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Unit 4: Process Selection and Facility Layout

3. Analysis of the production flow of items (for grouping items according to manufacturing Notes
process similarities).
This identification and coding is the chart of group technology. The equipment to make these is
grouped together and designated for these parts. To some extent, a process layout, characteristic
of job shops, is changed to a small well-defined product layout. This group of equipment is
called a cell, and the arrangement of cells is called a Cellular Layout.
Figure 4.6 illustrates the difference between the two alternative layouts. Two parts require
different tooling;
1. One part could be made in a job shop moving from machine A - C to D - E.
2. The second part can be made moving from machine A - C to D - B.
In the Process Layout, the machines are grouped together and the product moves to the machines.
In the Cellular Layout, the machines are grouped in a line flow.
Figure 4.6: Process versus Cellular Layouts

A A C C

A B D D

A B D E

Process Layout

A A

Cellular Layout C C

D D

E B

In order for a cell to be economical and practical in the long term, the machines must be closely
grouped, and the cell must be flexible in its mix of capacity and must be big enough so any
absent employee does not shut it down, yet is small enough for employees to identify with the
cell and understand the products and equipment.
Cell manufacturing is also the building block of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS). It is, in
essence, FMS with some manual operations. The Cellular Layout principles are adopted in FMS
because the concepts make it easier to process large volumes of information because of the
decomposed manufacturing system; it is easier to manage the operational facilities compared to
functional manufacturing due to limitation on cell size, and the technological compulsions
often require grouping some operations like forging machines and heat treatment unit.

Although Cellular Layout is a catchy new term, the phenomenon itself is not new. For decades,
large job shops have grouped equipment for high-volume parts or special customers. Similarly,
assembly lines may group machines by type to make or modify a variety of parts that 'feed into'
the main assembly line.

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