Plant layout is a basically design of premises in a such a way to perform manufacturing activity and produces products and services. Plant layout is changes as per the manufacturing sequence of product and also its varies industry to industries. Now a day’s many industries applied concept of industrial engineering as well as lean manufacturing and developed layout where minimum losses happened. Many organizations also focused on developing plant layout based on considering ergonomically effects. As per lean manufacturing guidelines value stream mapping is a one of the best helpful tools for designing plant layout for utilizing optimum resources.

In this article we detail understand what are the types of plant layout used in industries and what are the plant layout selection criteria.

Content

• Types of plant layout
• Important factors for plant layout designing.
• Plant layout designing as per lean manufacturing guidelines.

Product or line Layout

Product or line layout is generally designed based on sequence of product operations. Majority for product or line layout is used for high volume and repetitive products. In this type of layout flexibility is very low. Raw material supplied at one end of the production line and output received from end of the production line. In product layout minimum material handling observed due design based on product sequences. In product or line layout one of the limitation is if one of the equipment is breakdown within the line it will be impact on entire production output.

Process Layout

Process layout is also called functional layout. Process layout is designed based on fulfilling product and services functional requirements. Process layout is generally used for mixed type of product or batch production. Divided entire layout into different zones processes wise. If process layout is compare with the product or line layout certain level of flexibility is increases in process layout. In process layout machine goes to under breakdown condition majority not impacting on output because production load is transferred to another machine or equipment.

Fixed position Layout

Fixed position layout is generally used for product based industries. For product based industries each and every product specification is different and movement of product is restricted. In fixed position layout job or product is fixed and machine or equipment will be movable. For heavy manufacturing industries product put into one area and operations will be done with different machines. Fixed position layout is majority used for heavy products because heavy products handling is too difficult so each and every products operation done at same place.

Combined Layout

Combined layout is design based on mixture of product, process or fixed position layout as per the nature of product and services. It may be combined layout is designed for partial process based on product or line layout and partial process based on fulfilling functional requirement with the process layout. To design operation premises with combined layout, the ultimate goal is to minimize material handling and increase flexibilities during production.

Important factors for designing plant layout.

• Material Handling – while designing plant layout initially current condition material handling measurement is very much important. As per lean manufacturing guidelines transportation is one of the waste, so improve operational productivity ensure to minimize material handling between different machines or workstation and design proposed layout.
• Space Optimization – space is one of the important factor while designing plant layout. To minimize material handling and manpower movement design plant layout optimum space.
• Sequence of Operation – before designing plant layout operation sequence understanding is very much important. Due improper operation sequence arrangement chances to increase material handling and other wastes.
• Production Volume – production volume is one of important measure before design plant layout. Many industries produce variety of product so before designing clarity of product category and product volume is very much important because you require to design layout based on large product category volume.
• Product Groups – products group are basically group of similar operation sequences product during production. During plant layout designing ensure similar group of product arrange on one workstation.
• Pull Flow – pull flow is one of the tool of lean manufacturing. It gives clarity to material flow pull basis as per the requirement of next workstation. While designing plant layout ensure to maintaining optimum space between consecutive workstation.
• Manpower movement – manpower movement is also one of the waste as per lean manufacturing. During design of plant layout ensure minimize manpower movement as possible for improving operational productivity.
• Production Flow – production flow is basically movement of product one workstation to another workstation. During plant layout designing ensure to production flow from one side to another side, ensure to minimize return or reverse product flow from previous workstation.

Plant layout designing as per lean manufacturing guidelines.

As per lean manufacturing guidelines, different lean manufacturing tools are really helpful for designing plant layout with improve productivity and minimize operational losses. As per above mention several factors are also play a key role to designing plant layout. Review below attached tools for designing plant layout.

• Value stream mapping – VSM is basically design the plant layout based on measure the process with data collection, analyze the data, generate ideas with brainstorming activities and developed several layout proposals for modification. In value stream mapping material handling, inventory levels, machine or equipment utilization, manpower, material and information flow, space utilization and many more parameters will be measured and analyze.
• One-piece flow – one-piece flow is suggesting to design the layout based on operation sequence wise with maintaining minimum WIP at workstation and minimize the manufacturing throughput time and increase production. Basically in one-piece flow tool First in first out method is used.
• Line Balancing – line balancing is also helpful to minimize WIP between workstation as well as maintain the operation sequence during production.

Cellular Manufacturing

Cellular manufacturing is one of the tool of lean manufacturing to design plant layout in a such a way that material movement will be fast. In cellular manufacturing layout developed multiple cells in an operation premises based on product category such as assembly line. Each cells consists variety of machines which fulfil product functional requirements and generally its design based on u shape for considering minimum material handling as well as minimum manpower movements. In cellular manufacturing generally cell design is based on U – shaped. few of the very important advantage of cellular manufacturing is increasing flexibility, minimize lead time and optimize space.