JJ 618 : ENGINEERING PLANT TECHNOLOGY

CASE STUDY REPORT

QUESTION 12

NAME
MUHAMMAD HAFIZ BIN ROHAN
MUHAMMAD ZAKI BIN MASLAN

MATRIC NUMBER
02DKM13F1054
02DKM13F1169

CLASS

: DKM 6A

LECTURER NAME

: EN. MOHD SAFIAN BIN MUDA

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 18/3/2016

Introduction to workflow process

Having a smooth and efficient workflow is crucial to the success of the manufacturing
production process. Making the workflow more efficient will not only mean that your manufacturing
company will be more productive but it will also help your business to be more profitable. In addition,
having a better workflow will help you to reduce waste, keep production costs lower, and improve the
satisfaction of your customers. Studies have shown that manufacturing companies that focus on
improving workflow also have a higher degree of job satisfaction among their employees. This is due in
part to the fact that employees are being able to improve their job skills as workflow improves. All of
these things are crucial to being successful in the manufacturing industry.

It is important to keep in mind that there are many different processes that can help you to
improve your workflow. You will need to carefully investigate each one to determine which will work for
you and the production method that you are using. Keep in mind that each production process that
improves workflow will have its own pros and cons.

Manufacturing is evolving faster than ever. To remain competitive and profitable, companies
need to be faster and more nimble improving the speed of their business and plant operations improves
their ability to respond to market changes. Therefore, the faster production and business information
flows through an organization, the faster it can respond to changing market demands and enable end to
end business and manufacturing processes that increase their velocity and flexibility.

Optimizing the supply chains isnt enough anymore. Companies need to configure
collaborative, end-to-end business processes that go beyond traditional manufacturing execution
systems (MES) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) deployments. Workflow can be
used to model, execute and analyze plant and business processes, leading to better coordination
between people, applications and processes. Those efforts have improved safety, compliance and
quality, as well as productivity and operating costs.

Benefits for a good workflows process

i.

Improves productivity A good workflows can reduce the time spent on manual tasks such
as material handling.

ii.

Visibility Workflows enable managers to see what happen at the production line if any critical
problem rise up during production process and at any moment in time.

iii.

Faster reaction to change Workflow process enables engineer to react quickly and
smoothly to changes through process modifications to achieve a good result in production line.

iv.

Improves product Monitoring product to execute unnecessery process in the production line
to creates productivity measurement and continual process improvement.

Process flow and layout are at the heart of lean manufacturing

In all cases, the flow patterns arrange the process steps in a natural flow order, link process
steps to minimize cycle time and travel distance, eliminate crossover points, and simulate a continuous
flow process by putting internal customers and suppliers next to each other.

Each layout option has advantages and disadvantages

i.

U-shaped flow is perhaps the most common flow configuration to implement. A U-shaped
configuration allows the work cell to be laid out using a fairly small footprint.

ii.

A straight-through (or an I-shape flow) is often the best flow pattern for long, narrow buildings.

iii.

L-shaped flow configurations may work best for square-shaped buildings when several similar
process lines are nested together.

iv.

The comb and spine arrangement works well for assembly operations when products must exit
the process flow at various levels of assembly.

v.

While each flow pattern has advantages, all, except the comb and spine, are variations of the
straight-through flow. Other common variations on the straight-through pattern include the Sshaped and M-shaped patterns used to compress the footprint of long process flows.

Which layout is best for your operation?

i.

While the U-shaped flow is arguably the most common layout for lean, other flow patterns can
be used just as effectively.

ii.

The layout shape used for any given workflow will most likely be a function of facility constraints
and accommodation of other workflows rather than a pressing requirement for a specific flow
pattern.

iii.

Process flow considerations, physical site constraints, and the location of utilities all play a role
in determining the facility-wide flow pattern and layout locations at a macro facility level.

Process flow considerations:

Product Families

One of the first challenges of dispersing functional process equipment into a simulated
continuous flow process is determining which equipment should be used for which lines.

A dedicated line producing just one product is only feasible when the product volume requires
the entire capacity for the line.

More often than not a process line is used to manufacture a family of products.

Cubic Feet (Bulk) Handled

When determining at a macro level where in the facility a process line should be located,
consider the bulk of the product produced on the line.

Locate lines producing bulky products close to manufacturing entry and exit points to minimize
the material handling requirements.

Use of Shared Equipment and Resources

If two or more workflows will share a common piece of equipment or resource, the layout for
those processes must include easy access to that shared equipment or service.

Shared equipment does present challenges beyond layout and location issues; protocols for
scheduling and handling priorities need to be addressed as well.

Use and Role of Feeder Cells

When planning the layout of a process workflow involving a complex assembly, the use of
feeder cells to supply modules or subassemblies to a main assembly line is an effective lean
manufacturing approach.

