The preinduction physical examination given by the U.S. Army involves the following seven activities:
Average Time
Activity (min)
Medical history .................. 10
Blood tests ................... 8
Eye examination ................ 5
Measurements (i.e., weight, height, blood pressure).... 7
Medical examination ............... 16
Psychological interview ............. 12
Exit medical evaluation .............. 10
These activities can be performed in any order, with two exceptions:
Medical history must be taken first, and Exit medical evaluation is last. At present, there are three paramedics and two physicians on duty during each shift. Only physicians can perform exit evaluations and conduct psychological interviews. Other activities can be carried out by either physicians or paramedics.
(a) Develop a layout and balance the line.
(b) How many people can be processed per hour?
(c) Which activity accounts for the current bottleneck?
(d) What is the total idle time per cycle?
(e) If one more physician and one more paramedic can be placed on duty, how would you redraw the layout? What is the new throughput?