finished) move from one workstation to another. At each position, workers use specialized equipment to perform a particular step in the production process. To better understand how this layout works, we\u2019ll look at the production process at the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. Let\u2019s say that you just placed an order for a personalized teddy bear\u2014a \u201chiker bear\u201d with khaki shorts, a white T-shirt with your name embroidered on it, faux-leather hiking boots, and a nylon backpack with sleeping bag. Your bear begins at the fur-cutting workstation, where its honey-brown \u201cfur\u201d coat is cut. It then moves to the stuffing and sewing workstation to get its insides and have its sides stitched together. Next, it moves to the dressing station, where it\u2019s outfitted with all the cool clothes and gear that you ordered. Finally, it winds up in the shipping station and starts its journey to your house.<\/p>\n

For a more colorful \u201cOnline Mini-Tour\u201d of this process, log on to the Vermont Teddy Bear Web site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Product Layout<\/h3>\n

Remember our Peeps at the start of the module? They were an example of a product layout. In a product layout<\/span>, high-volume goods are produced efficiently by people, equipment, or departments arranged in an assembly line<\/em>\u2014that is, a series of workstations at which already-made parts are assembled<\/em>. Just Born, a candy maker located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, makes a product called Marshmallow Peeps on an assembly line. First, the ingredients are combined and whipped in huge kettles. Then, sugar is added for color. At the next workstation, the mixture\u2014colored warm marshmallow\u2014is poured into baby-chick\u2013shaped molds carried on conveyor belts. The conveyor-belt parade of candy pieces then moves forward to stations where workers add eyes or other details. When the finished candy reaches the packaging area, it\u2019s wrapped for shipment to stores around the world.<\/p>\n

Both product and process layouts arrange work by function<\/em>. At the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, for example, the cutting function is performed in one place, the stuffing-and-sewing function in another place, and the dressing function in a third place. If you\u00a0are a cutter, you cut all day; if you\u2019re a sewer, you sew all day: that\u2019s your function. The same is true for the production of Marshmallow Peeps at Just Born: if your function is to decorate peeps, you stand on an assembly line and decorate all day; if your function is packing, you pack all day.<\/p>\n

Cellular Layout<\/h3>\n
\"Figure<\/a><\/p>\n

Figure 1. Cellular Layout<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Arranging work by function, however, isn\u2019t always efficient. Production lines can back up, inventories can build up, workers can get bored with repetitive jobs, and time can be wasted in transporting goods from one workstation to another. To counter some of these problems, many manufacturers have adopted a cellular layout<\/span>, in which small teams of workers handle all aspects of building a component, a \u201cfamily\u201d of components, or even a finished product. Each team works in a small area, or cell, equipped with everything that it needs to function as a self-contained unit. Machines are sometimes configured in a U-shape, with people working inside the U. Because team members often share duties, they\u2019re trained to perform several different jobs. Teams monitor both the quantity and the quality of their own output. This arrangement often results in faster completion time, lower inventory levels, improved quality, and better employee morale.<\/p>\n

Cellular manufacturing is used by large manufacturers, such as Boeing, Raytheon, and Pratt & Whitney,\u00a0as well as by small companies, such as Little Enterprise, which makes components for robots.\u201c<\/span>\u00a0Figure 1, “Cellular Layout,” above,\u00a0illustrates a typical cellular layout.<\/p>\n

Fixed Position<\/h3>\n

It\u00a0is easy to move teddy bears and marshmallow candies around the factory while you\u00a0are making them, but what about airplanes or ships? In producing large items, manufacturers use fixed-position layout<\/span> in which the product stays in one place and the workers (and equipment) go to the product. This is the arrangement used by General Housing Corporation in constructing modular homes. Each house is constructed at the company\u2019s factory in Bay City, Michigan, according to the customer\u2019s design. Because carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and others work on each building inside the climate-controlled factory, the process can\u2019t be hindered by weather. Once it\u2019s done, the house is transported in modules to the owner\u2019s building site and set up in one day. For a closer view of General Housing Corporation\u2019s production process, go to the General Housing Web site<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Check Your Understanding<\/h2>\n

Answer the question(s) below to see how well you understand the topics covered in this section. This short quiz does not<\/strong> count toward your grade in the class, and you can retake it an unlimited number of times.<\/p>\n

Use this quiz to check your understanding and decide whether to (1) study the previous section further or (2) move on to the next section.<\/p>\n

\t