Impact of Purchased (Offsite) Services

Some in-process tasks may be contracted to outside suppliers such as plating, anodizing, or
heat treating operations.

The need to outsource can add another layer of complexity as schedules must be adapted to
meet supplier schedules; as a result, the process may need to be treated as two separate
workflows.

Physical site constraints:

Location of Entry and Exit Points

The entry and exit points, specifically the location of the receiving and shipping docks, play a
significant role in both the shape of the layout and placement of the various workflows.

Building Height and Floor Loading

Building height is a major constraining factor for locating workflows within the facility.

Obviously, processes that require high bay space must be given priority for placement in the
high bay section of the facility and heavy equipment cannot be placed in areas not rated for the
load.

Location of Process Monuments

A process monument is a unit or piece of equipment that cannot or should not be moved. As
the layouts for workflows are developed, the process must come to the monument.

The location of monuments is a major factor in determining where processes must be located.

Location of utilities, facilities, and maintenance access:

Before selecting a specific layout for a workflow, confirm that needed utilities and facilities are
available to the planned locations, forklift and personnel traffic can be routed effectively, and
the equipment is accessible for maintenance.

Summary

Improvements to workflow must happen on a daily basis- It is important to keep in mind that
there will always be changes that can be applied to improve the production line and make the workflow
function more efficiently. This means that no matter what the workflow is today the chances are good
that you will need to change the workflow process at some time in the future in order to satisfy your
customers. Part of the reason for this is that the needs of your customers will always be changing which
means you will need to be able to respond to that. In addition, by focusing on improving the workflow
process it can help to create a company culture that allows for all employees to be constantly working
on improving their skill sets within their jobs. Keep in mind though that the only way this will work is if
management is in constant support of workflow improvement.

Plant layout

Plant layout is the most effective physical arrangement, either existing or in plans of industrial
facilities i.e. arrangement of machines, processing equipment and service departments to achieve
greatest co-ordination and efficiency of 4 Ms (Men, Materials, Machines and Methods) in a plant.
Layout problems are fundamental to every type of organization/enterprise and are experienced
in all kinds of concerns/undertakings. The adequacy of layout affects the efficiency of subsequent
operations.
It is an important pre-requisite for efficient operations and also has a great deal in common with
many problems. Once the site of the plant has been decided, the next important problem before the
management of the enterprise is to plan suitable layout for the plant.

Definitions:
According to James Lundy, Layout identically involves the allocation of space and the
arrangement of equipment in such a manner that overall operating costs are minimized. In the words
of Mallick and Gandreau, Plant layout is a floor plan for determining and arranging the designed
machinery and equipment of a plant, whether established or contemplated, in the best place, to permit
the quickest flow of material, at the lowest cost and with the minimum handling in processing the
product, from the receipt of raw material to the shipment of finished product.
According to Apple, Plant layout is planning the path each component/ part of the product is to
follow through the plant, coordinating the various parts so that the manufacturing processes may be
carried out in the most economical manner, then preparing drawing or other representation of the
arrangement and finally seeing that the plan is properly put into effect. (Plant Layout and Material by
Apple).
In the words of Sansonneti and Malilick (Factory management Vol. 103) It is planning the right
equipment, coupled with right place, to permit the processing of a product unit in the most effective
manner, through the shortest possible distance and in the shortest possible time. The last definition
seems to be most appropriate.

Need of Plant layout

Many situations give rise to the problem of plant layout. Two plants having similar operations
may not have identical layout. This may be due to size of the plant, nature of the process and
managements caliber. The necessity of plant layout may be feel and the problem may arise when.
(i) There are design changes in the product.
(ii) There is an expansion of the enterprise.
(iii) There is proposed variation in the size of the departments.
(iv) Some new product is to be added to the existing line.
(v) Some new department is to be added to enterprise and there is reallocation of the existing
department.
(vi) A new plant is to be set up.

Importance of Plant Layout:

The layout of a plant is quite important in view of the above definition but the importance of a
layout may greatly vary from industry to industry.
The possibility of attaining the best possible layout is directly proportional to following factors:
The Weight, Volume or Mobility of the Product:
If the final product is quite heavy or difficult to handle involving costly material handling
equipment or a large amount of labour, important consideration will be to amount the product minimum
possible e.g. boiler, turbines, locomotive industries and hip building companies etc.

