Functional Vs Cellular work layoutsIt is commonly understood that carrying out similar tasks in one place can improve the productivity. For an example, you will send semi finished products to another department for the subsequent processes and then the processed part will be taken in to the main line again. This might be an operation like sending a shirt (In Apparel Industry) to press to the pressing department, and then sending it to the packing department for the packing and finishing. Since similar operations are clubbed together, workers in these departments are very highly specialized. It is less costly, since the special equipment for the job, can be stored in a central place and also can manage tem efficiently. Machine usage time is very high. Therefore these operations are carried out with high efficiencies. When it comes to lean manufacturing, it treats departmentalized thinking or Suboptimisation as an enemy. Why is that? Especially when this system is very efficient. The problem with departmentalized or functional layouts is that higher efficiencies are achieved only in departments. This efficiency comes with very high cost of inflexibility, mass production requirements, longer lead-times and low overall efficiencies. If we look in to the previous example, let’s say your pressing department increases its efficiency by 200%. This does not mean the system efficiency has gone up by 200%. Result is over production and high WIP. More than that, this will make people working in separate departments to look at their individual performances rather than increasing the total productivity of the system. Alternative lean manufacturing provide is Work Cells. Workers will be multi skilled. A complete product or a complete part of a product is made in a cell. In the case of previous example, the pressing and the packing will be done in the work cell itself. This will avoid over production. Meanwhile work cells will reduce the transportation of goods within the work place dramatically. Reduced waiting and no over production makes the system to run with almost no WIP. Quality defects are identified very easily and treated on the spot. Among all the other advantages work cell bring to the system, increased satisfaction level of the workers and high team sprit is very important. Wouldn’t you like to see the end result of your work? Work cells bring the flexibility to the system. Changing from one product to another is very easy. It reduces the lead time. Reduction of over production and WIP, improved quality and quality assurance is among the other important advantages. |
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