Industrial Engineering for Manufacturing Company: Improving Process Efficiency

Running the “organisation of the future” is a challenging and complex task. Industrial Engineering is a profession that is counted on for helping with these complex tasks.

This assignment is based on the lectures you received, reading materials supplied and cases study analysed discussed and solved in class.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the assignment, you should be able to:

1.Understand how Industrial Engineering can support the strategy of an organisation and the full contribution which Industrial Engineering can make to a modern business.

2.Appreciate where and how a range of Industrial Engineering tools, techniques and systematic approach can be used as well as apply the practical experience gained on the module to enable participants to use the learning beneficially to IE situations.

Compile and write a formal technical report, using an appropriate format and Harvard referencing as indicated in the corresponding tutorial lecture, covering the following:

1.A manufacturing company seeks your professional help in re-engineering their production process along with updating their facility. They are lead suppliers of “mechanism plate” which is an important part used in many machines. It is completely enclosed within the machine; however is one of the most expansive products in it. This plate in many of its variation is used in multiple products and any improvement in its process can be implemented in the manufacturing of its similar types and can lead to productive improvements both in terms of time and cost savings.

The company is manufacturing the plates and other products in batches. One of the disadvantages of such a system is that it extends the lead time (Time between release of the order and its completion) for all products; as there are delays in all production departments due to the wait in queues for each station.

These plates are made up of cast iron and are acquired in their raw form in batches of 100-200 units, from a foundry located almost 25 miles from this manufacturing plant. These batches undergo inspection before being stored in the plants warehouse until they are ready for first stage of production. Also before start of production they are sent for sand blasting to another specialized firm 10 miles away.

The whole production process comprises of many steps; where each operation is being held in a separate department, the plates first undergo a milling process in two stages on two different machines, these are then moved individually (due to the large component size) for a manual cleaning and pickling process, this process removes the cutting dust, smoothens and shines the plate’s surface before sending them to drilling operation. The drilling operation also takes place in four stages on individual machine stations. All holes are then tapped manually at another station within the same department. The plates are again sent for cleaning and pickling individually and are stored temporarily until they can be sent for painting process. The painting is required for improving on the appearance of these plates. The plates are first coated in paint and then baked at low temperature. The finished plates are stored in a temporary storage until all other parts that are to be attached on this plate are readied. The final stage in the production operation takes place at the assembly room, where all the different parts are attached onto these plates and the final component is completed for packaging and shipping.

Assignment Requirements

a)You are required to propose a feasible layout structure for the facility keeping in mind the proximity of frequently used departments and the distance required to travel.

b)Prepare a flow process chart and list down all the operations taking place and critically analyse the operations in terms of total delays, total moves, unnecessary distance travels etc.

c)Provide any recommendations to improve the process where ever possible to save on time and costing; the following considerations can be undertaken, such as;

i.Possible material or process improvement

ii.Integration of operations (either within or from outside the company)

iii.Improving delivery system

iv.Time saving options

v.Revisiting unnecessary operations (with respect to functionality of the part)

vi.Any possible improvement on the plant layout

1.Based on recommendations suggested by you, redraw the flow process chart and highlight the improvements that have been made in the operations due to incorporation of  these suggestions; in terms of total delays, total moves, unnecessary distance travels etc.

2.Select any 3 layouts of your own choice for different facilities (e.g.: library, warehouse, factory, shops, hospital etc.). Discuss and critically analyse them with each other in terms of their individual requirements, users and with reference to the ergonomics for all stakeholders. (20%)

3.Report’s basic requirement

This is a formal academic report. Therefore, it must clearly demonstrate the use of the corresponding theory to carry out the analyses and an appropriate level of discussion, which may be complemented with your own experience, opinion and conclusion.

Demonstrated poor or incomplete understanding of different plant Layouts.Demonstrated some understanding of different plant Layouts but still did not fulfil requirements of the assigned tasks

Demonstrated good understanding of different plant Layouts but did not fulfil all requirements of the assigned tasks

Demonstrated very good understanding of different plant Layouts but critical reasonings were missing

Demonstrated very good understanding of different plant Layouts with critical discussion and reasoning.

Some attempt to structure the argument has been made, but the structure is poorly developed Structure developed reasonably good but lacks clarity. Structure developed  very good but with few mistakes. Structure of the work is clearly developed with proper referencing style.

All submitted assignments for this module will appear in an anonymous format to the Marking Tutor. As such you are requested not to identify yourself anywhere within your submitted assignment (e.g. by putting your name on the front cover sheet). This will maintain your anonymity to your Marking Tutor. The principle behind the usage of anonymous marking of assignments is to ensure that all assignments are marked in an equitable and unbiased manner, thereby ensuring the maintenance of high academic quality standards within the marking of the assessments.

Background

This brief assignment checklist is designed to be given to students to help them avoid some of the most common mistakes they make in their coursework.

Students often lose marks by forgetting some of the more straightforward elements of their assignments. We recommend that you “tick off” each of the points below as you prepare your work for submission. If you need any help, ask your tutor or visit http://www.derby.ac.uk/library/study-skills.

TICK

Have you kept to the word count?  You will lose marks if you do not. Have you read, met and understood the assessment criteria?

Have you maintained an academic tone throughout your work?

Have you tried to avoid using “I”, “we” or “our” in your report ?

Have you proof-read your work and used spellcheck software to check your spelling and grammar?

Can you confirm that the work submitted is your own and not plagiarised?

Late Submission

There may be module and /or programme specific requirements or Professional and Statutory Regulations where late submission is not appropriate or applicable. These exceptions should be outlined in the programme specification, programme handbook or ‘assessment brief’ as appropriate.

A student that is likely to miss a deadline should discuss the situation as early as possible with the personal academic tutor and the module leader.

1. Where a student has a good reason for late submission which does not amount to an exceptional circumstance, the relevant Discipline Lead or Senior Manager can authorise a late submission request granting an extension of up to a maximum of 7 days with no grade penalty. The student will be expected to submit the late submission request and provide evidence to demonstrate that such an extension is appropriate.
2. If serious circumstances beyond a student’s control affect their ability to complete an assessment, they may submit a claim for Exceptional Extenuating Circumstances (EEC). This must be accompanied by evidence and the work done to date, by the original assessment submission deadline. An EEC panel will consider this. Details of the policy and procedure are in Part I of these regulations.

This only applies to first sit coursework only, and only to graded work and not to work that attracts a pass/fail grade.

Where coursework is submitted late without good reason, which has not been approved by an uncapped Late Submission or EEC, but within 7 days of the designated deadline or an Assessed Extended Deadline (F3.6), the work should be marked in the normal way and a penalty applied.

For the purposes of the External Examiners and others, the original mark and the penalty should be clearly indicated. With the pre-penalty mark, being used for the purposes of student feedback and moderation purposes, and the post-penalty mark Part F Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate Programmes Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures for Students on Taught Programmes Academic Year 2019-20 9 recorded in the student’s academic record, and used in any progression and award calculation.

The penalty for late submission:

1. If the work is of a pass standard the maximum that can be obtained will be 40%
2. If the work is received after day 7, the work will not be marked and a NS will be recorded
3. Referred works submitted late will not be marked and a NS will be recorded
4. Any work submitted late after an Assessed Extended deadline (F3.6), will be entitled to submit late with penalty in accordance with F6.3 above.

Work received after an approved LSR/or EEC deadline will be capped at 40%, up to a maximum of 7 days. Any work received after 7 days will not be marked and a NS will be recorded

The time stamp of the work will be indicated by the submission date recorded in the electronic submission or in the event of a manual submission clearly evidenced by the receipt issued.