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PLANT LAYOUT
SR NO. 1. 2. 3. 4. TOPIC NAME PAGE NO.

INTRODUCTION. 3 OBJECTIVES OF PLANT LAYOUT... 4 PRINCIPALS OF PLANT LAYOUT 4 TYPES OF LAYOUT

PROCESS LAYOUT... 6 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES 8

PRODUCT LAYOUT ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

FIXED POSITION LAYOUT.. 14 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

5.

FLOW PATTERNS

HORIZONTAL. 16 VERTICAL.. 18 22

6. 7. 8. 9.

FEATURES OF GOOD LAYOUT..

TYPICAL WEAKNESSES IN A POOR PLANT LAYOUT 22 PLANNING THE LAYOUT FOR A NEW ENTERPRISE CASE STUDY 23 25

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CONCLUSION

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PLANT LAYOUT

Introduction
Plant layout is very essential and needs consideration and attention from the very beginning so as to avoid subsequent problems. Though one can think of several layouts but the best one is obviously the one, which is both very systematic and cheap. It is arrangement of machines, scientific use of work area, easy and convenient transport system, easy sorting out of materials and processing different parts. Since the area has already been selected and it is neither possible to neither change that nor expand that as per needs of the factory therefore layout is to be adjusted accordingly. Thus layout is disposition of various facilities and services of the plant within the specified area. It is arrangement of location of different machines and plants within the factory in such a way that there is minimum possible cost, the maximum output and the best quality product. In it all the requirements connected with production like the raw materials, machines, tools, fixtures etc. to be properly cared from the very beginning with the design of the factory. It is the agreement with the main focus that each operation is performed without the least inconvenience.

OBJECTIVES OF PLANT LAYOUT

Plant layout is made with certain objectives in view. One objective is that the supervision of the production work should be easy and the shops should remain neat and clean. The working conditions should be not only better but safe as well. The goods of better quality should be produced at cheap rates and it should be very easy to handle the materials. It should be transported in a minimum time at a minimum cost. Then he objective is also to have maximum use of he space area and also increased productivity. Material waste should be minimum and all bottlenecks and congestion points should be avoided. It should be such that there is speeding of production and maintenance of plant is both easy and simple. Still another objective is that the supervisory staff is in a position to control production and to the extent possible production cycle time is reduced. There should be scope for improved work methods and introducing changes, but at the same time it needs be ensured that there is minimum need for effecting changes. Sufficient space and scope should be there for better working conditions for all categories of employees.

PRINCIPLES OF PLANT LAYOUT

1. Scientific and systematic laying out f plant should be based on certain sound principles, which have come to stay with the passage of time. One such principle is that the layout should be quite flexible so that if there is need for re-arrangement that can be done without least inconvenience and not by much spending. In our modern days, machines and equipment models very rapidly change and in a god layout there should be sufficient flexibility in introducing changes in production process. It is known as principle of flexibility. 2. The other principle is that of integration. By this it is meant that in a god outlay men, machinery, materials and other related activities should be

integrated in such a way that these can give the best production results. All production center facilities should be provided in a logical way. 3. Third principle is that of safety and healthy environments. This means that everywhere in the factory working place should be safe. The environments should be dust and noise free. There should be minimum of bad smell of chemicals from outside, because bad working conditions reduce working efficiency and adversely affect production. These also lower the morale of the workers and create a lot of dissatisfaction. These also spoil employeremployee relationship. In brief this principle implies that the working conditions should be such that the maximum number of employees get the maximum satisfaction and safety. 4. Then is the principle of maximum space utilization. By this principle what is understood is that in a good layout there should be maximum utilization of available space in a most economical manner, not only the floor space but also ceiling space and not only vertical but horizontal space as well. Sufficient provision should be made of stocking raw materials and goods on the one hand and overhead material handling equipment on the other.

