Today’s Agenda

• Line Balancing

• Facility Layout

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Line Balancing
 Line Balancing
• Line Balancing is the
process of assigning tasks
to workstations in such a
way that the workstations
(operations) have
approximately equal time
requirements.
• For Product Layouts
(Sequence of tasks!)
• Multiple tasks can be
assigned to one
workstation.

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 One Important Term
Cycle Time of Workstation
• The time a workstation needs to complete its set of assigned
tasks once.

Example: Workstation A is assigned 2 tasks, task one needs

0.5 minute and task two 1 minute. So the Cycle Time (CT)
of Workstation A is?

• The CT of a product line containing multiple workstations is the

longest CT of the workstations. (Line CT)

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1 minute 10 minute 3 minute
 Example
Five Tasks to be assigned to ??? workstations

a b c d e

0.1min 1.0min 0.7min 0.5min 0.2min

1. What is the maximum number of workstations

(assuming the tasks are not sub-divisible)
2. What are the minimum number of workstations
3. What number of workstations would yield the minimum
line cycle time?
4. What number of workstations would yield the maximum
line cycle time?

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 Precedence Diagram
• Task assignments must respect precedence
relationships and other technological constraints.
• Precedence diagram: Tool used in line balancing to
display elemental tasks and sequence requirements

0.1 min 1 min

a c

0.2 min

b d e
0.7 min 0.5 min

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 Number of Workstations
Question: How does one determine the
number of workstations to use?

Answer: By specifying a desired line cycle time

or, equivalently by specifying an output rate.
(How are cycle time and output related?)

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 Desired Cycle Time
Operating Time per Day (OT)
Desired Line CT 
Desired Output per Day (D)

Example (continued): Suppose OT = 8 hours per day (480

minutes per day) and D = 400 units per day. Then CT = ??

0.1 min 1 min

a c

0.2 min

b d e
0.7 min 0.5 min
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 Minimum Number of Workstations Required

(D)(t)
N=
Sum of Task Times OT
N min 
Cycle Time
t = sum of task times
Example (continued): CT = 480/400= 1.2 minutes
per unit per workstation, Sum of task times = 2.5
minutes per unit. Nmin =???

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 Line Efficiency
Sum of task times
Line Efficiency  x100%
(Nactual )(CT)

Can we find the Line Efficiency of the example?

CT = 1.2 minutes per unit per workstation

Sum of task times = 2.5 minutes per unit.
Line Efficiency = 2.5/(3*1.2) =69.4%

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 Line Balancing Procedure (Heuristic)
1. Calculate CT and NMin.
2. Assign tasks 1. Total task moving
to workstations time for a left to right through the
from
precedence diagram.
workstation should be
3. Tasks eligible for assignment are
a.
less than Line CT
tasks where all preceding tasks have been assigned and
b. tasks with 2. Sequence:
times we can
that do not exceed only time at the work
the remaining
station. assign a task when
4. Select an eligible task for assignment using one or more of the
all its predecessors are
following rules:
a. assigned
Assign the task with the greatest number of tasks following it.
b. Assign the task with the longest task time.
5. After each task assignment calculate time remaining at the current
work station.
6. Continue this until all tasks have been assigned to workstations.
7. Compute appropriate measures (e.g., line percent idle time and line
efficiency) for the set of assignments.

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 0.1 min 1 min

a c

0.2 min

b d e
0.7 min 0.5 min

Work Time Eligible Assign Station Idle

Station Remaining Tasks Task Time
1 1.2 a, b a
a. Assign the task with the
1.1 greatest
c, b number
c of tasks following it.
b. Assign the task with
0.1 None 0.1
the longest task time.
2 1.2 b b

0.5 d d 0

3 0.2 e e 1.0

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 0.1 min 1 min

a. aAssign the task

c the longest task time.
b. Assign the task with the greatest
number of tasks following it.0.2 min
b d e
0.7 min 0.5 min

0.1 min 1 min

I. Even more
a c balanced

0.2 min
II. Hopefully shorter
CT (More output)
b d e
0.7 min 0.5 min

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 Line balancing Examples
• P253, Example 1
• P252, Example 2
• P264, Solved Problem #1. They use a
positional weight to break tie. You can
follow their method, or you can try-and-
error work out any feasible solution
satisfies CT and sequence requirements.

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 Toy Wagon Assembly Line
Balance Example
• For a 8 hour production day, Toy wagon
assembly line need to produce 571
wagons, how many work stations do you
need?

