369

6 LAYOUT PLAKNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

67. Tompkins, J. A., and Reed, R., Jr., "An Applied Model for theFacilities Design Problem,"
InternationalJournal ofProduction Research, vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 583-595, 1976.
68. Tretheway, S. J., and Foote, B. L., "Automatic Computation and Drawing of Facility
Layouts with Logical Aisle Structures," InternationalJournal ofProduction Research,
vol. 32, no. 7, pp. 1545-1555, 1994.
69. "Vertical Conveyors Increase Plant's Efficiency 33%," Modern Materials Handling,
vol. 40, Casebook Directory, p. 113, 1985.
70. "Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors; Flexible Handling Devices," MaterialHandling En
gineering, vol. 45, no. 9, pp. 81-85, 1990.
71. Volvo: The EngineFactory ThatIs Different, a Volvo publication describing the Volvo
Skovde plant, Gothenberg, Sweden.
72. White, J. A., "Layout: The Chicken or the Egg?," Modern Materials Handling, vol. 35,
no. 9, p. 39, September 1980.
73. Wilhelm, M. R., and Ward, T. L., "Solving Quadratic Assignment Problems by Simulated
Annealing," HE Transactions, vol. 19. pp. 107-119, 1987.

PROBLEMS

SECTION 6.1-6.2
6.1 What are some of the important factors thatshouldbe takeninto consideration when a
layout is being designed?
6.2 In a manufacturing, environment, what is the impact of the material handling decisions
on the effectiveness of a facility layout?
6.3 What kind of manufacturing environments are the following types of layout designs
best suited for?
a. Fixed product layout
b. Product layout
c. Group layout
d. Process layout
6.4 Compare die primary layout design objectives for tlie following situations:
a. Soda bottler
b. Printing shop
c. Meat-processing plant
d. Furniture manufacturing plant
e. Computer chip maker
f. Shipyard
g. Refinery plant
' h. College campus

SECTION 6.3
6.5 What are the basic differences between construction-type and improvement-type
layout algorithms?
6.6 Contrast and compare the plant layout procedures proposed by Apple, Reed, and
Muther.

6.7 Four departments are to be located in a building of 600' X 1000'. The expected per
sonnel traffic flows and area requirements for the departments are shown in the tables
below. Develop a block layout using SLP.
 370
Part Two DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES.- CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES

Dept. A B C D
A 0 250 25 240
B 125 0 400 335
C 100 0 0 225
D 125 285 175 0

Department Department Dimension

A 200' X 200'
B 400' X 400'
C 600' X 600'
D 200' X 200'

6.8 XYZ Inc. has a facility with six departments (A. B, C, D, E, and F). A-summary of the
processing sequence for 10 products and the weekly production forecasts for the prod
ucts are given in the tables below.
a. Develop the from-to chart based on the expected weekly production.
b. Develop a block layout using SLP.

Product Processing Sequence Weekly Production

1 ABCDEF 960
2 ABCBEDCF 1200
3 ABCDEF 720
4 ABCEBCF 2400
5 ACEF 1800
6 ABCDEF 480
7 ABDECBF 2400
8 ABDECBF 3000
9 ABCDF 960
10 ABDEF 1200

Dept. Dimension
A 40' X 40'
B 45' X 45'
C 30' X 30'
D 50' X 50'
E 60' X 60'
F 50' X 50'

6.9 A toy manufacturing company makes 10 different types of products. There are 15
equal-sized departments involved. Given the following product routings and produc
tion forecasts,
a. Construct a from-to chart for the facility.
b. Develop a block layout using SLP.
fj 371
6 LAYOUT PLANNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

fc Product
1
Processing Sequence
ABCDBEFCDH
Weekly Production
500
St 2 M G N O N O 350
HLHK 150
« 3
tm-::
^'•r/V.-:.
4 CFEDH 200

5 N O N 100

6 •IJHKL 150

7 G N O 200

8 ACFBEDHD 440

9 GMN 280

10 IHJ 250

6.10 Shown below is the activity relationship chart along with the space requirements for
each of the six cells in a small auto parts manufacturing facility.
a. Construct relationship and space relationship diagrams.
b. Design, the corresponding block layout using SLP.

