Chapter 3

Process Planning and Design

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 1

Process Planning and Design
Chapter 2 identified the critical factors in
providing value to the customer. This
chapter discusses the selection and
design of the transformation process that
can deliver those factors—low cost, high
quality, enhanced functionality, speed,
and so on—in an efficient and effective
manner.
Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 2
Introduction
 Fender's Custom Shop
 Assembly line at IBM's plant in Charlotte,
North Carolina
 Rickard Associates, an editorial production
company
 Martin Marietta's aerospace electronics
manufacturing facility in Denver, Colorado
 Nynex

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 3

 Examples
 Examples illustrate several transformation systems.
The Fender Custom Shop is a job shop that has
specialized departments for routing, lathe operations,
inlaying, paint and finishing, and final assembly.
Because work is organized by the task performed,
Rickard Associates is also a job shop - even
though the work is not performed in one location.
Companies like Rickard that rely on information
technology to bring separated workers together are
referred to as virtual organizations. Martin Marietta
converted into focused factories. And assembly
lines like the one IBM uses are referred to as flow
shops.
Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 4
Continuous Process continued
 Low labor
requirements
 Often one primary
input
 Initial setup of
equipment and
procedures very
complex
Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 5
Forms of Transformation
Systems

Flow Shop

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 6

A Generalized Flow Shop Operation

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 7

Advantages of the Flow Shop

 Low unit cost

 specialized high volume equipment
 bulk purchasing
 lower labor rates
 low in-process inventories
 simplified managerial control

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 8

Disadvantages of Flow Shop

 Variety of output difficult to obtain

 Difficult to change rate of output
 Minor design changes may require
substantial changes to the equipment
 Worker boredom and absenteeism
 Work not very challenging
 Vulnerable to equipment breakdowns
Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 9
Line Balancing

available work time

Cycle time 
demand

number of theoretical workstations, N T   task times / cycle time

output total task time

efficiency = 
input ( N A stations)  cycle time

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 10

Line Balancing Example

Task Time Required Precedes

A 2.2 min. B, C, D
B 3.4 E
C 1.7 E
D 4.1 F
E 2.7 F
F 3.3 G
G 2.6 --

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 11

Precedence Diagram

A C

D F G

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 12

Task Assignment

Time Elig. Will Task Idle

Station Avail. Tasks Fit? Assign. Time
1 6.0 A A
3.8 B,C,D B,C B
0.4 C,D -- -- 0.4
2 6.0 C,D C,D D
1.9 C C C
0.2 E -- -- 0.2
Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 13
Task Assignment continued

Time Elig. Will Task Idle

Station Avail. Tasks Fit? Assign. Time
3 6.0 E E E

3.3 F F F 0.0

4 6.0 G G G 3.4

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 14

Line Balancing Solution

Station 3
Station 1 B

A C

Station 2
Station 4
D F G

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 15

Precedence Graph for Credit
Applications

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 16

Stations Assignments for Credit
Application

Chapter 3: Process Planning and Design 17