Methods Engineering & Layout Planning
Chapters:
8. Introduction to Methods Engineering and
Part II Operations Analysis
9. Charting Techniques
10. Motion Study and Work Design
11. Facility Layout Planning and Design
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Introduction to Methods Engineering and
Operations Analysis
Sections:
Chapter 8 1. Evolution and Scope of Methods
Engineering
2. How to Apply Methods Engineering
3. Basic Data Collection and Analysis
Techniques
4. Automation and Methods Engineering
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Methods Engineering “ME”
Methods Engineering: analysis and design of
work methods and systems, including the
tooling, equipment, technologies, workplace
layout, plant layout, and work environment.
Other names for methods engineering:
Work study
Work simplification
Methods study
Process re-engineering
Business process re-engineering
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Traditional Objectives in Methods
Engineering
To increase productivity and efficiency
To reduce cycle time
To reduce product cost
To reduce labor content
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Other (contemporary) Objectives of
Methods Engineering
Improve customer satisfaction
Improve product and/or service quality
Reduce lead times and improve work flow
Increase flexibility of work system
Improve worker safety
Apply more ergonomic work methods
Enhance the environment (both inside and
outside the facility)
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Operations Analysis
Term closely related to methods engineering
Operations Analysis: study of an operation or
group of related operations for the purpose of
analyzing their efficiency and effectiveness so that
improvements can be developed
Objectives in operations analysis
Increase productivity
Reduce time and cost
Improve safety and quality
Same basic objectives as methods engineering,
the two terms are very similar, except that methods
engineering put more emphasis on design.
Methods Engineering
Can be divided into two areas:
1. Methods analysis
2. Methods design
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Methods Analysis
Concerned with the study of an existing
method or process
Usual objectives of methods analysis:
Eliminate unnecessary and non-value-
adding work elements
Combine elements or operations by
performing them at one location and/or
simultaneously
Rearrange elements into more logical
sequence
Simplify remaining elements and operations
Methods Design
Concerned with either of the following situations:
1. Design of a new method or process
Required for new product or service and
there is no existing precedent
In this case, method must be designed
from scratch, using best existing practice
for similar operations
2. Redesign of an existing method or process
based on a preceding methods analysis
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Systematic Approach to Apply Methods
Engineering
1. Define the problem and objectives.
Examples on problems: low productivity, high cost, inefficient method, or the
need for a new method or operation
Objective: the desired improvement or new method design; examples:
increase productivity, reduce labor content, develop a new method or new
operation.
2. Analyze the problem
Consists of data collection and analysis using appropriate techniques of ME
3. Formulate alternatives
There are always multiple ways to perform a task or a process; some of
which are more efficient than others
4. Evaluate alternatives and select the best solution
Selection of the best solution among alternatives based on the defined problem
and objectives
5. Implement the best method (alternative)
6. Audit the study: How successful was the solution?
Techniques of Methods Engineering
Basic data collection and analysis techniques
Charting and diagramming techniques
Motion study and work design
Facility layout planning
Work measurement techniques
New approaches
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Charting & Diagramming Techniques
Network diagrams: are used for analyzing work flow, balancing of
assembly lines … etc.
Traditional IE charting techniques: used to symbolize
and summarize an existing operation or sequence of operations. Such charts are:
Operation charts: graphical and symbolic representation of
operations used to produce a product
Process charts: graphical and symbolic representation of the
processing activities (actions) performed on something or by somebody
Flow diagrams: is a drawing of the facility layout but with the
addition of lines representing movement of materials or workers to specific
locations in the facility.
Block diagrams: alternative ways of depicting processes, used largely
in to represent control systems
Process maps: process maps provide a detailed picture of process or
system of interest, widely applied to business processes.
Motion Study and Work Design
Concerned with basic motions of a human
worker while performing a given task
Examples of basic motion elements:
Reach
Grasp
Move
Release
By studying the basic motions in the work method used by a worker, unnecessary
motions can be eliminated, or some of the motion elements can be combined.
Guidelines for work design include what is
called “principles of motion economy”; these are
certain principles on how to perform manual work, these principles
were developed over many years of experience
Facility Layout Planning
Facility layout refers to:
Size and shape of a facility (factory, office building …etc.)
Arrangement of the different departments
and equipment within the facility
Examples of identified problems that need the use
of facility layout planning technique:
Design of a new facility
Installing new equipment, retiring old
equipment
Expanding (or contracting) an existing facility
Work Measurement Techniques
Four basic work measurement techniques:
1. Direct time study
2. Predetermined motion time systems (PMTS):
database of basic motion element and their associated normal time values, used
to analyze manual tasks and establish standard times for the tasks.
3. Standard data systems
4. Work sampling: statistical technique for determining the proportions
of time spent by worker or machine in various types of activities. It can be used
to determine worker or/and machine utilization.