CELL A 2,100

CELLB 2,100

CELLC 2,100

CELLD 2,800

CELLE 1,500

CELLF 1,500

CELLG 2,900

,6.11 An activity relationship chart is shown below for the American Mailbox Company. Con
struct a relationship diagram for the manufacturing facility. Given the space require
ments (in ft^), construct a block layout using SLP.

RECEIVING 2,500

PUNCH PRESS 5,500

PRESS BENDING 2,500

PRESS FORMING 2,500

RIVETING 1,500

POWER SAWING .2,500

POWER DRAW, 2,000

WELDING ROBOT 1,000

SECnON6.4
6.12 Suppose five departments labeled A through E are located as shown in the layout
below. Giventhe corresponding flow-between chart, compute the efficiency rating for
the layout.
 -m
'M-j

572 ilv
Part Two DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES; CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES Si

A B C D . E
A —
5 0 4 -3
B —
6 -1 2
A B
C —
-6 0
C D —

3
D - E E —

6.13 In an assembly plant, material handling between departments is performed using a uni
directional closed-loop conveyor. The figure below shows the layout for the modular

A B •

P/D#3 Warehouse
P/D#2
module
/ ^ ^ s
( Conveyor flow j :; P/D#l
^ ^ •'

P/D#4 P/D#5
E

D C

facility, which consists of three equal-sized assembly modules (A, B, and C), one admin
istrative module (D), and one warehouse module (E). P/D points for each module are
also shown in the figure. The administrative and warehouse activities are not to be
moved; however, assembly areas A, B, C can be relocated. The distance between P/D
points and the number of palletloads moved between departments are givenbelow.

Distance between P/Ds Pallet Flow per Day

From To Distance From/To A B C D E

P/D 1 P/D 2 60' A 0 0 5 0 30

P/D 2 P/D 3 90' B 10 0 25 0 0
P/D 3 P/D 4 30' C . 25 5 0 0 0
P/D 4 P/D 5 90' D 0 0 0 0 0

P/D 5 P/D 1 60' E 5 20 5 0 0

Using the pairwise exchange method, determine new locations for assembly modules
A, B, and C that minimize the sum of the products of palletflows and conveyortravel
distances.
6.14 Four equal-sized machines are served by an automated guided vehicle (AGV) on a
linear bidirectional track, as shown in the figure below. Each machine block is 30' X
30'. The product routine information and required production rate are givenin the table
•below. Determine a layout arrangement based on the pairwise exchange method. As-
sume that the pickup/delivery stations are located at the midpoint of the machine edge
along the AGV track.

A B
•^
D
e.
3Z3
6 LAYOUT PIANNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

Product Processing Sequences Weekly Production

• 1 BD CAC 300 units

2 BDAC 700 units

3 D BD CAC 900 units

4 AB C A 200 units

6.15 Using the data from Problem 6.14 but assuming that the locations of the P/D pointsfor
machines A and B are 5 feet from the lower righthand corner of each machine and the
P/D points for machines C and D are 10 feet from the lower-lefthand corner of ma
chines C and D, develop an improved layout using the pairwise exchange method.
6.16 A mobile robot is serving two cells located at eidier sides of the AGV track, as shown
by the figure below. There are three machines placed in each cell. Given the from-to
chart in the table below, find the best machine arrangements for both cells. Rearrange
ment is limited only to machines within each cell. Assume that the P/D point of each
machine is located at the midpoint of the machine edge along the AGV track,

V y
AGV TRACK

M/C A B C D E F

A — 10 50 30 . 0 60

B 5 — 45 40 30 0

C 40 30 — 35 5 20

D 40 25 50 —
40 50

E 0 55 40 50 —
0

F 20 . 0 60 20 10 —

wc Distance M/C Distance

A-B 30 D-E 30

A-C 60 D-F 60

B-C 30 ' E-F 30

6.17 Five machines located in a manufacturing cell are arranged in a "U" configuration as
shown in the layout below. The material handling system employed is a.bidirectional
conveyor system. Determine the best machine arrangement given the product routing
information and production rates in the table.
 1
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Part Two DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES

