Cellular manufacturing

Cellular manufacturing

Cellular Manufacturing is a model for workplace design, and is an integral part of lean manufacturing systems. The goal of lean manufacturing is the aggressive minimisation of waste, called muda, to achieve maximum efficiency of resources. Cellular manufacturing, sometimes called cellular or cell production, arranges factory floor labor into semi-autonomous and multi-skilled teams, or work cells, who manufacture complete products or complex components. Properly trained and implemented cells are more flexible and responsive than the traditional mass-production line, and can manage processes, defects, scheduling, equipment maintenance, and other manufacturing issues more efficiently.

Contents

* 1 History

* 2 Design

o 2.1 Process Design

o 2.2 Product Design

* 3 Implementation

* 4 Benefits and Costs

* 5 See also

* 6 References

* 7 Source and Other links

History

See also: Lean manufacturing#History of the Goal

Cellular manufacturing is a fairly new application of group technology. Group Technology is a management strategy with long term goals of staying in business, growing, and making profits. Companies are under relentless pressure to reduce costs while meeting the high quality expectations of the customer to maintain a competitive advantage. Successfully implementing Cellular manufacturing allows companies to achieve cost savings and quality improvements, especially when combined with the other aspects of lean manufacturing. Cell manufacturing systems are currently used to manufacture anything from hydraulic and engine pumps used in aircraft to plastic packaging components made using injection molding.

Design

An example of a cellular manufacturing layout. Each product is manufactured in its own work cell.

An example of a cellular manufacturing layout. Each product is manufactured in its own work cell.

The goal of cellular manufacturing is having the flexibility to produce a high variety of low demand products, while maintaining the high productivity of large scale production. Cell designers achieve this through modularity in both process design and product design.

Process Design

The division of the entire production process into discrete segments, and the assignment of each segment to a work cell, introduces the modularity of processes. If any segment of the process needs to be changed, only the particular cell would be affected, not the entire production line. For example, if a particular component was prone to defects, and this could be solved by upgrading the equipment, a new work cell could be designed and prepared while the obsolete cell continued production. Once the new cell is tested and ready for production, the incoming parts to and outgoing parts from the old cell will simply be rerouted to the new cell without having to disrupt the entire production line. In this way, work cells enable the flexibility to upgrade processes and make variations to products to better suit customer demands while largely reducing or eliminating the costs of stoppages.

Product Design

Product modularity must match the modularity of processes. Even though the entire production system becomes more flexible, each individual cell is still optimised for a relatively narrow range of tasks, in order to take advantage of the mass-production efficiencies of specialisation and scale. To the extent that a large variety of products can be designed to be assembled from a small number of modular parts, both high product variety and high productivity can be achieved. For example, a varied range of automobiles may be designed to use the same chassis, a small number of engine configurations, and a moderate variety of car bodies, each available in a range of colors. In this way, a large variety of automobiles, with different performances and appearances and functions, can be produced by combining the outputs from a more limited number of work cells.

In combination, each modular part is designed for a particular work cell, or dedicated clusters of machines or manufacturing processes. Cells are usually bigger than typical conventional workstations, but smaller than a complete conventional department. After conversion, a cellular manufacturing layout usually requires less floor space as a result of the optimized production processes. Each cell is responsible for its own internal control of quality, scheduling, ordering, and record keeping. The idea is to place the responsibility of these tasks on those who are most familiar with the situation and most able to quickly fix any problems. The middle management no longer has to monitor the outputs and interrelationships of every single worker, and instead only has to monitor a smaller number of work cells and the flow of materials between them, often achieved using a system of kanbans.

Implementation

The biggest challenge when implementing cellular manufacturing in a company is dividing the entire manufacturing system into cells. The issues may be conceptually divided in the "hard" issues of equipment, such as material flow and layout, and the "soft" issues of management, such as upskilling and corporate culture.

The hard issues are a matter of design and investment. The entire factory floor is rearranged, and equipment is modified or replaced to enable cell manufacturing. The costs of work stoppages during implementation can be considerable, and lean manufacturing literature recommend that implementation should be phased to minimize the impacts of such disruptions as much as possible. The rearrangement of equipment (which is sometimes bolted to the floor or built into the factory building) or the replacement of equipment that is not flexible or reliable enough for cell manufacturing also pose considerable costs, although it may be justified as the upgrading obsolete equipment. In both cases, the costs have to be justified by the cost savings that can be realistically expected from the more flexible cell manufacturing system being introduced, and miscalculations can be disastrous.