Types of layouts
1) Process or functional layout 2) Product or line layout 3) Project or fixed position layout

A) Process or functional layout Process layout also called layout by function is generally associated with batch production. The factory is divided into process units (or departments), and within these process units all similar facilities are grouped together. Process, for example, is kept at one place; milling machines are placed at another place; drilling machines are kept at third place; gear-cutting machines are located at fourth place; and so on and so forth. Process type of layout is suitable when, 1) The products are non-standard, or 2) There are wide variations in the processing times of individual operations. Advantages: 1. Lower capital investment on account of comparatively less number of machines and lower costs of general-purpose machines. 2. Higher utilization of available equipment. 3. Greater flexibility in regards to allocation of work to equipment and workers. 4. Breakdown of equipment, absenteeism of the workmen and/or non-availability of certain materials do not dislocate the manufacturing activity on the shop floor.

5. Workers attain greater skills since they have to attend to one type of machines and operations. 6. Imbalance of work in one section does not affect the working of the other sections. 7. New jobs with varying work content and different operations sequences can be taken up without any difficulty. 8. Variety of the jobs makes the work interesting to the workmen.

Disadvantages: 1. For the volume of production, space requirements are higher. 2. Materials handling cannot be mechanized which adds to the extra cost. 3. Work-in-progress inventory is higher since jobs have to queue up for each operation. 4. Routing and Scheduling is difficult since different jobs have different operation sequences. 5. Inspection requires to be done after each operation as material passes to the next department. This causes delays and results in high cost of inspection. 6. Setup costs are high because of frequent changes of jobs.

B) Product or Line Layout: Product layout is also called layout by sequence. The layout of plant, shape and size of its buildings, locations of services and storage yards, position of materials handling equipments is such that material flows unidirectionally and at the steady rate. Special purpose machinery and equipments with build in-controls to measure output and input are

employed. The equipment, if necessary, is duplicated to avoid backtracking and to ensure that materials always flow in the forward direction towards stage of completion. Suitability Product type of Layout is suitable when: 1. The products are standard and require to be produced in large quantities. 2. The products have reasonably stable demand. 3. The processing times of individual operations is more or less equal. 4. Uninterrupted supply of materials can be maintained. Typical examples of product layout are: assembly line for automobiles, refrigerators, radios, televisions sets, transformers, motors, domestic appliances like food mixing machines, pressure cookers, etc. continuous or process production units, characterized by the manufacture of single product, such as sugar, steel, cement, paper, coke, refineries etc. also have product type of layout. Advantages: 1. Manufacturing cycle is small which reduces work-in-progress. 2. Material handling is minimum and automatic. 3. Space required is small as the use of conveyors and gravity for material handling reduces the need for aisles. 4. The work is simplified by breaking into elemental tasks, which are mechanized wherever possible. Consequently, labour costs are lowered. 5. Quality control is easy to exercise and more effective. SQC practices can be used to control quality of the process. 6. Production control is simplified due to lesser product variety, simpler routings, easier progressing and lower work-in-progress. 7. Delivery commitments to customers are more reliable and easy to conform.
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8. Material requirements can be scheduled easily and more accurately.

Disadvantages: 1. The changes in products and work contents necessitate the change in the layout of the machinery. 2. All machines may not be used to their full capacity. 3. Manufacturing cost is heavily dependent upon volume of production. 4. Breakdown of any one of the machines in the line renders other machines idle till it is repaired. 5. Expansion of the capacity by addition of machines is not possible. 6. Specialization creates monotony and reduces labour turnover as workers can not find jobs in their industries.

COMPARISION BETWEEN PRODUCT LAYOUT AND PROCESS LAYOUT The relative characteristics of product and process layout are : (1) Plant investment : product layout requires higher initial investment than process layout as a special purpose machines are costly and a times requires to be duplicated to balance the production line. (2) Requirement of space : process layout requires comparatively more space than product layout since additional space is required to keep the jobs which queue up before each time. accumulate jobs until they are moved next work station. This is because unlike in product layout material flow is discontinuous.

