RE : Perfectly Balanced Line Production
This is in response to your recent comment on a tour of the production system of the firm. You remarked that the line production system ought to be perfectly balanced. I could not agree with you more on this. The reasons for my agreement are:
Line balancing is a task that requires all the workstations along the production line to have equal time requirements. This endeavor has the end result of minimizing, if not removing all the idle and lazy time along the line, and has the end situation of making use of labor and equipment most efficiently. Thus the resources of the organization are used efficiently, and there is no or little wastage in time, labor, raw materials and equipment. This task therefore helps the company lessen its expenses, and contributes in part to the overall profitability of the firm.
This situation also avoids intrigues and conflicts between and among the work stations because the work and time are distributed evenly among them. Thus no questions arise on why a certain work station is idle, and why another work station’s employees have to labor so hard at their jobs. The same is true for the machinery; no set of machinery will have to be operated for such a long time as compared to the rest, thus ensuring the longevity of the equipment combined with the needed preventive maintenance.
However, the task of achieving a perfectly balanced line is quite difficult. Floor shop managers will have to be quite flexible and allow for times when the line cannot be perfectly balanced.
I will be most pleased to explain these further at your convenience.
RE : Fixed and Flexible Automation
Within the product-process matrix, fixed automation may fall in the area of line or repetitive flows. A line or repetitive flow is located somewhere between the batch and continuous processes, where there are high volumes and more standardized products and services. Materials flow in a linear motion from one operation to the succeeding one following a fixed order. There is very little need to maintain higher levels of inventory in this area, such that the overall costs in this area are quite low. Fixed automation is used in a fixed sequence where the processes are more or less standardized. Oftentimes the equipment has already been pre-programmed and there is also the use of computer-controlled machinery and robots to do many types of tasks.
The flexible automation process may also fall within the repetitive flow process. What distinguishes it from the fixed automation process is that there is an allowance for flexibility that allows it to react to any changes that occur along the production line. One type is machine flexibility, such that the production process allows the change in machinery in order to produce new products or to enhance the current line of products. There is also the issue of routing flexibility such that machines may be arranged in such a way to allow for changes such as increases in demand for products and other similar situations. Both types of automations offer the advantage of lowering costs and enhancing machine efficiencies. Also, there will be shorter lead times using these types of processes. Floor shop managers involved in line processes ought to take advantage of these types of automation.
References
Chryssolouris, G. 2010. Manufacturing Systems – Theory and Practice. NY: Springer-Verlag.
Kumar, N. and Mahto, D. 2013. Assembly Line Balancing: A Review of Developments and Trends in Approach to Industrial Application. Global Journal of Researches in Engineering Industrial Engineering, 13(2).
