Facility Layout

Facility Layout For an organization to have an effective and efficient manufacturing unit, it is important that special attention is given to facility layout. Facility layout is an arrangement of different aspects of manufacturing in an appropriate manner as to achieve desired production results. Facility layout considers available space, final product, safety of users and facility and convenience of operations. An effective facility layout ensures that there is a smooth and steady flow of production material, equipment and manpower at minimum cost. Facility layout looks at physical allocation of space for economic activity in the plant. Therefore, main objective of the facility layout planning is to design effective workflow as to make equipment and workers more productive.

Facility Layout Objective

A model facility layout should be able to provide an ideal relationship between raw material, equipment, manpower and final product at minimal cost under safe and comfortable environment. An efficient and effective facility layout can cover following objectives:

• To provide optimum space to organize equipment and facilitate movement of goods and to create safe and comfortable work environment.
• To promote order in production towards a single objective
• To reduce movement of workers, raw material and equipment
• To promote safety of plant as well as its workers
• To facilitate extension or change in the layout to accommodate new product line or technology up-gradation
• To increase production capacity of the organization

An organization can achieve the above-mentioned objective by ensuring the following:

• Better training of the workers and supervisors.
• Creating awareness about of health hazard and safety standards
• Optimum utilization of workforce and equipment

Encouraging empowerment and reducing administrative and other indirect work