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(3) Manufacturing time : Under process layout, it takes comparatively more time in manufacturing goods. Higher manufacturing time results on on account of formation of queues at different machines due to different cycle times, batch sizes and sequence of operations. Manufacturing cycle time under product layout is small since machines capacities are intermediate activities like travel, storage and inspection are reduced. Product layout for continuous or process production may be looked upon as one large machine wherein raw material enter at one end and emerge as finished product at other end. (4) Material handling: process type of layout results in more handling than product layout because: Flow of materials between different stages of manufacturing is highly discontinuous due to imbalance in operation wise work content while flow of material in product layout is continuous and there is little and no queuing at any stage of processing. Distance between departments in the process layout is large which increases transport distance and raises the cost of material handling. On the contrary, in the product layout materials move through a short distance between stages. Materials, components and parts in a process layout are handled either singly or are placed in trolleys or in bins and are transported as unit loads by fork lift trucks. Material handling in a product layout is highly mechanized. Conveyors system automatic transfer machines moves material from one stage to another. (5) Flexibility: process layout offers a very high flexibility as alteration in operation

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Sequence can be made when they are required. Also , new job, each having different routing than other and varying content can be taken up without any difficulty . However, such flexibility does not exist in a product layout. Only jobs having the same routing and equal work content can be accommodated. It also rather difficult to adjust proportionately in accordance with change in demand. (6) Adaptability in the event of absenteeism/ breakdown / shortage etc. Process layout offers flexibility in production schedule since disturbance due to machine breakdown, absenteeism of key operators and nonavailability of raw material do not seriously affect production as another machine can be used or another operator from another machine can be shifted or another job can be taken up. Flexibility in production schedules in case of product layout is seriously affected due to interruptions due to breakdown and absenteeism as stoppage of one machine usually disturbs the working of other machine. Shortage of materials also affects the production line. Systematic maintenance and provisioning of standee operators are therefore two major management functions. (7) Function of production control: production control activity in a product type of Layout is comparatively simple and limited. Materials control function is of crucial importance and needs to be on scientific inventory control system. Process planning function is almost absenr since the plant decides the route Tools control function is either absent or is drastically simplified. Tools control function in an engineering firm is limited to
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replenishments of consumable tools, which can be simplified adopting the scientific inventory control and replacement of worn out jigs & fixtures. And tools control function in a continuous or process industries is almost absent due to nature of the plant. Scheduling activity is very simple and is merely restricted either to sequencing of production or limited to final targets. Progressing and expanding functions are extremely simplified and are merely limited to recording of the final production at end of the shift. Production control is bit complicated in case of process layout. Materials require to be intended and purchased on receipt of customer order except in case of batch production where material requirement can be planed in advance. Tools control functions needs to be more detailed and more elaborate. Loading and scheduling chart need to be prepared, one for each machine. Progress of different components need to be recorded each day. Separate progress cards need to be maintained for different items of manufacture. (8) Inspection: inspection under process layout is necessary at each stage. The work from the previous operation is routed to the inspection bay before being forwarded to the next operation. This involves material handling, production hold ups and interruptions at the succeeding operations. The rejection at certain stages requires re-routing of rework on the faulty part back to same machine or department, which causes unnecessary material handling and confusion. Under product layout, inspection is performed at some critical point in production line. (9) Skill of labourers: the skill of labour forces in a process type of layout is usually higher than in the product type of layout since the workmen are expected to operate number of general purpose machines capable of performing wide variety of jobs. In fact labour force in project or jobbing
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production is expected to be highly skilled. Highly qualified trade apprentices are employed who are expected to work for minimum instructions. Instruction regarding what to make are issued in form of specifications while instruction as to hoe to manufacture are usually oral. The workman be highly skilled are expected to work independently and display a great deal of initiative and judgment. They are required to set their own special tools or production aids to further of a part or an assembly. The skill production in batch production units (another group of firms which employ process layout) is expected to be skilled in one specific manufacturing process; turning. Milling, welding, grinding, hobbing, fitting etc. the simple machine setups are performed by the operator but those involving complex operations are done by the separate machine setter. Supervision: supervisor in process type of layout is the reservoir of job knowledge. In a project and jobbing production, the supervisor besides being able administrator is expected to improvise and determine best work methods, determine tool requirements, select best process and provide management with reliable estimates of labour and materials for specific order. The span of control is kept low because of technical nature of job. In batch production unit employing process layout, supervisor is supposed to have considerable knowledge of specific process. Supervisor in the grinding section, for example, may not know about turning and drilling but is expected to posses fund of knowledge of different type of grinding operations. Similarly, a supervisor in the gear shop is expected to have good knowledge of different types of gear shaping, gear hobbing and gear shaving machines. C) Project or Fixed Position Layout: Project type of industries such as manufacturers of aeroplanes, ships, locomotives, large turbines, heavy machinery, pressure vessels and others,
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which involve heavy materials and sub-assemblies have this type of layout. The heavy materials, components or sub-assemblies, under this layout remains fixed at one place. Men, machines and tools are brought to the location to complete the job. Minor components and sub-assemblies are also brought to the site for assembly.

