Numbers per task are as follows:

Order Taking

Run Time:1 minute per item (or 3 minutes per order)

Capacity: 1 item per minute*60=60 items per order

Pre-Treatment

Run Time: 60 minutes/56.8 items per hour=1.06 minutes per item

Capacity: 90 items in 90 minutes with 5 minutes of setup, (90/95 minutes) x 60 minutes/hour = 56.8 items per hour

Dry Cleaning

Run Time: 5 minutes set up time and 55 minutes run-time per 90 item batch

(60/60=1 batch)

Capacity: 90 items per hour. Capacity can be increased if consecutive loads are of the same color

Pressing

Run Time: The pressure can process an item in 2.5 minutes: 60 minutes per hour/2.5 minutes per item=24 items per hour

Capacity: 60minutes/2.5minutes per item = 24 x 2= 48 items per hour between the two pressers.

Packing

Run Time: 0.5 minutes per item or 2 items per minute

Capacity: 2 items per minute x 60 minutes = 120 items per hour

Customer Pickup & Payment

Run Time: 1 minute per item

Capacity: 1 minute per item x 60 minutes = 60 items per hour

1. What is the capacity of the dry-cleaning process as a whole (from order taking to customer pickup and payment) over a 12-hour day?

2. Suppose capacity at Pressing is increased by 1 person and 1 pressing machine. What is the new capacity of the dry-cleaning process as a whole over a 12-hour day?

3. How much does the capacity of the dry-cleaning machine change if the batch size is increased to 120 items from 90 items?

4. How much does the capacity of the dry-cleaning machine change if tanks are switched only every 3 runs?

5. Suppose 200 customers drop off laundry over a typical 12-hour day. What is the utilization of each of the different stages of the dry-cleaning process? Will there be a problem? The different stages are order taking, pre-treatment, dry-cleaning, pressing, packing, and pickup & payment. Do not consider the changes suggested in questions 4-6.

6. If the average number of clothes per customer increases from 3 to 4, which stages would be most impacted by this? Is the current system capable of dealing with this increase?