Outcome to be Graded: Focused Factory layout

- Use either Excel (preferred) or AutoCad. If in AutoCad, submit it as a screen print Word document, as your instructor does not have AutoCad capability.

- Without increasing the overall building size in the traditional layout provided, develop a new factory that has three focused factories designed to produce small, medium, and large radiators (such as for 4-, 6-, and 8-cylinder engines).

- Each focused factory will be designed with cells that feed each other in a customer/supplier relationship, leading to finishing. IMPORTANT CONCEPTS: cells are to be C or U shaped; and the output of one cell must be as close as possible to the input of the downstream customer cell to avoid transportation waste.

- Assume that:

The production volume for each is proportional to the square footage allotted to final assembly in the existing factory.

It is OK to change the shape of the outer walls, but not to increase the overall floor space.

Assume that all the non-production areas such as offices need to be kept about the same size. The basic building is 250 x 400; each square represents 10. Assume things are approximate, so do not stress out trying to get dimensions exact you are doing this as a concept.

Of course, since we are going to change the operations to JIT, with reduced WIP, we can cut back on the storage areas for WIP, etc. Dont agonize over this, just be reasonable.

You are creating this layout for a new, improved factory to replace this old one, not as a renovation of the existing building. So you can reconfigure/rearrange any of the areas within the outer walls.

Receiving and Shipping do NOT have to be adjacent to each other on a common dock.

The company has some used extra equipment in storage, or that some can be purchased as needed.

The oven soldering of the coolant tube/fin/ header subassemblies is too big, costly, and specialized to duplicate in each product family focused factory, therefore ALL sizes of these products must go through the one single oven. This is like the finishing operation in the wood products factory shown in the textbook.

Below is the original layout before the changes: