S8 - Process design and facility layout

Question 1

What are the two types of products (goods or services)?

Answer 1

1. Made-to-order (ex.: suits in a local tailor)
   - Simplified design process because customer participates
   - Demand variability
2. Standard (Made-to-stock) (ex.: medication for allergies)
   - Complex design process because products are expected to satisfy a large number of customers
   - Simplified planning

Question 2

Describe the standardized production design strategies. What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 2

Standardization: the strategy of seeking uniformity in products (goods and services) and in the parts comprising them.

Advantages:
- Fewer parts to deal with in inventory and manufacturing
- Reduced training costs and time
- More routine purchasing, handling and inspection procedures
- Orders can be met from inventory
- Opportunities for long production runs and automation
- Need for fewer parts justifies increased expenditures on perfecting designs and improving quality control procedures

Disadvantages:
- Designing a product that meets the needs of many customers requires a large investment
- High cost of design changes increases resistance to improvements
- Decreased variety results in less consumer appeal
- It is difficult to adequately address the needs of a specific client

Question 3

Describe the simplification product design.

Answer 3

Less parts = more simple. Ex.: Instead of using 24 pieces to make one product, buy 2 pieces already assembled so you just have to put them together.

Advantages
- Fewer purchases, less inventory, less quality control, etc.

Question 4

Describe the modular design. What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Answer 4

A form of standardization. Parts are subdivided into MODULES (ex.: car industry).

Advantages
- Easier diagnosis and remedy of failures
- Easier to repair and replace
- Simplification of planning, procurement, inventory management, manufacturing and assembly
- Lower training costs

Disadvantages
- Modules must be compatible and interchangeable
- Increase in replacement costs, as the whole defective module must be changed

Question 5

Describe delayed differentiation.

Answer 5

The manufacturing process starts by making a generic or family product that is later differentiated into a specific end-product.
Ex.: M&M are produced and then they are personalized.

The biggest majority of the product is done by standardization and then the product is differentiated.

Another way to personnalise products.

Question 6

Describe design for the environment.

Answer 6

• Design a product from material that can be recycled
• Design from recycled material
• Design for ease of repair
• Minimize packaging
• Minimize material and energy used during manufacturing consumption and disposal.
• Producer responsible of product even after the product’s useful life.

Transportability aspect.

Question 7

Describe the process selection criteria (relevant variables)***

Answer 7

1. Volume: quantity per lots, how many produced at the time (large or small)
2. Variety: how many different products do I make (large or small)
3. Demand: made-to-order or made-to-stock
4. Flow: intermittent, semi-continuous, or continuous

If I have a large volume, the variety must be small and vice-versa.

Question 8

What are the different types of processes? Describe them.

Answer 8

1. Job shop (ex.: hairdresser)
   - Volume: mid to small
   - Variety: high
   - Demand: made-to-order
   - Flow: intermitent
2. Batch (ex.: growing vegetables)
   - Volume: mid to small
   - Variety: mid to large
   - Demand: made-to-stocks
   - Flow: intermitent
3. Mass production (ex.: cars)
   - Volume: high
   - Variety: low
   - Demand: made-to-stock
   - Flow: semi-continuous
4. Continuous (process) (ex.: refinery of sugar)
   - Volume: very large
   - Variety: none
   - Demand: made-to-stock
   - Flow: continuous

Question 9

What are the different types of flow?

Answer 9

1. Intermittent flow
   - Movement of in-process products is discontinuous and multi-directional. Usually go by batches, stages and steps.
   - Ex.: Plane: people come in, travel, go out.
2. Semi-continuous flow
   - In-process products move in a regular yet intermittent, unidirectional manner.
   - Ex.: chair lifts.
3. Continuous flow
   - The product moves in a constant unidirectional manner
   - No interruption, the same product: ex.: electricity, internet, communication, etc.

Question 10

What is mass customization?

Answer 10

A strategy of producing standardized goods or services, but incorporating some degree of customization.

Modular design and/or delayed differentiation + Mass production = customized product

Customer believe the product is made for them but not really. Each component is mass produced and each can be differentiated before assembled.

Question 11

What is facility layout? What are its objectives?

Answer 11

Refers to the location of departments, work center, or equipment in the space of a facility/plant

Includes the arrangement of different sections of a plant as well as the layout of workstations and equipment

Also refers to the design of office space and the layout of service facilities

Objectives:
- Optimize efficiency
- Minimize material-handling costs
- Utilize space and labor efficiently
- Eliminate bottle necks
- Increase capacity
- etc.