Capacity

It refers to the maximum output rate that a facility can manage. On the same note, it can refer to the number of units that a facility can produce, receive or store for a particular time. Many companies opt to achieve effective capacity. They will only achieve it given their current operating constraints (Shah, 2009). Similarly, design capacity refers to the maximum output rate of a system under the ideal conditions. Capacity availability is affected by the following factors. First, the change in product specification will result in the change in the work content; hence, this will impact the number of units the system will produce. Second, the product mix also affects the capacity availability whereby the work content of the product is measured at the time the product is made. Therefore, in a situation when the products mix changes, the total work content will change. The third factor is the plant and equipment, and work effort that is related to the speed of the work done. The change in the speed of the work effort will alter the capacity.

Cycle Time

It refers to the average time that the system takes to complete successive units (Collier & Evans, 2012). Many organizations find it difficult to design an advanced manufacturing facility. Facilities tend to meet the needs of the customers by offering various options within their product line. They run several product variations using flexible techniques. Such a move increases the number of cycle times and changes over in respective stations. A cycle time field is a piece of data that can be found easily; however, it requires a lot of calculations and engineering to get that single data. It is important to note that effective and efficient manufacturing facilities have come up with a systematic scheme for calculating the designed cycle times. The schemes aim to reduce the negative influence of over-cycles, changeovers, and downtime.

Layout

The facility layout refers to the arrangement in the facility that aims to maximize the processes that are efficient to achieving the goals of the organization. The primary goal of the layout is to ensure the system provides a smooth flow of work, information, and materials (Shah, 2009). Similarly, the essential element to providing effective facility layout and design is the need to integrate the personnel and customers, and materials and develop a single well-functioning system. The factors that determine the facility layout and design include the need for the organization to expand or change. The layout should be designed to meet the changing requirements of the organization. Second, the layout should consider the flow of movement. It should ensure smooth process flow. Third, the facility should be able to handle materials and output needs.

References

Collier, D. A., & Evans, J. R. (2012). OM3. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Shah, J. (2009). Supply chain management: Text and cases. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education.

 
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