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Factory
layout is the focal point of facility design. It
dominates the thinking of most managers. But factory layout is only
one of several detail levels. At Strategos, we find it useful to
think of facility planning at five levels:
At
the Global level, we select a site location. This
involves factors such as freight cost, labor cost, skill
availability and site focus.
At the
Supra-Layout level we plan the site. This includes
number, size, and location of buildings. It includes infrastructure
such as roads, water, gas and rail. This plan should look ahead to
plant expansions and eventual site saturation
The Macro-Layout
plans each building, structure or other sub-unit of the site. Operating
departments are defined and located at this level. Frequently, this
is the most important level of planning. A Macro-Layout
institutionalizes the fundamental organizational structure in steel
and concrete.
The Micro
Level IV determines the location of specific equipment and
furniture. The emphasis shifts from gross material flow
to personal space and communication. Socio-Technical considerations
dominate.
The sub
micro level focuses on individual workers. Here we design
workstations for efficiency, effectiveness and safety. Ergonomics is
key.
Ideally,
the design progresses from Global to Sub-Micro in distinct,
sequential phases. At the end of each phase, the design is
"frozen" by consensus. |
This
settles the more global issues first. It allows smooth progress
without continually revisiting unresolved issues. It prevents detail
from overwhelming the project.
References
LEE,
QUARTERMAN, Facilities & Workplace Design, Engineering &
Management Press, Norcross, Georgia, 1997.
SKINNER,
WICKHAM, The Focused Factory, Harvard Business Review, May-June,
1974.
WRENNALL,
WILLIAM, AND LEE, QUARTERMAN, Handbook of Commercial and Industrial
Facilities Management, McGraw Hill, August, 1993.
PHILLIPS,
EDWARD J., Manufacturing Plant Layout: Fundamentals and Fine Points
of Optimum Facility Design, Society of Manufacturing Engineers,
Dearborn, Michigan, USA, 1997.
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