The soft issues are more difficult to calculate and control. The implementation of cell manufacturing often involves employee training and the redefinition and reassignment of jobs. Each of the workers in each cell should ideally be able to complete the entire range of tasks required from that cell, and often this means being more multi-skilled than they were previously. In addition, cells are expected to be self-managing (to some extent), and therefore workers will have to learn the tools and strategies for effective teamwork and management, tasks that workers in conventional factory environments are entirely unused to. At the other end of the spectrum, the management will also find their jobs redefined, as they must take a more "hands-off" approach to allow work cells to effectively self-manage. Instead, they must learn to perform a more oversight and support role, maintaining a system where work cells self-optimize through supplier-input-process-output-customer (SIPOC) relationships. These soft issues, while difficult to pin down, pose a considerable challenge for cell manufacturing implementation; a factory with a cell manufacturing layout but without cell manufacturing workers and managers is unlikely to achieve the cell manufacturing benefits.

Benefits and Costs

There are many benefits of cellular manufacturing for a company if applied correctly. Most immediately, processes become more balanced and productivity increases because the manufacturing floor has been reorganized and tidied up.

Part movement, set-up time, and wait time between operations are reduced, resulting in a reduction of work in progress inventory freeing idle capital that can be better utilized elsewhere. Cellular manufacturing, in combination with the other lean manufacturing and just-in-time processes, also helps eliminate overproduction by only producing items when they are needed. The results are cost savings and the better control of operations.

There are some costs of implementing cellular manufacturing, however, in addition to the set-up costs of equipment and stoppages noted above. Sometimes different work cells can require the same machines and tools, possibly resulting in duplication causing a higher investment of equipment and lowered machine utilization. However, this is a matter of optimization and can be addressed through process design.

References

* Black, J.T. (2000). 'Lean Manufacturing Implementation', in Paul M. Swamidass (ed.), Innovations in competitive manufacturing, Boston, Mass.; London: Kluwer Academic, 177-86.

* Brandon, John. (1996). Cellular Manufacturing: Integrating Technology and Management, Somerset, England: Research Studies Press LTD.

* Feld, William M., (2001). Lean Manufacturing: tools, techniques, and how to use them, Boca Raton, FL; Alexandria, VA: St. Lucie Press; Apics.

* Hyer, Nancy and Urban Wemmerlov. (2002). Reorganizing the Factory: Competing through Cellular Manufacturing, Portland, OR.

* Irani, Shahrukh. (1999). Handbook of Cellular Manufacturing Systems, New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999.

* Singh, Nanua and Divakar Rajamani. (1996). Cellular Manufacturing Systems Design, Planning and Control, London, UK: Chapman & Hall.

* Swamdimass, Paul M. and Darlow, Neil R. (2000). 'Manufacturing Stratey', in Paul M. Swamidass (ed.), Innovations in competitive manufacturing, Boston, Mass.; London: Kluwer Academic, 17-24.

* Womack, James P., Jones, Daniel T., and Roos. Daniel. (2001). The machine that changed the world, New York, NY: Harper Perennial.

Source and Other links

• Wikipedia
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Cellular Flow Manufacturing, Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center
• Cellular Manufacturing, Strategos, Inc.

Sure Ways to Follow to Earn Fast.

Sure Ways to Follow to Earn Fast

Sure Ways to Follow to Earn
Fast Cash Online

Do you want a quick way on earning money
online? Is your mind coupled with questions on what to sell via internet and
what techniques are needed to be able to stay profitable? Well, this is the
right article for you! From a study conducted by Winterberry Group, it was
found out that electronic marketing has grown over 41% to as high as
$3.5billion on 2005. By this statistics, it can clearly be concluded that it
is a good industry to invest on. Earning money online is as easy as 1, 2, 3.
Just follow the guidelines below and you will not be lost.



The first things to consider are the products or services you will be
offering. The important thing is to provide something that you are
knowledgeable of. You will find it hard to promote something which you are
not familiar of. Start thinking of a product or service which you are keenly
interested in. Here are some examples of internet businesses are:



A. Selling e-books. These information e-books are documents created as a
computer file. They are generally 30 or more pages in length and delivered
online as a word document or in pdf format. You need to make sure that you
are skillful in writing and that your book will contain vital information
people need.



B. Affiliate Marketing. You can be an affiliate, wherein you will be selling
the products of a certain company and youíll be getting commissions for
every sale. If you want to have bigger sales, you can have your own
affiliate program and attract affiliates to market your products on the
website.



C. Online Auctions. You can sell scrap or old items online and turn them
into cash quickly. You will not be the only one benefiting from this
business but your friends who intentionally wants to free spaces on their
houses. This is regarded as one of the best ways to earn money online. Ebay
is one of the most popular online auctions nowadays.



The next step is to identify your market. Specifically identify a niche and
do not settle in just selling to everyone. You may filter your target market
with the age range, the location, or the interest. If your information
regarding your market is still insufficient, you should interview folks,
read the newspapers and attend parties just to have a glimpse of the
lifestyles of the future clients you may have.



