Metal window boxes are manufactured in two process steps: stamping and assembly. Each window box is made up of three pieces: a base (one part A) and two sides (two part Bs).

The parts are fabricated by a single stamping machine that requires a setup time of 140 minutes whenever switching between the two part types. Once the machine is set up, the processing time for each part A is one minute while the processing time for each part B is only 30 seconds.

Currently, the stamping machine rotates its production between one batch of 440 for part A and one batch of 880 for part B.

At assembly, parts are assembled manually to form the finished product. One base (part A) and two sides (two part Bs), as well as a number of small purchased components, are required for each unit of final product. Each product requires 36 minutes of labor time to assemble. There are currently 16 workers in assembly. There is sufficient demand to sell every box the system can make.

(a) What is the capacity of the stamping machine?

b) What batch size would you recommend for the process?

(a) What is the capacity of the stamping machine? Total Setup Time = Setup time for Part A + Setup time for Part B Total Setup Time = 140 + 140 Total Setup Time = 280 Total Processing time = Processing time for Part A + 2*Processing time for Part B Total Processing time = 1 mins + (2 parts * 30 secs) Total Processing time = 2 mins Capacity of Stamping Machine = Batch Size Total set up time + Batch size*Total processing time per unit Capacity of Stamping Machine = 440 280 mins +(440 batch size*2 mins of processing time ) Capacity of Stamping Machine = 440 1160 Capacity of Stamping Machine = 0.37931 units per min