BI-DIRECTIONAL
CONVEYOR SYSTEM

Product iVIachine Sequence Prod, Rate

1 B-E-A-C 100
2 C-E-D 200
3 B-C-E-A-D 500
4 A-C-E-B 150 .
5 B-C-A 200

M/C Distance M/C Distance

A-B 20' B-D 100'
A-C 70' B-E 120'
A-D 120' C-D 50'
A-E 140' C-E 70'
B-C 50' D-E 20'

6.18 The ABC Cooling and Heating Company manufactures several different types ofair con
ditioners. Five departments are involved in the processing required for the products. A
summary ofthe processing sequences required for the five major products and the weekly
production volumes for the products are shown inthe tables below along with the depart
ment area. Based on thegraph-based construction metliod, develop a block layout.

Product Process Sequence Weeldy Production

1 ABC 150
2 ABED 200
3 ACE 50
4 • ACBE - 200
5 ADE 250

Department Area (ft^)

A 1500
B 1500
C 1000

D 2000
E 2000
 3Z5
. 6 LAYOUT PLANNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

6.19 The activity relationship chart for Walter's machine shop is shown in the figure below.
The space requirements are in square feet. Construct the relationship diagram and de
velop a block layout using the graph-based method.

CELL A 1,000

CELL B 1,200

CELLC 1,000

CELLD 1,200

CELLE 2,000

CELLF 1,000

CFH G 1,600

CELL H . 800

Dept. A B C D E F G H

A —
302 0 0 0 66 0 68
B 0 — 504 20 136 154 56 40
C 0 0 —
76 352 0 122 94 .
D 0 0 0- — 0 0 180 8

E 0 0 0 0 —
122 0 282

F 0 0 0 0 0 . — 188- 24
G 0 0 0 0 • 0 0 — • 296
H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

6.20 The from-to material flow matrix for an eight-departmeint facility is given in the table
below. Construct a relationship diagram based on the material flow matrix, and con
struct a block layout using the graph-based method.

Dept. Area Required (ft^)

A 2800

B 2100

C 2600

.D 400
E 600
F . 400
G 2300
IT 1800

6.21 Consider the layout of five equal-sized departments. The material flow matrix is given
in the figure below.
a. Develop the final adjacency graph using the graph-based procedure.
b. Develop a block layout based on the final adjacency graph obtained in part a.
 a

37& •^
Part Two DEVELOPING AlTEmATIVES: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES i
i
.-•it
•Aji
A B C D E
A — 0 5 25 • 15
B 0 — 20 30 25
C 0 25 — • 40 30
D 30 5 20 — 0
E 20 30 5 10 ^—

6.22 The material flow matrix for 10 departments is given below.

A B C D E F G H I J
A — 0 12 0 132 16 0 220 20 24
B 0 — 176 0 216 0 144 128 0 0

C 0 0 — 0 0 184 0 0 28 0

D 212 136 240 — 36 0 236 0 164 0

E 0 0 140 0 — 0 192 0 0 160

F 0 180 0 188 108 — 248 228 0 0

G 172 0 156 0 0 0 — 112 224 152

H 0 0 32 40 204 0 0 —
0 0

I 0 168 0 0 104 156 0 148 —

200

J 0 124 196 120 0 116 0 108 0 —

The area requirements are

Dept. Area (ft^)

A 400
B 1000

C 2600
D - 400
E 2400

F 1000

G 3600
H 1200

I 400

J 2400

a. Determine a final adjacency graph using the graph-based procedure.

b. Construct a block layout based on the adjacency graph in part a.
6.23 Suppose the efficiency rating is designated by E, and the cost computed by CRAFT is
designated by K. Further suppose that four departments (labeled A, B, C, and D) are
given for a layout problem. Each department is assumed to be of equal area, and each
department is represented by a unit square. The unit cost used in computing i?" is
assumed to be equal to 1.0 for all deparUnent pairs. (That is, c,y = 1.0 for all i, j.) The
flow between the above departments is given as follows:
 IM-

ISSi'"
377
5 LAYOUT PIANNING MODELS AND DESIGN AI^GORITHIvIS'

A B c D

A —
To 10 0 .

