1.

Develop self-contained sub-plants or working cells to handle smaller volumes of products or operations in a cost-effective manner.

2.

Maximize the facility floor and space utilization.

3.

Develop "U-type" machine cells based on product layout, assembly, storage, tooling, material purchasing, maintenance, quality control, product and process design requirements.

4.

Eliminate or minimize the possibility of labor and material waste in the manufacturing or operational processes.

5.

Eliminate or minimize the possibility of machine-time and equipment waste in the manufacturing or operational processes.

6.

Balance and synchronize all activities in the manufacturing or operational processes.

7.

Maximize the flexibility within the manufacturing or operational facility.

8.

Maximize the low-cost automation of plant, machinery, and equipment.

9.

Maximize the use of material handling and lifting equipment and conveyor lines.

10.

Maximize perimeter access for receiving and shipping materials.

11.

Maximize the use of parallel or single assembly lines.

1.

Work travels in a definite direction.

2.

Materials are moved over the shortest possible distances.

3.

The amount and cost of material handling is reduced to a minimum.

4.

Overall time and volume of work-in-process is reduced.

5.

The level of inventory in storerooms is decreased.

6.

Labor and machinery are more efficiently utilized.

7.

Facility space utilization is improved.

8.

Work routing is simplified.

9.

Labor requirements are optimized.

10.

There is an overall cost reduction of production control procedures.

11.

Job shop, batch, and flow production environments have increased efficiency.

1.

It requires a lower capital investment in equipment to carry maximum production loads and to handle a number of product lines simultaneously.

2.

It ensures higher operational capacity utilization.

3.

It provides improved operational flexibility and allows loading various jobs onto any machine in a similar class available at the time.

4.

It necessitates that operators maintain a high level of professional skills and requires more universal abilities to operate any size of machinery and equipment in a similar functional operation.

5.

It enables foremen and supervisors to improve their skills and efficiency in the process of operating machinery and ensures better performance of work.

6.

It keeps manufacturing costs down. Although labor costs may be higher during the peak production periods, they will be lower during the production slowdown, ensuring minimal expenditure.

7.

It provides manufacturing process continuity even during the time when certain machinery ceases operating. Workload is merely transferred to another machine, if available, or is rescheduled for a later time.

1.

There is no definite manufacturing process route describing the particular flow of work. The production routing and scheduling is, therefore, more complex.

2.

There is more material handling and higher costs as a result of the separation of manufacturing operations and the greater distances over which work is traveling.

3.

There is a need for greater effort during the process of work coordination because of weak control over the manufacturing process sequence and possible delay or loss of work as a result of work traveling longer distances.

4.

There is an increase in total manufacturing time since work must be prepared in advance and transported to a particular production section to avoid idle machines.

5.

There is an increased piling-up of work around certain machines because of raw material delivery that can slow work in advance of processing, hold up work for inspection after processing, and cause work to await movement when released.

6.

There is an absence of compact manufacturing process line layouts and normally larger spacing between machines in various production sections. This results in larger floor area occupation per unit of product.

7.

There is a need for more inspections, normally one after each operation if work has to go to another production section, instead of one at the end of a specific set of operations within a particular section.

8.

There is a need for a more complicated system of production planning but no means for visual control. It is necessary to maintain a close check of operations on all components with numerous work-and-inspection orders. This procedure often requires more clerical and non-productive work.

9.

There is a need to provide more training in order to prepare workers for a wide range of jobs.

1.

It provides a steady flow of work over direct operational routes, minimizing delays in the manufacturing process.

2.

It requires less material handling because of shorter travel of work between relevant working stations.

3.

It provides for closer coordination of the manufacturing process as a result of the pre-planned operational sequence.

4.

It helps to minimize manufacturing time per unit of product.

5.

It helps to reduce the volume of work-in-process between various working stations.

6.

It requires smaller floor areas per unit of product within the production facility.

7.

It simplifies production planning and control procedures since all operations are synchronized well in advance.

8.

It requires a limited amount of inspection between working stations since quality control becomes an integral part of the manufacturing process.

1.

There is a need for higher capital investment in machinery and equipment because of duplication of some manufacturing processes.

2.

There is an increased potential for machine idleness if certain production lines are not fully loaded to their operational capacity.

3.

There is less flexibility in the process of work accomplishment because jobs cannot be re-routed to other similar machines as in the process layout arrangement.

4.

There is little development of workers' operating skills because each operator only learns his or her job at a specific machine or working station. This results in decreased universal abilities of workers in operating a range of machinery and equipment.

5.

There is no highly efficient supervision because supervisors and foremen become too involved in specific manufacturing processes and neglect the overall in-depth knowledge required to set up and regulate the operation of various machinery and equipment. This process requires skilled setters to prepare specific machines for work in order to meet manufacturing process requirements.

6.

There is an overall increase in manufacturing costs, although labor costs per unit of product may be lower. This increase is a direct result of high facility overheads on production lines, particularly if the utilization of the operational capacity is not used to the full extent, and if certain machines are idle.

7.

There is an increased danger of production line shutdown if certain machinery or equipment fails to perform. It is necessary, therefore, to provide standby equipment or additional manufacturing facilities in order to prevent unnecessary production delays and to keep the work flowing.

1.

Projects and contractors, such as building and civil contractors.

2.

Large manufacturers, such as manufacturers of airplanes, trains, or ships.

1.

Process Layout.
Process layout is generally most suitable in a Job Shop or Batch Production environment.

2.

Product Layout.
Product layout is most useful for the Flow Production operations.

3.

Fixed Position Layout.
Fixed position layout may be used for specific Projects and Contracts.