In Example 10.2 in the text, suppose that the vehicles operate according to the following scheduling rules: (1) vehicles delivering raw work parts from station 1 to stations 2, 3, and 4 must return empty to station 5; and (2) vehicles picking up finished parts at stations 2, 3, and 4 for delivery to station 5 must travel empty from station 1.
(a) Determine the empty travel distances associated with each delivery and develop a from-to Chart in the format of Table 10.5 in the text.
(b) Suppose the AGVs travel at a speed of 50 m/min, and the traffic factor = 0.90. Assume reliability = 100%. As determined in Example 10.2, the delivery distances Ld = 103.8 m. Determine the value of Le for the layout based on your table.
(c) How many automated guided vehicles will be required to operate the system?