Suitability This type of layout is suitable for: 1. When or few pieces of an identical product are to be manufactured. 2. When assembly consists of a large number of heavy parts, the cost of transportation of which is very high.

Advantages : 1. This layout method is useful because in it there is less handling of material and thus the time wasted in material movement and also the labour involved in that can be saved. 2. Since both labour cost is less and there is time saving, therefore, there is less production cost, which enables the management to earn more profits and conveniently compete the competitors. 3. Since there is no possibility of delays in the supply of materials, therefore continuity of operations is ensured. 4. As only few machines are needed therefore, capital cost too is not high.

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Disadvantages: 1. Only high skilled workers are needed. They are not only in short supply but are to be paid well. Their salaries and other benefits add to cost of production. 2. In fixing jobs and tools complicated fixtures are needed which again add to the production cost. 3. Bulky and heavy machines are required to be taken to the work place. This take a very long time to reach their destination.

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Flow Patterns
HORIZONTAL FLOW PATTERN 1. Line flow: It is the simplest form of flow. In it material enters at one end and leaves at the other. It is convenient in I-shaped buildings, i.e. the buildings having long length and small width. 2. L-flow: It is almost the same as Uni-flow and is used in cases where in the available space the I-flow cannot be accommodated. It is used in cases where the buildings are wider but less long as compared to line flow type buildings. 3. U flow: In U-flow both feeding and output take place at the same end. In it goods are received and dispatched at one side. It is preferred in square shaped buildings and is preferred over two other flows mentioned above because it is easy to supervise and because in this case entry of raw material and exit of finished goods is on the same side. 3. S flow: Then comes S-flow which is as shown in the figure below. This flow is adopted when the production line is very long and Zig Zerging is unavoidable. It has been found useful because in it the space can be efficiently utilized. The flow is also compact enough to enable the supervisor to have effective supervision. 4. O flow: When processing requires rotary handling system O-type flow is used. In it operations are performed on a rotary table and the components are moved from
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one working station to the other. These are inspected before being moved onto a second line for another process or operation, etc. It can usefully be adopted in industries engaged in bulb manufacturing. Usually, however, in actual practice combination of more than one flow is adopted. An example of O+U flow systems is shown in the figure below. HORIZONTAL FLOW PATTERN DIAGRAM

VERTICAL FLOW PATTERN: 1. Downward-upward: In vertical flow pattern there are two types downward and upward. In the case of multi-stored building material processing can either be upward or downward. In the case of downward processing within the help of gravity the

