Problem 6.5 As Part Of A Major Plant Renovation Project

Problem 6 5as Part Of A Major Plant Renovation Project

Problem 6 5as Part Of A Major Plant Renovation Project

As part of a major plant renovation project, the industrial engineering department has been asked to balance a revised assembly operation to achieve an output of 240 units per eight-hour day. Task times and precedence relationships are as follows: Task Duration (minutes) Immediate Predecessor a 0.2 - b 0.4 a c 0.2 b d 0.4 - e 1.2 d f 1.2 c g 1.0 e, f Do each of the following: b. Determine the minimum cycle time, the maximum cycle time, and the calculated cycle time. (Round your answers to 1 decimal place.) The minimum cycle time II III IV

Paper For Above instruction

The task of optimizing a production line to meet specific output goals involves determining suitable cycle times within the constraints of process activities and their precedence relationships. In this scenario, the goal is to produce 240 units in an eight-hour workday, which equals 480 minutes. Based on this, the calculation of the cycle time is critical for line balancing and ensuring efficiency without overburdening any station.

Firstly, the minimum cycle time is calculated by dividing the total available production time by the number of units to be produced. Therefore, the minimum cycle time (Cmin) can be determined as follows:

Cmin = Total available time / Production target = 480 minutes / 240 units = 2.0 minutes per unit.

This represents the fastest possible rhythm at which the units can be produced assuming no other constraints such as task dependencies or precedence constraints interfere. On the other hand, the maximum cycle time is governed by the longest individual task duration, as no cycle time can be set longer than the longest task without causing delays in the process. The longest task duration from the provided data is 1.2 minutes, corresponding to tasks e and f.

Hence, the maximum cycle time (Cmax) is 1.2 minutes, which is the smallest among the task durations that can be maintained across all workstations without causing delays.

The calculated or practical cycle time (Ccalc) straddles these limits, balancing the possibility of line efficiency with the real constraints of the process. Since the production target is 240 units in 480 minutes, the baseline cycle time is 2.0 minutes per unit. However, given task durations and precedence constraints, the effective cycle time may need to be adjusted slightly.

In this case, acknowledging that the minimum cycle time is 2.0 minutes based on output requirements and the maximum is 1.2 minutes dictated by task durations, the working cycle time must be set around these bounds. Usually, the cycle time is chosen based on a balanced approach considering task dependencies and feasibility, which often means selecting a cycle time close to the calculated minimum, but not less than the maximum task duration, to ensure smooth operation.

Thus, the three cycle times are:

  • Minimum cycle time - 2.0 minutes
  • Maximum cycle time - 1.2 minutes
  • Calculated cycle time - approximately 1.2 to 2.0 minutes, depending on detailed line balancing and task assignment constraints.

In conclusion, the critical factor in line balancing for this process is choosing a cycle time that aligns with the production quantity, task durations, and precedence. The data suggests that a cycle time close to 2.0 minutes will meet the output goals, but engineers may fine-tune within that range to optimize workflow and efficiency.

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