Complexity of the Final Product:

If the product is made up of a very large number of components and parts i.e. large number of
people may be employed for handling the movement of these parts from shop to shop or from machine
to machine or one assembly point to another e.g. automobile industry.
The Length of the Process in relation to Handling Time:
If the material handling time represents an appreciable proportion of the total time of
manufacturing, any reduction in handling time of the product may result in great productivity
improvement of the industrial unit e.g. Steam Turbine Industry.
The Extent to which the Process Tends towards Mass Production:
With the use of automatic machines in industries for adopting mass production system of
manufacturing the volume of production will increase. In view of high production output, larger
percentage of manual labour will be engaged in transporting the output unless the layout is good.

Product or Line Layout:

Product or Line Layout is the arrangement of machines in a line (not always straight) or a sequence in
which they would be used in the process of manufacture of the product. This type of layout is most
appropriate in case of continuous type of industries where raw materials is fed at one end and taken out
as finished product at the other end. For each type of product a separate line of production will have to
be maintained.
This type of layout is most suitable in case of metal extraction industry, chemical industry, soap
manufacturing industry, sugar industry and electric industry. It should be noted that this method is most
suitable in case of mass production industries.
Following diagram clearly explains product layout:
In the above diagram there are two products A and B for which separate lines of production have been
maintained. Kimbaii and Kimbaii jr. have given a simple diagram to explain this type of layout in the
book Principles of Industrial organisation.
According to Shubin and Madeheim, product layout is suitable where:

(i) large quantity of standardized products are produced;

(ii) the standardized products are to be processed repetitively or continuously on the given production
facilities;
(iii) there must be sufficient volume of goods processed to keep the production line actively occupied,
(iv) there should be greater interchangeability of the parts; and (v) to maintain good equipment balance
each work station must employ machines or equipments of approximately equal capacities. Similarly to
maintain good labour balance, each work station must require an equal amount of work to be
performed.
Advantages of Product Layout:
(1) Removal of obstacles in production:
Product layout ensures unrestricted and continuous production thereby minimising bottlenecks in the
process of production, this is because work stoppages are minimum under this method.
(2) Economies in material handling:
Under this method there are direct channels for the flow of materials requiring lesser time which
considerably eliminate back-tracking of materials. On account of this, cost of material handling is
considerably reduced. This is greatly helpful in achieving desired quality of the end product.
(3) Lesser manufacturing time:
Under this method (as already pointed), backward and forward handling of materials is not involved, it
leads to considerable saving in manufacturing time.
(4) Lesser work in progress:
On account of continuous uninterrupted mass production, there is lesser accumulation of work in
progress or semi-finished goods.
(5) Proper use of floor space:
This method facilitates proper and optimum use of available floor space. This is due to nonaccumulation of work in progress and overstocking of raw materials.
(6) Economy in inspection:

Inspection can be easily and conveniently undertaken under this method and any defect in production
operations can be easily located in production operations. The need for inspection under this method is
much less and can be confined at some crucial points only.
(7) Lesser manufacturing cost:
On account of lesser material handling, inspection costs and fullest utilisation of available space,
production costs are considerably reduced under this method.
(8) Lesser labour costs:
Due to specialisation and simplification of operations and use of automatic simple machines,
employment of unskilled and semi-skilled workers can carry on the work. The workers are required to
carry routine tasks under this method. This leads to lesser labour costs.
(9) Introduction of effective production control:
Effective production control on account of simple operation of this method can be employed
successfully. Production control refers to the adoption of measures to achieve production planning.
Disadvantages of Product Layout:
(1) Lesser flexibility:
As work is carried in sequence and process arranged in a line, it is very difficult to make adjustments in
production of operations. Sometimes, certain changes under this method become very costly and
impractical. On account of this drawback, this method is not suitable in the production of goods which
are subject to quick style and design changes.
(2) Large investment:
Under this method, machines are not arranged in accordance with functions as such similar type of
machines and equipment is fixed at various lines of production. This leads to unavoidable machinery
duplication resulting in idle capacity and large capital investment on the part of the entrepreneur.
(3) Higher overhead charges:
Higher capital investment leads to higher overheads (fixed overheads) under this method. This leads to
excessive financial burden.
(4) Interruption due to breakdown:

If one machine in the sequence stops on account of breakdown, other machines cannot operate and
work will be stopped. The work stoppage may also take place on account of irregular supply of material,
poor production scheduling and employee absenteeism etc.
(5) Difficulties in expanding production:
Production cannot be expanded beyond certain limits under this method.
(6) Lack of specialisation in supervision:
Supervision of different production jobs becomes difficult under this method as there is absence of
specialised supervision as the work is carried on in one line having different processes and not on the
basis of different departments for different specialised jobs. Under this method a supervisor is
supposed to have detailed knowledge of all the machines and processes which leads to absence of
specialisation in the process of supervision.
(7) Under-utilisation of machines:
As has already been pointed out, separate set of one type of machines is fixed at different lines of
production. Usually, these machines are not properly and fully utilised and there remains idle capacity in
the form of under utilised equipment.
(B) Functional or Process Layout:
It is just the reverse of product layout. There is a functional division of work under this method. For
example, lathes are fixed in one department and welding activities are carried in another department of
the factory. The salient features of this type of layout are based on Frederick W. Taylors concept of
functional organisation.
This method is generally adopted for producing different varieties of unlike products. This is particularly
adopted tor job order industries like engineering, ship building and printing etc. The following diagram
shows that raw material travels through various process or departments from lathes passing through
mills, grinders, drills, welding, inspection, finishing, and assembly and to finished product.