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material, which is lying at the top storey, is brought down. Thus the material is fed from the top to the bottom. In the case of upward processing the material is taken from the down flow and the finished product is at the top of the building. In the case of vertical processing pipes, buckets, manual operated lifts can be used. In upward or downward processing more machines arte needed and thus more fixed capital is needed. In these more manpower is also required and maintenance cost of tools and equipments considerably goes up. But the advantage is that more space becomes available for machines and equipments. T he machines can be put to more effective use and thus the production can be considerably increased. 2. Centralised-decentralised: In case where in a building all material handling devices are installed at one central place, it is called centralized elevation system. On the other hand when these are installed at different places, it is known as decentralized elevation system. In a centralized system both supervision and control is easy and less costly. A supervisor can supervise all the machines and equipments located at one place. Not only this but the whole work is scientifically and systematically planned. Installation costs also considerably come down, which is no less advantage to the firm. As compared with decentralized system, in this system more space becomes available for machines and the workers. A decentralized system is clearly more costly because more supervisors are needed to control and supervise the work. But in a decentralized system more handling space is possible and if need be designs can be easily changed to suit the flow lines. 3. Unidirectional-Retractional flow : When the raw material is passed from one direction to another without having to pass along the same path. When the flow is repeated, i.e. two or more
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operations are performed on the same line it is known as Retractional flow. The advantage of this system is that the machine time can be more usefully utilized. This flow is also known as repeated flow. The disadvantage is that in it intermittence halts in the production line. In the multi-directional flow the material has to come back on the floor from which it has already passed.

4. Vertical Inclined flow: Whether it is vertical or inclined flow, in both cases the material handling is to be carried out with the help of material handling devices such as buckets, elevators, etc. In the case of inclined flow conveyor belts are to be used. Chain system is unavoidable. The system is of course, costly but in many cases these are unavoidable. But it is useful because more space becomes available for labour and machines. 5. Single or Multi-flow In the case of single flow, for the materials there is only one line, whereas in the case of multi-flow for feeding one assembly line there is many flow lines.

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Factors influencing plant layout

As we all know that the pattern of layout varies from industry to industry, location to location, and plant to plant. Primarily, the layout of a plant is influenced by relationship among materials, machinery and men. Others factors such as the type of the product, the type of workers, the type of industry and the management policies also influence the layout. Some of the factors are mentioned below. Materials : when it is said that materials influence plant layout, what is meant is that there is a need to provide for the storage and movement of raw materials in a plant until they are converted into finished products. Every factory should buy raw materials economically when they are available;
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they should be stored properly and moved through the production centers efficiently for manual or mechanical operations or chemical processing. The storage and movement of raw materials require properly spaced rooms and materials movement or handling equipment. Product : A layout is designed with the ultimate purpose of producing a product. The type of product that is, whether the product is heavy or light, big or small, liquid or solid and its position in relation to the plant location influence the layout. In majority of cases, the product moves from workstation to work station. In some cases, as the manufacture of locomotives and ship building, the product is stationary, but machinery and men are moved to the product. Thus, the product in relation to the other factors of production deserves consideration in planning a layout: in same, the size of product should be considered in planning the layout of a plant. The layout requirements for assembling a watch are different from those for the assembly of an aeroplane. The manufacture of certain products involves wet operations, as in leather or textile dyeing. Worker : The layout designer should also consider the type, position and requirements of employees. If women workers are employed, the layout must be planned by keeping in mind their particular requirements. The position of employees, that is, whether they remain stationary or moving, also influences the layout. Employee facilities, such as health and related services, locker rooms and laboratories influence the layout significantly. Employee safety, too, must receive due consideration. Machinery The type pf product, the volume of its production, the type of process and management policy determine the size and type of the machinery to be installed which, in turn, influences the plant layout.

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Features of a good layout

The layout of a plant can be planned in a number of ways but a good layout should posses some basic characteristics, namely: 1) There should be sufficient space for workers as well as for the equipment to perform functions. This will ensure smooth and continuous flow of production processes 2) Must provide adequate safety and security to workers against accidents or injury e.g provision of fire fighting equipments, first aid boxes etc. 3) Sufficient gangway space for materials, workers and semi finished goods. This leads to increase in efficiency. 4) Arrangement of machines and equipment should be such that minimum material handling is necessary for low cost processing. 5) Stores for in-process material should be provided at some convenient place not far from the place of operations. 6) Supervision, co-ordination and control of the activity should be effectively and easily executed. 7) There should be sufficient scope for making adjustments and specifications whenever any need arises i.e. layout should be flexible

Typical weaknesses in poor plant layout:

The following characteristics are indicative of weaknesses in any layout 1. Low production density and under utilization of plant capacity. 2. Lack of flexibility in the plant production facilities. 3. Long processing time due to too many delays. 4. Improper utilization of plant site including wasted outdoor area. 5. Overspecialization of production facilities.

