Equipment flexibility is key when it comes to creating a layout that can handle the day-to-day tasks efficiently, while maintaining the ability to expand or shrink per the demands of the business.

"The idea is to make change as easy and inexpensive as possible," says Connstep, Inc., a Connecticut-based support organization for Connecticut's manufacturing industry.

Having flexibility also allows you to tackle the issue of product flow. In NAPL Executive Insights, president of plant layout/design service firm RBE Company Hal Ettinger notes that where you put your equipment determines material and personnel flow. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to place your equipment where it will provide good movement for people and products and can be easily re-arranged for movement, expansion, elimination or addition of equipment.

Ettinger suggests moving beyond a square shape and stretching the X, Y or both X and Y axes until all your pieces fit. "Stretch and pull till your heart's content so the overall shape is more realistic and workable," Ettinger writes.

Also, keep in mind that the roof will need to be held up by columns. It would be a wholly less frustrating experience to take this into account before you finish shaping the department, fit all the equipment and then suddenly realize that machinery cannot run with a great big steel column through it.

Ettinger provides step-by-step instructions on how to work around the foundation columns, saying:

1. When making the equipment "dolls" for this exercise, measure the entire operating area, including the overall dimension of the equipment and area around the equipment required for it's running — consoles, staging, work tables, etc.;
2. Make another assumption that the building columns will be in a grid measuring 30 ft. x 40 ft.;
3. Draw the column grid on translucent material and place it over the layout to see where there might be interference; and
4. Place the equipment dolls in the appropriate departments, using good production flow judgment.

The aim is to not just get all your equipment to fit, but have them arranged so that the people and products move well. Having an efficient layout is the heart of having an efficient production, says business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Frost & Sullivan's paper on cellular manufacturing explains it as a way of arranging equipment so that product can flow in small batches from one operation to the next. "Some other benefits include improved resource utilization (both man and machine), better control over quality, space reduction and work environment," the paper notes.

Key factors to take into account when designing an efficient cell are the manufacturing process, number of products to be made, market segments/requirements and the degree of automation. The paper also emphasizes the need to look at cell design as evolutionary.

U-shaped cells are a typical favorite because they provide advantages such as having the product start and end in the same aisle, minimizing travel distance and being scalable as volume increases or decreases, Connstep says.

When U-shaped cells aren't possible, a similar effect can be accomplished with smaller machine groupings. Having machines grouped together — but not in rows — enables one operator to attend to multiple machines with minimal walking, Connstep adds. The idea is to have the space open so that operators can see what's happening overall.

Howard Fenton, a consultant for graphic arts companies, offers these few tips for a good plant layout (via Graphic Arts Online):

• Consecutive workflow steps should be no further than seven paces apart;
• Materials and tools should be within three paces of each step;
• Create workflows with reduced crossover — map out common paths people use; and
• Have an open plan. If there are walls between two consecutive steps, create a pass through slot in the wall so materials do not have to be walked around.

The size of equipment also has a huge impact on plant layout. As Connstep aptly points out, "huge equipment is expensive to buy, install and maintain." But besides that, they are not flexible in terms of movement or volume changes. Rather than purchasing a mammoth machine, consider buying equipment that matches demand. If more capacity is required, you can buy another machine or work overtime.

Smaller machines not only save money, they are also better suited to cell design and can be put on wheels — with wheel locks, of course — for ease of re-arrangement. Ensure that the machine you buy fits exactly with what you need and the space allotted for it, Connstep adds.

Also for ease of movement, "all connections should be made via an overhead distribution with flexible lines and an extra loop of wire/hose," Connstep advises. "The key reason is that if you have to move equipment one foot to the right to accommodate another piece of equipment, you don't need to hire riggers to disconnect and connect."

Business will continue to evolve and change, and companies need to be able to adapt their manufacturing facility to these demands as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Having a flexible and properly laid-out plant floor enables companies to re-arrange without needing outside contractors.

Resources

Lean Factory Design Basics
by Bob Yenkner
The Manufacturer's Advantage, Spring 2008

The Logic of Facility Layout
by Hal Ettinger
NAPL Executive Insights (RBE Company)

Cellular Manufacturing
Frost & Sullivan Market Insight, Jan. 3, 2008

Reorganizaing Plant Layout
by Howard Fenton
Print Trends Blog, Aug. 1, 2008