B — 0 4
C —• 4
D —

m
a. Compute the values of E and K for the following layout:

A C

B' D

b.' Compute the values of E and K for the following layout.

B
A D
C

c. Compute the values of E and K for the following layout.

A B

C D

d. What can you say regarding the consistency of the two measures. That is, if a layout
is "good" when measured by its lvalue, would it still be "good" when it is mea
sured by its K value or vice versa? Justify your answer.
6.24 Consider four departments labeled A, B, C, and D. Each department is represented by
a 1 X 1 square. The following data are given;

Flow-Between Matrix Unit Cost Matrix

A B C D A B c D

A —

6 0 3 A —
2 0 3
Initial Layout B —
5 0 B 2 —
1 0

A B C —
0 C 0 1 —
0

C D D —
D 3 0 0 —

The location of department A is fixed. Answer the following questions using CRAFT
with two-way exchanges only.
a. List all the. department pairs that CRAFT would consider exchanging. (Do not com
pute their associated cost.)
b. Compute the actual cost of exchanging departments C and D.
c. Given that department A is fixed and that each department must remain as a 1 X 1
square, is the layout obtained by exchanging departments C and D optimum? Why
or why not? (Hint; Examine the properties of the resulting layout and consider the
objective function of CRAFT.)
 375
Part Two DEVELOPING ALTEIWATTVES: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES

6.25 The following layout is an illegal CRAFT layout. Nevertheless, given that the volume of
flow from Ato Bis 4, Ato Cis 3, and Bto Cis 9, and that all move costs are 1, what
is the layout cost?

c c C C C C
c B B B B C

c B A A B C

c B B B B C
c C C C C C

6.26 When CRAFT evaluates the exchange of departments, instead of actually exchanging
the departments, it only exchanges the centroids ofdepartments.
a. What is the impact of this method ofexchanging if all departments are the same
size?
b. Given the following from-to chart and scaled layout (each square is 1 X 1), what
does the evaluation of the exchange of departments B and C indicate should be
saved over the existing layout, and what is actually saved once this exchange is
made?

To

From • A B C

A A A A C B B B B
—
10 6
B 2 — •
7 A A A C B B B B

C — A A A C B B B B
From-To Chart Initial Layout

6.27 Explain the steps CRAFT would take with the following problem and determine the
final layout. Only two-way exchanges are to be considered.

To

From A B C D E
A 3 2 1
—

A A A B B B
B 1 3
—

A A A C C C
C 1 • 4
—

A A A C C C
D D D D
—•
E E E
E —
D D D E E E
From-To Chart Initial Layout

6.28 Amanufacturing concern has five departments (labeled Athrough E) located ina rec
tangular building as shown below:
 379
6 LAYOUT PLANNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

i C

c)

Suppose the flow data, the unit cost data, and the distance matrix are givenas follows;

Flow-Between Matrix Unit Cost ($/Unit Dist.) Distance Matrix

A B c D • E A B C D E A B C D E

A — 0 5 0 5 A — 0 1 0 1 A — 6 20 18 11

B —• 6 2 0 B —• 1 4- 0 B — 12 22 15

C — 3 0 C —
3 0 C — 10 8

D — 7 D .— 1 D — 7

E —
E — E —

a. Using the CRAFT two-way exchange procedure, indicate all the department pairs
CRAFT would consider exchanging in the above layout.
b. Compute the estimatedcost of exchanging departments A and E.
6.29 Suppose thefollowing layout isprovided asthe initial layout to CRAFT. The flow-between
matrix and the distance matrix are given as follows. (All the c,y values are equal to 1.0.)

