Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad

Advantages of Good Plant Layout

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ADVANTAGES OF GOOD PLANT LAYOUT

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“A good layout results in comfort, convenience, appearance, safety and

profit. A poor layout results in congestion, waste, frustration and

inefficiency.” - MoNaughton Wayne

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What is plant layout?

Basically plant layout is physical arrangement of industrial facilities

Orderly and proper arrangement with the use of available resources i.e., Men, Money, Machines, Materials and Method of production

J. Lundy defines plant layout as follows : “Plant layout ideally involves the allocation of space

and arrangement of equipment in such a manner that overall operation cost can be minimized”

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Over crowding of men, material, machine

and equipment.

Scrap or wastage of material is more.

Difficult to supervise.

More frequent accidents.

When to think about planning a layout?

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Mental or Physical stress in the workers.

Long transportation lines.

Poor utilization of space.

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1. Product Layout ( Line Layout )

2. Process Layout ( Functional Layout )

3. Fixed Position Layout

Types of Plant Layout

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All the equipments and machines are arranged

according the sequence of operations on product.

Here, the layout is dictated by the ‘product’.

Only one type of product is produced in operating area in large number of quantities (Mass Production).

Generally, all assembly lines in different industries follow the ‘Product Layout’.

1. Product Layout

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Example :

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Here, the layout is dictated by the ‘Process’ and not

by the ‘Product’.

In this type of layout, the machines and not arranged according to the sequence of operations but are arranged according to the nature or type of the operations.

The process layout is particularly useful where low volume of production is needed with a greater variety of products

2. Process Layout

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Example 1 :

Example 2 :

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Comparison of two

layoutsProduct Layout Process Layout

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In this type, material or major component remains

stationary because it is too heavy or too big

As product remains fixed at one location other materials, parts, tools, machinery, man power and other supporting equipment’s are brought to this location.

This type of layout is used in the manufacture of boilers, Huge aircrafts, hydraulic and steam turbines and ships etc.

Fixed Position Layout

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Economies in material handling

Direct channels for the flow of materials Cost of material handling is considerably reduced

Lesser manufacturing time As no involvement of backward handling of

materials, considerable saving of time in manufacturing

Advantages of Product Layout

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Lesser work in progress Lesser accumulation of work in progress of

semi finished goods

Proper use of floor space Optimum use of available floor space is

possible Due to non-accumulation of work in progress

Economy in inspection Need for inspection under this method is

much less and can be confined at some crucial points only

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Lesser manufacturing cost Due to less material handling, inspection

cost, and good utilization of available space there is less manufacturing cost

Lesser labour cost Less skills required Routine task is to be carried out under this

method

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Lesser flexibility

Difficult to adopt any changes

Large investment Unavoidable machinery duplication Results in idle capacity and large capital

investments

Disadvantages of Product Layout

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Interruption due to breakdown Stoppages of work due to interdependency on

previous machines Reasons may be breakdown of machine,

irregular supply of material, poor production scheduling and employee absenteeism

Lack of specialization in supervision Due to large variety and large quantity of

machines available in the section, one cannot be expert of all the machines

Hence only general supervision is possible and not the specialized one

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Maximum utilization of machines

Greater flexibility Change in the sequence of operations and

machines can be made without much difficulty

Scope for expansion By installing additional machines without much

difficulty

Advantages of Process Layout

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Specialization in supervision Less variety in machines hence possible

Effective utilization of workers Skilled operators are appointed Leads to effective and efficient use of their

talent and capabilities

Less work stoppages Production schedule is not seriously affected

due to breakdown of any machine Work can be transferred to the other machines

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Coverage of more floor area Material handling is more expensive Higher labor cost due to the

requirement of higher grades of skills Longer total production time Large in-process inventories Increased inspection cost

Disadvantages of Process Layout

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Economies of transportation

Work is not carried from one place to another but fixed at one position

Saving in transportation cost

Different jobs with same layout Different projects

Advantages of Fixed Position Layout

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Production in accordance with specifications Jobs can be performed in accordance with

the specification given by the customer

Scope for flexibility Flexibility for various changes in production

processes and designs of the products

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Large investments

Unsuitable for small products Not suitable for producing and assembling small

products in large quantities

Production process is time consuming Machines and tools etc. take more time to reach the

work place

Highly skilled workers are required

Disadvantages of Fixed Position Layout

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QUESTIONS ARE WELCOMED…