Question

Describe using appropriate examples from real life products, the characteristics and benefits of Group Technology and Cellular Layout. Please be very detailed in your answers.

Answer 1

Group technology is a manufacturing philosophy which advocates the identification and grouping of parts that have similar design or manufacturing characteristics as a way to reduce errors and achieve efficiencies. Complex manufacturing can often be broken down into smaller and simpler parts that can be grouped by their features/attributes. These can then be processed together to save time/effort/money in the manufacturing process with the use of standardised processes.

The principal idea of Group technology is to divide the entire process into small groups or cells (Cellular manufacturing) where a part family is produced by a set of machinery/equipment. A cellular layout contains a set of machine tools and equipment grouped together to process one or more part families. Processes (such as polishing, grinding etc.) can also be grouped as cells e.g. slicing buns and bagels can be using the same equipment or one cell, then toasting the buns and bagels can be done using other equipment which is another cell.

GT and cellular layout offers the following benefits :

- Boosting productivity by reducing duplication of effort : It maximises product efficiencies by grouping similar or recurring tasks and helps to reduce the time/effort involved. The same operators can manage the set of tasks, layout allowing for more specialisation which can lead to higher productivity. e.g. In making multi-layer cakes, a bakery will use the same oven to bake the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry sponge cake for the layers. As the same equipment is needed for the making of these product parts, the same set of ovens can be used for this family of product parts - 3 types of cake layers - for the single final product.

- Promoting customisation in products : In these days of increasing customisation, GT can help by allowing small changes in parts to be effected using the same cellular manufacturing technique. e.g. bread slicers are set to a specific thickness to cut bread loafs, however these can be modified to enable customisations in the shape and size of a slice using the same manufacturing elements.

- Reducing errors from recurring problems and thereby increasing quality : Repetitive tasks can indicate issues that can be resolved before the next task begins, allowing the manufacturing process to be increasingly refined to reduce errors. e.g. in manufacturing watches, the two sides of the strap can be part of the same part family and processed using cellular manufacturing techniques. As the parts are made in recurring tasks any ensuing issues can be fixed in subsequent tasks leading to fewer errors in both parts' manufacture.

- Improving production planning and control by reducing time taken : Setup and workflows can be reduced by using cellular layout so that setup times can be reduced, and workflows of product parts can be planned and managed more effectively. Factories that use complex machinery with high setup times can gain massive advantages by using a cellular layout. e.g. car doors manufacturing where the same equipment can be set up to manufacture all types of doors using the same layout, but with reduced setup time that only needs to take in the minor changes between the door dimensions and features.

- Leading to less dependence on manual labour : Once the layouts are designed and part families identified, a single operator can oversee the operation for the whole part family instead of just one one process or part . By mechanising the workflow and automating as many of the processes as possible, GT cells can even be operated unmanned. e.g. Intel staffs very few operators in their fabrication factories as the equipment is set up to manufacture large volumes but with little manual intervention.

(Hyer, Wemmerlov, 1984)

References :

Hyer, Nancy L. , Wemmerlov, Urban (1984) Group Technology and Productivity. Harvard Business Review. July