Factors Affecting Choice Of Plant Layout?
Factors Affecting Choice Of Plant Layout?
The selection of a particular layout depends on a number of factors. Primarily, the layout is influenced by the relationship among materials, men and machinery. Other factors such as type of product, type of workers, type of industry and management policies also influences the layout. Some of the factors influencing layout are as follows:
Materials:
- Every factory should buy raw materials economically when they are available; they should be stored properly and moved through production centers efficiently for manual or mechanical operations.
- The storage and movement of raw materials require properly places storage rooms and materials handling equipment. The type and size of storage room required also depend upon:
- The type of raw materials used, i.e. whether the raw materials are liquid or solid, light or heavy, small or large, and
- The availability or scarcity of materials even when this is affected by seasonal variations and market condition
Product:
- A layout is also affected by the product to be produced. The type of product-that is, whether the product is heavy or light, big or small, liquid or solid- and its position to the point location influence the layout.
- In some cases like manufacturing of aircraft and ships, the product is stationary; but machines and men are moved to the product. Thus, the position of the product in relation to the other factors of production also needs consideration in planning a layout.
- In the same way the size of product should also be considered in planning a layout. Again, the layout for assembling a wrist watch will be different from the assembling of aircraft. Thus we can say that the analyst of layout must start with the product to be produced.
Worker:
- The layout designer should also consider the type, position and requirements of employees. If women workers are employed, the layout must be planned after keeping in mind their particular requirements. The position of employees, i.e., whether they remain stationary or moving, also influences the layout.
- Employee facilities, such as health and related services, feeding and related services, locked rooms and lavatories influences the layout significantly.
Machinery:
- The type of product, volume of production, management policy affects the type of machinery to be installed, which in turn, influences the design of plant layout, High production volume will require machinery with high capacity, may be more in numbers or big in size, hence affecting the layout of plant.
Type of industry:
- The type of industry and the method of the manufacturing process exercise a significant influence on plant layout. For example extracting industries like oil refinery will have a different plant layout than a sugar mill or paper mill.
Location:
- The site selected for the location of plant also influences the plant layout in following ways.
- First, the size and terrain of the site determine the type of building which, in turn influences the layout.
- Second, the location of site determine the mode of transportation to be used, as well as the size of inventory to be maintained. If the site is located for away from the market place than the size of inventory should be kept big in the layout in order to have reduced cost of transportation.
Managerial policies
- Following are some of the management policies which also affects the layout of a plant:
- The volume of production to be produced
- The extent of automation
- Making or buying of particular component
- Desire for rapid delivery of goods
- Purchasing policy
- Personnel policies
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