Chapter 3

Selecting the
production process
and Facility Layout
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The production process:
✓ It refers to the method employed in using the resources to provide goods and services
Selecting the production process:
The selection of the production process is dependent on the following:
1. The volume of required output
2. The extent of output variety
3. The degree of equipment flexibility
The volume of required output:
✓ The production process must have the capacity to produce the required output volume.
✓ When the demand on the product is seasonal (e.g., blankets), the production system must be able
to produce the required quantity during the season of demand and to produce at a low cost during
the off demand season
The extent of output variety:
✓ The selected production system must suit the degree of product standardization.
✓ If the degree of product variety is high the production system must support quick and smooth
adjustment to produce other products.
The degree of equipment flexibility:
✓ When the firm produces customized products, flexible equipment are required
❑ flexible manufacturing system (FMS):A group of machines that can produce a wide
variety of similar products.
❑ It results in reducing labor cost and provide products of consistent quality.

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What are the different types of production processes?
1. Job shop
2. Batch production
3. Repetitive production
4. Continuous production
5. Project
Job shop:
✓ it provides a wide variety of customized products but in small volume.
✓ Depends on skilled workers
✓ Uses more general; yet flexible equipment
✓ High cost per unit.
Example: Tailoring clothes
Batch production:
✓ Provides moderate variety of semi-standardized products in moderate
volume.
✓ Equipment need not be flexible as in job shop
✓ Workers are relatively skilled.
Example: bakeries

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Repetitive Production:
✓ Provides limited variety of standardized goods in large volume
✓ Less skilled workers
✓ Slightly flexible equipment
✓ Low cost per unit
✓ Often referred to as assembly
Example: production of automobiles and computers.
Continuous Production:
✓ Provides highly standardized goods with no variety (only one
product) in large quantity.
✓ No equipment flexibility
✓ The skills level of workers vary
Example: the production of: sugar, flour, salt and steel

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 The Project:
✓ Refers to non repetitive set of activities that aims at achieving a
unique goal during a specific predetermined set of time.
Example: Consultancy, new product development and construction.
Automation:
✓ Using machines that have sensing and control devices
✓ Automation results in reducing the need for human labor.
What are the advantages of automation?
1. Lower variability ( in number of units produced\ quality\
production time).
2. Reduction in wages
3. No distraction or boredom on behalf of the machines
What are the disadvantages of automation?
1. High cost that must be justified with large production volume
2. workers are losing motivation for fear of losing their jobs,
resulting in lower productivity.

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What are the different types of automation?
1. Fixed automation
2. Programmable automation
3. Flexible automation
Fixed automation:
❑ Referred to as Detroit type automation
❑ Uses high cost, specialized equipment to carry a fixed
sequence of operations
❑ Results in large production volume of low cost products
❑ High cost associated with conducting any change
Programmable automation:
❑ Using high cost general purpose equipment controlled by
computer program
❑ It can produce wide variety of low volume products in small
batches.
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Flexible automation:
❑ It uses equipment that is more customized than programmable
automation
❑ The used equipment are designed to carry out one set of processes
with a high degree of efficiency.
Facility layout:
Refers to the configuration of the departments, work centers and
equipment.
Facility layout influences the flow of work.
What are the objectives of layout design?
1. To improve product quality
2. Efficient use of the work space
3. Avoiding bottle necks
4. To eliminate unnecessary movements of workers and materials
5. To reduce production time
6. To minimize handling costs

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What are the different types of layout?
1. Product layout
2. Process layout
3. Fixed position layout
4. Combination layout
5. Cellular layout
Product Layout:
➢ The work is divided into a series of tasks that are standardized
➢ It results in the production in large volumes
➢ Highly specialized labor
➢ Low cost per unit
➢ High degree of labor and equipment utilization
In product lay out there are:
I. Production lines
II. Assembly lines

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Production lines:
✓ A standardized layout arranged according to a fixed sequence
of production tasks
Example: Bisco Misr uses production lines for producing biscuits
Assembly lines:
✓ A standardized layout arranged according to a fixed sequence
of assembly tasks
Example: El Wahab Group in Egypt for car assemblies
(assembling buses, minibuses and microbus)
What are the disadvantages of product layout?
1- the intensive division of labor creates dull repetitive tasks that
reduces labor motivation.
2- the system is highly inflexible to the change in product design
or way of processing.

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Process lay out:
Similar operations are grouped together in one location and whether the
product passes through the operation or not depends on the design of the
product. e.g., furniture

Fixed position layouts:

✓ A form of layout in which the product remains in its position and
materials, equipment and workers are brought to its location (road
building, bridges……etc)
Combination layout:
✓ A lay out that combines between any two of the previously mentioned
forms of layout (process layout, product layout, fixed position lay out)
✓ Hospitals rely on process lay out but in ER department, fixed position lay
out is employed in which doctors, nurses, equipment and surgery tools are
brought to the patient location.
Cellular layout:
✓ Layouts in which items that are similar in design , characteristics (size,
shape, functions) or manufacturing characteristics ( the type and
sequence of operations required) are grouped together to be handled in
one cell.

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