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6. Improper location and ineffective integration of parts fabrication and subassembly feeder lines with final assembly lines. 7. Uneconomical material handling. Lack of gravity handling and unorganized flow of work. 8. Costly inspection and difficulty in maintaining quality standards. 9. Inadequate storage facilities. 10. Equipment and production machinery not accessible for maintenance and repair due to layout. 11. Poor lighting, ventilation, air-cleaning equipments in the layout. 12. Inadequate safety provisions for workers.

Steps in planning the layout for a new enterprise:

1) The first thing in planning a layout is to study the objective of production plant and the nature of machine, equipment and manufacturing operations involved in the production process. Select the equipment on the basis of product design and volume of output to be attained. In other words the layout of the plant should be functional in the production of a specified product at the required rate output. 2) Accumulate layout data: machine data cards, machine load chart and temple of equipment. 3) On the basis of information collected in step (2), develop process charts, which are vital in the development of a sound layout. These charts summarize the production activities that are required to achieve the manufacturing objectives. 4) Develop an overall flow plan of operations for efficient processes and materials handling. The best flow of work both horizontal and vertical and integration of operation from the receipt of the raw materials for storage of finished are the objective to be attained. Process chats of machines load data, production rate desired etc, should be considered while drafting the plan.

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5) The sequence of mechanical operation is studied to fix the position of respective machines performing desired operations. 6) Select best suited type of building and develop a tentative plot plan for site. The exact specifications of the building are designated only the layout is developed in considerable detail. 7) Layout templates of models of individual production machines and space for service activities: materials handling, receiving and shipping inspections, storage, maintenance, offices etc. according to flow plant operations. 8) Decision about the location of the service facilities like cafeteria etc. inside the plant building is taken, keeping into consideration of requirements of the production process and comforts of the workers. 9) The position of windows, ventilators, electric fitting, and drilling system in the plant building are properly and thoroughly studied. 10) After analyzing all the details in steps (1) and (7), drawings of the layout are drawn and the production run is tested. 11) Modifications can be done according to the experience of test runs.

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Case study
Let us consider the following example for a process layout: Shown is a fig of a plant layout manufacturing columns, reactors, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers etc. Functionality and importance of each department as shown in the fig is as follows 1. STEEL STORES: Steel plates/sheets are first delivered by the suppliers to the steel store. This is the very basic department of the plant. Steel store caters to all the departments namely column, Reactor & Vessel and heat exchanger. But in most cases steel plates are used in marking and cutting department. Therefore marking and cutting department comes immediately after steel store. 2. MARKING AND CUTTING DEPARTMENT This department is the heart of the plant and it caters to almost all the departments. Most of the large size plates are used for making shells in shell rolling department. Therefore the shell-rolling department is near the marking and cutting department. 3. ROLLING AND SHELL PREPARATION DEPARTMENT This department caters to all the three assembly departments namely column, reactor & vessel, heat exchanger department. Most of the large size plates are used for making shells in shell rolling department by rolling plates and
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welding the ends. Therefore the shell-rolling department comes immediately after the marking and cutting department. 4. COLUMN DEPARTMENT Column department is next row department located next to marking and cutting & shell rolling department. As this department requires largest size shells from the rolling and shell preparation department, it is next to it. 5.REACTOR AND VESSEL Reactor and vessel department is 3rd row department located between columns department & heat exchanger department. As this department requires medium size shells from the rolling and shell preparation department, it is in the 3rd row. 6. HEAT EXCHANGER It is between reactor & vessel and machine shop. It is in the 4 th row as it requires relatively small size shell. 6. NOZZLE DEPARTMENT It is located at the opposite end of the marking and cutting department. It serves all the three assembly departments. Its basic function is to fabricate nozzles. 7. TIME OFFICE It is located opposite to the nozzles department. It keeps record of all the employees and there is a entrance for the workforce in the plant and a card swiping machine. 8. MACHINE SHOP

