A bespoke furniture manufacturer requires a production line to manufacture 25 chairs with engravings per week, while operating only 40 hours per week. There are only four steps required to produce a single engraved chair with respective processing times of 10 minutes for cutting the wood, 10 minutes for sanding, 90 minutes for engraving and assembly, and 30 minutes for painting.
a. What is the manufacturer's cycle time?
b. What is the minimum number of workstations the manufacturer could hope for in designing the line considering this cycle time?
c. If customers are not interested in painted chairs, the manufacturer can eliminate the last step. Will there be any change in the number of workstations?
d. Suppose the manufacturer finds a solution that requires only three stations. What would be the efficiency of this line?