Machines, materials, and other facilities are arranged in a product layout according to the order of processing. When a large-scale production is being performed, it is frequently used. A type of plant layout known as a “process layout” groups similar machines into a single department. When the production process is non-repetitive, it is primarily utilized.
Benefits of a process layout
While common in certain types of organizations, process layouts may be helpful across industries. Numerous organizations, including hospitals, banks, auto repair shops, schools, libraries, universities, and manufacturing facilities, can benefit greatly from process layouts, including:
What is a process layout?
A process layout is a type of facility layout. Process layouts are frequently used by businesses to create floor plans and arrange equipment for maximum effectiveness. Workstations, tools, and other equipment may be arranged in groups in plants with a process layout based on the functions they carry out. Professionals frequently refer to these layouts as “functional layouts” because typically, pieces of equipment that carry out a similar function belong in the same group. The overall goal of a process layout is to enable manufacturing companies to offer a variety of goods or services, each of which requires a number of processing steps.
Where can you find a process layout?
As process layouts are ideal for smaller manufacturing efforts, you may frequently find them in manufacturing companies that produce lower volumes of specialized or custom products. These businesses are referred to as “job shops” by industry insiders because they produce custom items on demand or as jobs. Job shops frequently produce a variety of products that call for various abilities, steps, and technological procedures. As a result, they frequently have process designs that enable such operations.
Forming a process layout
In order to form a process layout that achieves a certain level of operational efficiency, strategic reductions in cost, distance, and time are typically required. Operations professionals may use a Muther grid to carry out this task. Richard Muther was an industrial engineer who created methods for systematizing plant layouts. He created this activity relationship chart. These grids present a ranking index for various pairings of organizational departments, work teams, or pieces of equipment. Professionals can give each combination in a Muther grid a letter that denotes the significance of a pair’s proximity to one another:
These importance rankings are based on elements including shared use, workflow, communication requirements, and safety protocols. Professionals can identify clusters and assign departments, work groups, and equipment pairings to particular clusters using the importance ratings as a guideline to increase efficiency while maintaining process requirements.
4 examples of process layouts in the manufacturing industry
The manufacturing industry as a whole uses process layouts in a variety of ways, though job shops are the ones who most frequently use them to meet their operational needs. One typical aspect of a process layout, for instance, is the designation of departments and workstations within a plant’s floor plan. As examples of these designations in manufacturing and how they might work, consider the following:
1. Machine shop
The process layouts of machine shops within manufacturing companies are typically divided into their own distinct departments, where experts group machines together based on their function. For instance, machines may be grouped according to their functionality, such as lathes, hydraulic presses, milling, grinding, and drilling
2. Receiving
It’s possible for a company’s receiving department to have a process layout in which the machinery and equipment used to process material deliveries appear in the same location. Professionals can sort deliveries from here and route them to the appropriate departments.
3. Assembly
Manufacturing companies frequently have a process layout with just one area for assembly. These areas may include the various instruments, machinery, and apparatus that experts use to complete operations when producing goods on an assembly line.
4. Shipping
A manufacturing company may have a single location for its shipping departments, where experts package inventory, print labels, weigh packages, and prepare shipments to customers. Transporting shipments can be made much more productive by centralizing these processes.
Other types of facility layouts
Businesses in the manufacturing sector have access to a variety of facility layouts. Each of these layouts offers different benefits and capabilities:
Product layout
Based on the product and the procedures it must undergo, resources such as machinery, workstations, and equipment are arranged sequentially in a product layout. Firms that produce large quantities of standardized products that must be assembled using repetitive procedures frequently use linear product layouts. When creating product layouts, businesses can choose between paced and unpaced production lines, which differ from one another by the output rate. Paced lines deliver continuous output, frequently utilizing conveyors. In contrast, unpaced lines use work queues to produce variable output.
Fixed-position layout
Manufacturing of large, hefty items that are too heavy to move along an assembly line frequently uses fixed-position layouts. These layouts are frequently determined by the nature of a product rather than workflow preferences. Manufacturing companies create these layouts by locating products in the center and producing portable resources, such as tools and equipment, that workers can bring to the site of a job to finish immediate processes. For instance, companies may position products in a fixed location within a facility during the production of farm or aviation equipment and instruct staff to coordinate their efforts there.
Combination layout
A combination layout combines fixed-position layouts, product layouts, and process layouts. Due to their use of components from several different major layout types, manufacturing experts frequently refer to these layouts as “hybrid layouts.” Depending on the various processes they must carry out, the types of products they handle, and the variety of products they deal with on a daily basis, combination layouts may enable some businesses to maximize efficiency. For instance, a company might use a fixed-position layout for the component assembly but an assembly-line product layout for the final assembly of a product.
Cellular layout
Based on the process requirements for the production of similar items—often referred to as part families—that require the same work, cellular layouts group equipment and machines together. These groups, or cells, are made up of components with similar design elements, such as shape, function, or size, and they demand the same operations from the relevant machinery. Because employees receive cross-training to operate all of a company’s equipment proficiently and assume ownership of a specific cell’s entire output, this type of layout is ideal for cellular manufacturing. From here, they might transport components from cells to an assembly line where they are combined with the final product.
Types of Plant Layout, Explanation with Advantages and Dis-advantages, Plant layout part 2
FAQ
What is meant by process layout?
A process layout is a type of facility layout. Process layouts are frequently used by businesses to create floor plans and arrange equipment for maximum effectiveness. Workstations, tools, and other equipment may be arranged in groups in plants with a process layout based on the functions they carry out.
What are the examples of process layout?
Restaurants, clothing factories, clothing accessory facilities, and toy factories are examples of typical process layouts. The product layout, also known as the line layout, employs an assembly line with workers and tools positioned according to the order of production.
What are the different types of process layout?
Layouts can be divided into four categories: process, product, hybrid, and fixed position. Process layouts group resources based on similar processes. Product layouts arrange resources in straight-line fashion. Hybrid layouts combine elements of both process and product layouts.
How do you layout a process?
Layouts can be divided into four categories: process, product, hybrid, and fixed position. Process layouts group resources based on similar processes. Product layouts arrange resources in straight-line fashion. Hybrid layouts combine elements of both process and product layouts.