Advantages of Process Layout:

(1) Maximum utilisation of machines:

This method ensures fuller and effective utilisation of machines and consequently investment in
equipment and machines becomes economical.
(2) Greater flexibility:
Changes in the sequence of machines and operations can be made without much difficulty. This is
because the machines are arranged in different departments in accordance with the nature of functions
performed by them.
(3) Scope for expansion:
Production can be increased by installing additional machines without much difficulty.
(4) Specialisation:
As has already been pointed out that under this method, specialised machines are used for performing
different production operations. This leads to specialisation.
(5) Effective utilisation of workers:
Specialised workers are appointed to carry different type of work in different departments. This leads to
effective and efficient use of their talent and capabilities.
(6) More effective supervision:
As the machines are arranged on the basis of functions, performed by them, the specialised and
effective supervision is ensured by the specialised knowledge of supervisors. Each supervisor can
perform his task of supervision effectively as he has to supervise limited number machines operating in
his department.
(7) Lesser work stoppages:
Unlike the product method, if a machine fails, it does not lead to complete work stoppage and
production schedules are not seriously affected. Due to breakdown in one machine, the work can be
easily transferred to the other machines.

Disadvantages of Process Layout:

(1) Coverage of more floor area:

Under this method, more floor space is needed for the same quantum of work as compared to product
layout.
(2) Higher cost of material handling:
Material moves from one department to another under this method, leading to the higher cost of
material handling. The mechanical devices of material handling cannot be conveniently employed under
this method on account of functional division of work. Material has to be carried by applying other
methods from one department to another, resulting into higher cost of material handling.
(3) Higher labour costs:
As there is functional division of work, specialised workers are to be appointed in different departments
for carrying specialised operations. The appointment of skilled worker leads to higher labour costs.
(4) Longer production time:
Production takes longer time for completion under this method and this leads to higher inventories of
work-in-progress.
(5) Difficulties in production, planning and control:
Due to large variety of products and increased size of the plant, there are practical difficulties in bringing
about proper coordination among various areas (departments) and processes of production. The
process of production, planning and control becomes more complex and costly.
(6) Increased inspection costs:
Under this type of layout more supervisors are needed and work is to be checked after every operation
which makes the process of supervision costlier.
(C) Layout by Stationary Material:
This type of layout is undertaken for the manufacture of large parts and assemblies. In this case,
material remains fixed or stationary at one place, men and equipment are taken to the site of material.
This is suitable in case of ship building, locomotives and heavy machinery industries etc.
Advantages:

(a) Economies in transformation:

As the work is carried at one place and material is not taken from one place to another, this leads to
savings in transformation costs.
(b) Different jobs with same layout:
Different projects can be undertaken with the help of same layout.
(c) Production in accordance with specifications:
The jobs can be performed in accordance with the specifications given by the customers.
(d) Scope for flexibility:
It provides maximum flexibility for various changes in production processes and designs of the
products.
Disadvantages:
(a) Immobility of material:
As material is fixed at one place, this leads to certain difficulties in arranging specialised workers,
machines and equipment for the job.
(b) Large investment:
This method is time consuming and costlier as compared to first two methods.
(c) Unsuitable for small products:
This method is not suitable for producing and assembling small products in large quantities. In actual
practice, it has been observed that a judicious combination of three types viz., product, process and
stationary material layout is undertaken by different organisations. This is done with the view to enjoy
the advantages of all the methods.

When making a layout design we must consider the comfortable workspace.

1. Sufficient clear space needs to be allocated to ensure employees have the full range of movement
required to do the job and can move without strain or injury.
2. The space allocated for employees within a workplace needs to be appropriate to the work
performed.
3. Workplace design and layout needs to enable workstations to be accommodated in the safest
configuration.
4. Movement in and around workstations needs to be free of obstructions. Employers need to ensure
that the space for employees to move and work between plant, equipment, structures and materials is
at least 800 mm. This is to enable employees to work safely between machines, benches or counters. It
will also allow them to evacuate quickly in an emergency.

Here is our new design for new layout plant

Stamping machine dimension

Dimension
Length : 7475 mm
Width : 7000 mm
Height : 6490 mm