8*60*60
Desired CT   50.4(sec)
571

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 Toy Wagon Assembly Line Balance Example
Task Performance Time (sec.) Tasks that must precede
A 45 ---
B 11 A
C 9 B
D 50 ---
E 15 D
F 12 C
G 12 C
H 12 E
I 12 E
J 8 F,G,H,I
K 9 J

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 Toy Wagon Assembly Line
Balance Example
• Sum of task time = 195

195
N min  4
50.4

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 Precedence Diagram
12
11 9
45 sec. F 8 9
B C
12
A J K
G
15 12
50
H
D E
12
I

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 Balance the Line Using Most Followers Rule
Task Remaining Feasible Task @ Task@
Task time(sec) time Rem. Tasks most followers longest opr. time

St. 1 A 45 5.4 idle none

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 Balance the Line Using Most Followers Rule
Task Remaining Feasible Task @ Task@
Task time(sec) time Rem. Tasks most followers longest opr. time

St. 1 A 45 5.4 idle none

St. 2 D 50 0.4 idle none

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 Balance the Line Using Most Followers Rule
Task Remaining Feasible Task @ Task@
Task time(sec) time Rem. Tasks most followers longest opr. time

St. 1 A 45 5.4 idle none

St. 2 D 50 0.4 idle none

St. 3 B 11 39.4 C, E C, E E
E 15 24.4 C,H,I C
C 9 15.4 F,G,H,I F,G,H,I F,G,H,I
F* 12 3.4 idle none

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 Balance the Line Using Most Followers Rule
Task Remaining Feasible Task @ Task@
Task time(sec) time Rem. Tasks most followers longest opr. time

St. 1 A 45 5.4 idle none

St. 2 D 50 0.4 idle none

St. 3 B 11 39.4 C, E C, E E
E 15 24.4 C,H,I C
C 9 15.4 F,G,H,I F,G,H,I F,G,H,I
F* 12 3.4 idle none
St.4 G* 12 38.4 H, I H, I H, I

H 12 26.4 I
I 12 14.4 J
J 8 6.4 idle none

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 Balance the Line Using Most Followers Rule
Task Remaining Feasible Task @ Task@
Task time(sec) time Rem. Tasks most followers longest opr. time

St. 1 A 45 5.4 idle none

St. 2 D 50 0.4 idle none

St. 3 B 11 39.4 C, E C, E E
E 15 24.4 C,H,I C
C 9 15.4 F,G,H,I F,G,H,I F,G,H,I
F* 12 3.4 idle none
St. 4 G* 12 38.4 H, I H, I H, I

H 12 26.4 I
I 12 14.4 J
J 8 6.4 idle none
St. 5 K 9 41.4 idle none © Wenge Zhu
 Efficiency and Balance Delay Calculations

195
Efficiency = = 0.78 or 78%
(5) 50
57
Balance Delay = = 0.22 or 22%
(5) 50

Check, Total = 100%

Notice that BD = 1.0 – Eff.

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• Also if we switch the primary rule with the secondary and rebalance the line we
Solve Example Again With
Reversed Rule

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 Facilities Layout
• Layout: the configuration of
departments, work centers, and
equipment, with particular emphasis on
movement of work (customers or
materials) through the system
• Product layouts
• Process layouts
• Fixed-Position layout
• Combination layouts

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 Objective of Layout Design
1. Facilitate attainment of product or service quality
2. Use workers and space efficiently
3. Avoid bottlenecks
4. Minimize unnecessary material handling costs
5. Eliminate unnecessary movement of workers or
materials
6. Minimize production time or customer service
time
7. Design for safety
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Importance of Layout Decisions
• Requires substantial investments of
money and effort
• Involves long-term commitments
• Has significant impact on cost and
efficiency of short-term operations

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 The Need for Layout Decisions
Inefficient operations
For Example: Changes in the design
High Cost of products or services
Bottlenecks

Accidents
The introduction of new
products or services

Safety hazards
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 The Need for Layout Design
(Cont’d)
Changes in
environmental Changes in volume of
or other legal output or mix of
requirements products

Morale problems
Changes in methods
and equipment

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 Types of Layout

• Product Layout:
• Here equipment is arranged according to the
progressive steps by which the product is made.
• Assembly line is a good example of a narrow
production line such as car assembly.

Machine type A Machine type B Machine type A

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 Basic Layout Types
• Product layout
– Layout that uses standardized processing
operations to achieve smooth, rapid, high-
volume flow
• Process layout
– Layout that can handle varied processing
requirements
• Fixed Position layout
– Layout in which the product or project
remains stationary, and workers, materials,
and equipment are moved as needed

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 Cellular Layouts

• Cellular Production
– Layout in which machines are grouped into
a cell that can process items that have
similar processing requirements
• Group Technology
– The grouping into part families of items with
similar design or manufacturing
characteristics

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 Cellular Manufacturing Layout

Source: J. T. Black, “Cellular Manufacturing Systems Reduce Set

Up time, Make Small-Lot Production Economical,” Industrial
Engineering Magazine, Nov. 1983. Used with permission from the
author. © Wenge Zhu