Identification of market will not be enough. It will always be how to
attract them. Useful and ample information about your websites must be
listed. You will need to invite these potential clients to sign up on your
webpage. This will be a means to keep in touch with them to have them as
your regular customers.



Earning money online is now fast; just being sure that all customers are
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There are numerous options available to everyone who seeks a fast way of
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want to succeed with your business.

Learning Tips for Students.

Learning Tips for Students

Long ago, there was a time, when parents told children to read slowly and
loudly to understand everything they read.

A lot of things have changed. Today's children have bigger syllabi to learn.
Now, learning experts and teachers ask students to read faster and grasp
important points.

Here are a few tips for students who have a lot to learn, but very little
time.

Make a Timetable

Your timetable should have separate time for eating, playing games,
exercise, reading newspaper and study materials. You should not only make a
timetable, but also should stick to it.

Give priority to leisure and games in the afternoon, but separate early
morning time for studies. Make sure you read all the class notes before you
go to bed.

While allotting time to different subjects, allot more time to difficult
subjects. You need only less time for the subjects that are easier for you
to learn.

Taking Notes

Taking notes is an important part of learning. You need to take lecture
notes (classroom notes) and notes from your textbook.

- Go through the lessons on the day before your teacher would teach it in
the class. This gives you an idea of what to expect.

- Write down important ideas as bullet points. One word or a phrase is
enough to include an idea.

- Give prominence to important ideas by underlining them in your notes.

- Leave lot of space in each face of paper. This will help you add new
points later.

- Organize your notes into separate files. Each subject should have a
different file. Label the outer page of the file with name of the subject
and your teacher. You should also neatly organize each file according to
chapters and topics.

- Read the notes (important points) in the night, before going to bed. Read
only once. This helps you memorize the lessons clearly.

- While taking notes from a book, label the name of the book and author.
Also, note the page number next to your notes. It makes it easy for you to
refer to the book three or six months later.

Reading Techniques

You need to read fast and grasp more things. Here are some pointers to fast
reading.

- Note the name of the book and its author in the reading log.

- Take a quick look from cover to cover to identify the important chapters.


- Take a quick look over the chapter, identify the important points, and
note them down.

- Read the lesson fast. To increase the speed of learning, pass your eyes
through the top of the letters and not through the centre. For example,
while reading, pass your eyes through the area where the dot above the
letter i appears and not through the loop of the letter o.

- Don't take notes while reading.

- Don't go back to read a word or a sentence. If you don't get the idea of
the subject, you can come back to the sentence after you finish reading the
chapter. Never look up a dictionary while in the middle of reading a
chapter. Refer dictionary only if you don't automatically understand the
meaning of a word after finishing the paragraph and the chapter.

- Note down the points you remember. Now check if you have taken all the
important points, with another fast reading.

How to increase memory

Try to understand completely what you read or hear.

Repeat what you hear or read in your mind.

Make notes of what you learn at school or read from books. A single word can
help you remember a whole idea.

Give number to the points.

Don't try to bring to memory all the things you have learned. Learn the
technique of bringing to memory one thing at a time.

How to increase concentration

Mental concentration is important to memory and better learning.

Stick to your reading timetable. You should separate a specific place and
specific time of the day for reading.

Sit erect. It increases your concentration.

Don't allow disturbances like phone calls, music etc while reading.

Concentrate on the lessons you read. Don't think about the next book you
have to read while you are reading a book. A better way is to make an order
of the books and lessons to read and arrange them in order before you start
reading.

Immediately after reading a paragraph, try to recall the idea from that
paragraph. This helps you concentrate more on your reading.

Ideal conditions for reading/learning

A silent location that you don't use for sleeping, eating or leisure
purposes is the most ideal condition for reading.

Install a fluorescent tube light in the reading room. This helps mild light
to fall evenly all over the room. Don't sit in the darkness while reading.
If you use table lamp, arrange it towards your left if you are a
right-hander.

Arrange the papers, pencils, boards and books on the table before you start
reading.

Never try to read while you are tired or ill.

Eat healthy food rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fibres. Replace fast
food, pizza, burger, chocolates, ice creams, etc with fresh fruits, whole
grain food items (like chapatti), milk, fruit juices, etc.

Exercise daily. Swimming, cycling and jogging are good for students.
Practise yoga. It increases concentration and willpower.

Don't watch TV. Instead, play some games in the outdoors. While TV makes you
dumb, the games make you smarter.

Read lot of books. Read classic stories, fables (like Aesop fables,
Panchatantra stories, etc), etc. Don't spend too much time on comic
cartoons.