production layouts in industry

8/10/2019 Production layouts in industry

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TYPES OF LAYOUTS

There are four types of product layouts as follows

1.

Fixed position layout2. Process layout

3. Product layout

4. Cellular layout

They are described with examples as follows;

1.

Fixed position layout

In fixed-position layouts, the materials or major components remain in a fixed position, and workers,

materials, and equipment are moved as needed. Fixed-position layout is used when product is very

bulky, heavy or fragile. Fixed-position layouts are used in large construction projects (buildings, power plants, and dams), shipbuilding, and production of large aircraft and space mission rockets.

Fixed-position layouts are widely used for farming, firefighting, road building, home building and

repair.

EXAMPLES

( Examples are provided on next page )



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Figure 1 Aircraft Manufacturing

Figure 2 Dam Construction



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2. Process Layout

In this type of layout machines of 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. It is designed to facilitate processing items or providing services

that present a variety of processing requirements. This layout includes departments or other

functional groupings in which similar kinds of activities are performed. A manufacturing

example of a process layout is the machine shop, which has separate departments for milling,

grinding, drilling, and so on.

Figure 5 Process Layout

Figure 6 Machine shop operations using process layout

Figure 4 Power Plant ConstructionFigure 3 Farming



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Figure 7 Process layout in manufacturing

Figure 8 another process layout example

The above figure shows a process layout where a forklift moves pallets of material from

department to department in a stamping factory that makes automotive molding



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3. PRODUCT LAYOUT

In this type of layout the machines and equipments are arranged in one line depending upon the

sequence 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 and the output of

one machine becomes the input of the next machine. It is used for mass production. Operations

are arranged in the sequence required to make the product. For instance, if a portion of a

manufacturing operation required the sequence of cutting, polishing, and painting, the

appropriate pieces of equipment would be arranged in that sequence. Product layouts achieve a

high degree of labor and equipment utilization.

Figure 9 Product Layout

Figure 10 Product Layout Model



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Figure 11 Metal Processing Assembly Line using Product Layout

Figure 12 Example of Product Layout Production

The above figure shows a product layout in which partially completed units move by conveyer from one

workstation to the next on an electronic assembly line



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4. CELLULAR MANUFACTURING

Cellular manufacturing is a type of layout in which machines are grouped into what is referred to

as a cell. Groupings are determined by the operations needed to perform work for a set of similar

items, or part families that require similar processing. Cellular layout provides faster processing

time, less material handling, less work-in-process inventory, and reduced setup time. It is used

when the operations system must handle a moderate variety of products in moderate volumes

Figure 13 Cellular Layout vs Process Layout

Figure 14 Cellular Layout



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Figure 15 Formation of a cell in a production line

production layouts in industry

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