Flow-Between Matrix Distance Matrix

A B C D E F A B C D E F

A 0 8 0 4 0 A — • 30 25 55 50 80
—

1
A
t ^
25, 60
•
B — • 0 5 0 2 B —
45 50 (
%

1
C — 0 1 0 C — 30 25 55

D. — 6 0 D —

45 25
3
— E3 • •

E — 4 E —
30 [3
t

F — F —
1

a. Given the above data and initial layout, which department pairs will not be consid
ered for exchange.
b. Compute the cost of the initial layout.
c. Compute the eslimated layout cost assuming that departments EandFareexchanged.
d. In general, when the same data and initial layoutare supplied to CRAFr and MUL
TIPLE, why would one expect MULTIPLE to often (but not always) outperform
CRAFT? Also, what type of data and/or initial layout would allow CRAFT to consis-
tendy generate layout costs that are comparable to those obtained from MULTIPLE?
6.30 Answer the following questions for CRAFT.
a. State two principal weaknesses and two principal strengths of CRAFT.
b. CRAFT uses the estimated cost in evaluating the potential impact of exchanging two
or three department locations. Suppose we modify the original computer code to
 ''M..
380
Part Two DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVES: CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES

obtain a new code, say, NEWCRAFT, where we always use the actual cost in evalu
ating the potential impact of exchanging two or three departments. Assuming that
we start with the same initial layout and that we use the same exchange option
(such as two-way exchanges only, or any other exchange option), the cost of the fi
nal layout obtained from NEWCRAFT will not necessarily be less than the cost of the
final layout obtained from CRAFT. True or false? Why?
6.31 Using BLOCPLAN's procedure, convert the following from-to chart to a relationship chart.

To

From A B C D E F G • H

A — 8 3 6
B 1 —

5
C —

D 9 — 18

E 4 1 •—

F 4 4 —

G 2 — 20

H 7 —

6.32 Consider BLOCPLAN. Suppose the following REL-chart and layout are given for a five
department problem. (It is assumed that each grid in the layout represents a unit
square.) Further suppose that the following scoring vector is being used: A = 10, E =
5, I = 2, O = 1, U = 0, and X = -10.

1 2 3 4 5
1 A U E U 4
—

1
2 — U U • I

3 — U X

4 — A
5 3 2

5 —

a. Compute the "efficiency rating."

b. Compute the REL-DIST score.
c. In improving a layout, BLOCPLAN can exchange only those departments that are
either adjacent or equal in area. True or false? Why? (If true, then explain why there
is such a limitation. If false, then explain how two departments that do not meet the
above constraint are exchanged.)
d. In constructing and improving a layout, BLOCPLAN maintains rectangular depart
ment shapes. Discuss the advantages and limitations of maintaining such depart
ment shapes in facility layout.
6.33 Use the MIP model to obtain an optimal layout with the data given for Problem 6.28.
(You may assume that each grid measures 20' X 20'.)
6.34 Use the MIP model to obtain an optimal layout with the data given for Problem 6.29.
(You may assume that each grid measures 10' X 10'.)
 381
W&l 6 LAYOUT PLANNING MODELS AND DESIGN ALGORITHMS

«
6.35 Consider the layout shown in Figure 6.26d. Use LOGIC and the cut-tree shown in
ite' Figure 6.27 to exchange departments B and F.
»sy 6.36 Re-solve Problem 6.35 by exchanging departments D and H in the layout shown in
sti:' Figure 6.26c?.
W^t 6.37 Re-solve Problem 6.35 by exchanging departments G and H in the layout shown in
W- Figure 6.29.
te''- 6.38 Answer the following questions for MULTIPLE.
il a. Consider four departments (labeled A through D) witli the following area requirements:
A = 7 grids, B = 3 grids, C = 4 grids, and D = 2 grids. Using the spacefilling curve
HS: shown below, show the layout that would be obtained from the sequence A-B-C-D.
Btev
#•
®p-'
5 -'

Start End

b. Using the data given for part a and the spacefilling curve shown above, show the
layout that would be obtained by exchanging departments B and D.
c. Discuss the advantages and limitations of using spacefilling curves in the manner
they have been used in MULTIPLE. Your discussion should include the treatment of
fixed departments, dummy departments, unusable floor space (i.e., obstacles), and
extra (i.e., empty) floor space.
6.39 Consider the initial layout and flow/cost data given for Problem 6.28.
a. Using the following conforming curve and MULTIPLE, improve the initial layout via
two-way department exchanges.

V'

b. In general, what is the disadvantage of using conforming curves?

6.40 Consider the initial layout and flow data given for Problem 6.29. Use MULTIPLE and
the following conforming curve to obtain a two-opt layout.