Lab Module 3

Identification of Bottleneck in an Assembly Line through Time Observation Charts and

Evaluating its Impact on Productivity Improvement

Course title: Operations of Manufacturing Systems

Course teacher/Lab Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Sajid

Student Name: __________________________

Registration no.__________________________ Date: _______________________________

Marks Evaluation Sheet

Knowledge components Domain Contribution Max. Obtained
Taxonomy level
marks marks

1. Student has conducted the experiment by Psychomotor 50% 5

Manipulate (P2)
practicing the hands-on skills
2. Student has followed the safety instructions and
Respond (A2) 3
time constraints while performing the Affective 30%
experiment
3. Student has analyzed and compared the results Cognitive Analyze (C4) 20% 2

Total 10

Normalize
marks out of 5
(5)

Signed by Course teacher/ Lab Instructor

 Lab Module 03
Identification of Bottleneck in an Assembly Line through Time Observation Charts
and Evaluating its Impact on Productivity Improvement

Objective
 To understand what is Assembly Line?
 To understand what is Bottleneck in an assembly Line?
 To identify bottleneck through time observation charts.
 To evaluate the impact of bottleneck on productivity improvement (output per hour,
percentage improvement and workforce requirement).
Apparatus
 Assembly /Disassembly parts (5)
 Wooden Buckets
 Wooden Table
 Screw Driver
 Wrench
 Ribbon Roll
 A4 Pages (4 Different Colors)
 Tape
 Stop Watch
 Camera
Theory
Assembly Line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a progressive assembly) in which parts
(usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation
to workstation where the parts are added in sequence until the final assembly is produced. By
mechanically moving the parts to the assembly work and moving the semi-finished assembly from
work station to work station, a finished product can be assembled faster and with less labor than
by having workers carry parts to a stationary piece for assembly.
Assembly lines are common methods of assembling complex items such as automobiles and
other transportation equipment, household appliances and electronic goods. Workers in charge of
the works of assembly line are called assemblers.
Bottleneck in Assembly line
A bottleneck is a point of congestion in a production system (such as an assembly line or a
computer network) that stops or severely slows the system. The inefficiencies brought about by
the bottleneck often create delays and higher production costs.
There are two main types of bottlenecks: short-term and long-term. A short-term bottleneck is
temporary and typically caused by temporary conditions such as employees on vacation or on sick
leave. Long-term bottlenecks are baked into the production process and include such things as
inefficient machinery.
Time Observation Charts
Time observation charts are used to observe the operation cycle time at each station of an assembly
line. It provides an overall analysis of the time at each station which further assists in finding the
bottleneck in an assembly line. An example of chart of an assembly line consisting of five stations
and their respective cycle times is given below.

Cycle Time
9
9
8 7
7
Cycle Time

6 5
4.5
5 4
4
3
2
1
0
Station 1 Station 2 Station 3 Station 4 Station 5
Stations

Time Observation Chart

Output per hour

Net Production Time Available (take 1 hour) / station Cycle Time

Takt Time
Avg. Cycle Time of all Stations / Total Number of Stations

Productivity
Output per hour/no of stations
Percentage Improvement
New Value – Previous Value × 100
New Value

Procedure
Follow these instructions to perform the tasks comprehensively:
1. The part to be made is Bike Toy

Figure 1: Case study part

2. Develop 7 stations as per previous lab 2.

3. Observe the operation cycle time of each station.
4. Investigate the station with maximum cycle time and declare it bottleneck.
5. Calculate output per hour of bottleneck station.
6. Develop time observation chart.
7. Calculate average operation time (Takt time) of all stations.
8. Balance the operation time of bottleneck station with the other station (the sum of
operation time of these two stations must be equal to or less than the average operation
time).
9. Perform the operations again as per balance recommendations in step 8.
10. Observer the time data if there is any bottleneck.
 The warehouse in charge is responsible to provide all material at workstations.
 Quality inspector will inspect either part is defective or not.
 This lab is based on team work. Understand your role in the team and perform accordingly.
 All human resources must be utilized effectively to perform the task.
 It is suggested that at least two students make the video of the task. The videos must capture
the activity of each worker throughout the production cycle.
 Critically analyze the videos to answer the questions under ‘results and discussion’.
  Take care of your own safety and safety of others.
 Complete the task within the time allowed.
 Clean the workstation and arrange the tools and equipment after performing the task.
 Do not leave the lab after performing the task without permission of the lab in charge.
Time Observation Charts
Put all charts here

Results and Discussion

Scenario No. of Bottleneck Output/hour Productivity %age
Stations Station Time (Bottleneck Station) Improvement
---
Comments (Discuss the Findings of the Practical)