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Machine shop is located near the heat exchanger department. It caters to all the assembly departments. 9. PAINT SHOP It is located just after the machine shop. Its basic function is to paint the job after it is assembled and ready for dispatch. 10. GENERAL STORE It is located at the opposite end of steel store. It basically houses all the materials required in the plant BASIC FLOW OF MATERIALS Marking and cutting department carries out marking followed by cutting of sheet metal according to the drawing given by the design department. Marking and cutting department issues the sheet/Plate to the shell preparation department, which carries out rolling of plates to form shell. After rolling the plate free ends are welded to form a shell and this is called long seam welding. The shells are sent to the respective assembly departments. Where two or more shells of same diameter are welded along their circumference to from a complete vessel. This is called circumferential seam welding. At the same time, according to the design given by the department the respective types of nozzles are prepared by the nozzle department. These are then send to the respective assembly departments. The nozzles, pipes, tubes, tube-sheets, dish-ends, cleats, shell etc. are assembled in the respective departments for final fabrication. At every stage of fabrication, inspection and various types of NDT are carried out to ensure quality standard.

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 After final assembly painting is carried out and the job is dispatched The layout described above is a process layout. It the following advantages and disadvantages: ADVANTAGES: 9. Lower capital investment on account of comparatively less number of machines and lower costs of general-purpose machines. 10. Higher utilization of available equipment. 11. Greater flexibility in regards to allocation of work to equipment and workers. 12. Breakdown of equipment, absenteeism of the workmen and/or non-availability of certain materials does not dislocate the manufacturing activity on the shop floor. 13. Workers attain greater skills since they have to attend to one type of machines and operations. 14. Imbalance of work in one section does not affect the working of the other sections. 15. New jobs with varying work content and different operations sequences can be taken up without any difficulty. 16. Variety of the jobs make the work interesting to the workmen. DISADVANTAGES: 7. For the volume of production, space requirements are higher. 8. Materials handling cannot be mechanised which adds to the extra cost. 9. Work-in-progress inventory is higher since jobs have to queue up for each operation. 10. Routing and Scheduling is difficult since different jobs have different operation sequences. 11. Inspection requires to be done after each operation as material passes to the next department. This causes delays and results in high cost of inspection. Setup costs are high because of frequent changes of jobs.

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CONCLUSION

The project that we are dealing with, plant layout, is an extremely important aspect in todays competitive world. In the cut -throat that exists today one is ready to pounce on the opportunity that comes their way. A disorganized approach to managing the material, machines could prove to be a major hurdle in the path to success. A well-planned plant layout may just be the right tonic to pep up the working of the organization. A company is in need of a plant layout restructuring if it has the following problems:
1. Unorganized material flow. 2. People bumping into each other or products. 3. Having trouble finding your parts. 4. Employees spending more time moving items than actually working on

them.
5. Moving into a new building. 6. Expecting to add more equipment or workstations.

An effective plant layout has a number of advantages to go with it namely,

1.

More efficient production. Delivery when promised. A safer work environment. Improved space utilization. Reduced risk of materials damage.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Well planned and designed plant layouts provide more balanced production lines that help identify bottlenecks, allow inventory to be tracked from start to finish, and reduce material handling and wasted time spent looking for an item. These factors are well described by the case study considered in our project. We have made an attempt to shed light on the increasing importance of plant layout. Hope this attempt proves to be a successful one

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. PRODUCTIONS (OPERATIONS) MANAGEMENT

By: Prof. L. C. Jhamb

2. ELEMENTS OF PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL. By: Samuel Elion 3. PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT.
By: Dr. K. Aswathappa

4. PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

By: Prof. S. N. Chary

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