A layout essentially refers to the arranging and grouping of machines which are meant to Produce goods.
The following are the types of plant layout
1) Product layout
2) Process layout
3) Fixed position layout
4) Cellular layout
A. Product layout
Product layout is suitable when products having standard features production Process involves repetitive task to be perform, specialized achines and equipments are Arranged one after other in the order of sequence this production of and call assembly line .
Advantages
1) 1 Less supervision
2) 2 High output so low cost of item per unit
3) 3 High efficiency of labor and equipment
4) 4 No need of routing of scheduling one the line is operation
5) 5 Easier material handling
Disadvantages
1) 1 Repetitive take lease to frustration
2) 2 Break down of a machine to half in the production
3) 3 Maintenance of an assembly line required hightechnical skills
4) 4 scheduling of assembly line required high skill
5) 5 inflexibility in design because change in line use very expensive
Example
A car is arranged in on the conveyers one after another at equal distances in figure 1, the Conveyer has brought car in front of the work station from 1 to 3 like head light, tail light, Steering wheel and then comes as a finish product.
U-shape assembly layout
U-shaped assembly lines are useful particularly when there is a single worker in the line Taking care of all the work stations. The U-shape of the line reduces the walking distance Of the worker almost half.
B. Process layout
Process layout
General purpose machine are arranged in no particulars sequence as the processing Requirement are different type of product.
Required machines
1) Drilling machine
2) Grinding machine
3) Mixture machine
4) Milling machine
5) Mixer
C. Fixed Position layout
Fixed Position layout
Fixed position layout involves the movement of men and machines to the product
Example
1) Construction of building
2) Construction of clan
3) Drilling of a refinery oil
4) Power plant
5) Construction of aircraft
6) Ship broker
7) Aircraft
D. Cellular layout or group techniques
Cellular layout uses advantages of both product layout and process layout.Cellular Manufacturing machines are grouped into cells and the cells function somewhat Like a product layout within a larger shop or process layout.
Each cell in the cellular manufacturing layout is formed to produce a single parts Family a few parts all with common characteristics which usually means that they Require the same machines and have similar machine settings.
Cellular layouts allocate dissimilar machines into cell to work on products that Have similar shapes and processing requirements.
Manufacturing cell layouts are now widely used in metal fabricating, computer Chip manufacture and assembly work. The overall objective is to gain the benefits to product layout in job shop kinds of Production.