PMTS and work sampling can be used in
methods engineering to make improvements in
the work methods
New Approaches evolved from the traditional techniques
Lean production
Based on the Toyota production system
Embraced by U.S. companies due to its
success at Toyota
Six Sigma and other quality-focused programs
Widely adopted in industry for improving
quality of work processes
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Selecting Among Alternative Proposals
Need for a systematic procedure to decide
among alternative proposals (solutions)
To begin, list the technical features and
functional specifications for the application, then
divide them into two categories:
Must features
Desirable features
Develop a criteria matrix to evaluate alternatives
Drop candidates that do not satisfy “must
features”
Develop scores for desirable features
Example: Evaluation of Robots for Welding
Industrial Robot Candidates
Model A Model B Model C Model D
Must features:
Continuous path control OK OK OK OK
Six-axis robot arm OK OK Not OK OK
Walkthrough programming OK OK OK OK
Desirable features:
Ease of programming (0-9) 6 4 6
Capability to edit program (0- 4 2 5
5)
Multi-pass features (0-4) 2 2 2
Work volume (0-9) 5 8 6
Repeatability (0-5) 5 2 4
Lowest price (0-5) 4 5 3
Delivery (0-3) 1 1 3
Evaluation of vendor (0-9) 6 5 8
Totals: 33 29 37
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Basic Data Collection & Analysis Tools
1. Histograms
2. Pareto charts
3. Pie charts
4. Check sheets
5. Defect concentration diagrams
6. Scatter diagrams
7. Cause and effect diagrams
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Histogram
A statistical graph consisting of bars representing
different members of a population, in which the
length of each bar indicates the frequency or
relative frequency of each member
A useful tool because the analyst can quickly
visualize the features of the data, such as:
Shape of the distribution
Any central tendency in the distribution
Approximations of the mean and mode
Amount of scatter in the data (standard divination)
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Histogram for Data Display
The mean value
is around 2.0,
the mode is the
interval 2.0 to
2.005, the
standard
deviation is
about 0.008 =
(2.025-1.975)/6
because of
normal
distribution
Pareto Chart
Special form of histogram in which attribute data
are arranged according to some criterion such
as cost or value
Based on Pareto’s Law: “the vital few and the
trivial many”
Often identified as the 80%-20% rule
80% of a nation’s wealth is owned by 20%
of the population
80% of sales are accounted for by 20% of
the SKUs
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Pareto Distribution
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Pie Charts
Pie Chart is a
circular display
that is sliced by
radii into
segments whose
relative area
proportional to the
magnitudes or
frequency of data.
Example: see the
figure
Check Sheet
Data collection tool generally used in the
preliminary stages of a study of a quality problem
Data often entered by worker as check marks in
a given category
Examples:
Defective item check sheet – types and
frequencies of defects on the product
Defect location check sheet - where defects
occur on the product
Defect Concentration Diagram
A drawing of the product (all relevant views), onto
which the locations and frequencies of various
defect types are added
Useful for analyzing the causes of product or
part defects
By analyzing the defect types and
corresponding locations, the underlying causes
of the defects can possibly be identified
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Defect Concentration Diagram
Four views of refrigerator showing locations of
surface defects
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Scatter Diagrams
An x-y plot of data collected on two variables,
where a correlation between the variables is
suspected
The data are plotted as pairs; for each xi value,
there is a corresponding yi value
The shape of the collection of data points often
reveals a pattern or relationship between the
two variables
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Scatter Diagram
Effect of cobalt
content on wear
resistance for a
cemented carbide
cutting tool (tungsten
carbide)
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Cause and Effect Diagram
A graphical-tabular chart used to list and analyze
the potential causes of a given problem
Can be used to identify which causes are most
consequential and how to take corrective
action against them
Also known as a “fishbone diagram”
Six general categories of causes are often
used. Called 5Ms: Machine, Material, Methods,
Mother Nature, Measurement, people.
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Example: Cause and Effect Diagram
Methods Engineering and Automation
USA Principle
Ten Strategies for Automation
Automation Migration Strategy.
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
USA Principle
1. Understand the existing process
2. Simplify the process
3. Automate the process
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Understand the Existing Process
What are the inputs?
What are the outputs?
Number and placement of inspections
Number of moves and delays experienced by
the work unit
Time spent in storage
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Mathematical Models
What are the important output variables?
How are these output variables affected by
inputs to the process?
Develop mathematical model of the process
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Simplify the Process
What is the purpose of this operation or this
transport?
Can this step be eliminated?
Is the most appropriate technology being
used?
How can this step be simplified?
Can steps be combined?
Can steps be performed simultaneously?
Can steps be integrated into a manually
operated production line?
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automate the Process
If simplification is successful, automation may
not be necessary
Ten strategies for automation
Automation migration strategy
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Ten Strategies for Automation
1. Specialization of operations :use of special-purpose equipment
designed to perform one operation
2. Combined operations: performing more than one operation sequentially at
a given workstation, thereby reducing the number of separate workstations needed
3. Simultaneous operations: two or more operations are performed at the
same time on the same work unit, thus reducing total processing time.
4. Integration of operations: linking several workstations together into a
single integrated mechanism using automated work handling devices to achieve
continuous work flow, each workstation performs portion of the workload
5. Increased flexibility: use of the flexible automation concepts that are
implemented using computer systems
6. Improved material handling and storage
7. On-line inspection
8. Process control and optimization
9. Plant operations control
10. Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM)
Automation Migration Strategy
Phase 1: Manual production using single
station manned cells operating independently
Phase 2: Automated production using single
station automated cells operating
independently.
Phase 3: Automated integrated production
using a multi-station automated system with
serial operations and automated transfer of
work units between stations.
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation Migration Strategy
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
©2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation Migration Strategy continued
