PLANT LOCATION & PLANT LAYOUT
Contents
• Plant location
• Plant layout
• Utilities and services
Learning objectives
• Understand the plant location
• Designin the plant layout
• Discuss the utilities and services
PLANT LOCATION:
- A plant should be located
at a place where inhabitants are interested in its success, the product
can be sold profitably and production cost is minimum – DR.
Vishweshwarya. - A plant location is often
result of compromise among conflicting social, economic and geographical
conditions – Lansburg.
The principle factors to be considered for the location of a
plant:
·
Availability of Raw materials
·
Nearness to Potential market
·
Supply of Labour
·
Transportation facilities
·
Availability of Utilities : Water, Fuel, Power
·
Suitability of Climate & Land
·
Local Community Considerations
·
Political
Strategic Considerations
·
Environmental
Impact, And Effluent Disposal.
Availability of Raw Materials:
·
The
Availability And Price Of Suitable Raw Materials Will Often Determine The Site Location.
Plants Producing Bulk Chemicals Are Best Located Close To The Source Of The
Major Raw Material.
·
EX:
Soda Ash Plant Should Be Located Near The Salt Lakes Or Near Sea, Where Sodium
Chloride Is Available Abundantly.
Nearness to Potential Market:
·
For
Materials That Are Produced In Bulk Quantities: Such As Cement, Mineral Acids and
Fertilizers, the Plant Should Be Located Close To the Primary Market.
Supply of Labour :
·
Local Trade Union Customs And Restrictive Practices
Will Have To Be Considered When Assessing The Availability And Suitability Of
The Labour For Recruitment And Training.
·
An Adequate Pool of Unskilled Labour Available
Locally.
Transportation Facilities:
·
The Transport Of Materials And Products To And From
Plant Will Be An Overriding Consideration.
·
If Practicable, A Site Should Be Selected That Is
Close to At Least Two Major Forms Of Transport: Road, Rail, Waterway Or A
Seaport.
Availability of Utilities: Water, Fuel, Power:
·
The Word “Utilities” Is Now Generally Used For The
Ancillary Services Needed In The Operation Of Any Production Process.
·
Electricity: Power Required For
Electrochemical Processes, Motors, Lightings, And General Use.
·
Steam For Process Heating: The
Steams Required For The Process Are Generated In The Tube Boilers Using Most
Economic Fuel.
·
Water For General Use: The Water
Required For The General Purpose Will Be Taken From Local Water Supplies.
Suitability of Climate & Land:
·
Adverse Climatic Conditions at Site Will Increase
Costs. Abnormally Low Temperatures Will Require The Provision Of Additional
Insulation And Special Heating For Equipment And Piping.
·
Sufficient Suitable Land Must Be Available For The
Proposed Plant And Future Expansion. The Land Should Be Ideally Flat, Well
Drained and Have Load-Bearing Characteristics. A Full Site Evaluation Should Be
Made To Determine The Need For Piling Or Other Foundations.
Local Community Considerations:
·
The Proposed Plant Must Fit In With and Be
Acceptable To the Local Community. Full Consideration Must Be Given To The Safe
Location of The Plant. So That It Does Not Impose A Significant Additional Risk
To The Community.
Political
and Strategic Considerations:
·
Capital Grants, Tax Concessions, And Other
Inducements Are Often Given By Governments To Direct New Investment To
Preferred Locations; Such As Areas Of High Unemployment. The Availability Of
Such Grants Can Be The Overriding Consideration In Site Selection.
Environmental
Impact, And Effluent Disposal:
·
All Industrial Processes Produce Waste Products, And
Full Consideration Must Be Given To The Difficulties And Coat Of Their
Disposal. The Disposal Of Toxic And Harmful Effluents Will Be Covered By Local
Regulations, And The Appropriate Authorities Must Be Consulted During The
Initial Site Survey To Determine The Standards That Must Be Met.
LAYOUT PLANNING:
·
Layout
planning in manufacturing and service organizations involves the physical
arrangement of various resources available in the system to improve the
performance of the operating system, thereby providing better customer service.
Plant layout begins with plant location and continues
through 3 further levels:
·
Layout of department with in site.
·
Layout of items with in the department.
·
Layout of individual work place.
Objectives of Plant Layout:
·
Economies of materials, facilitation of
manufacturing and handling of goods.
·
Proper and efficient use of floor space.
·
Ensure proper flow of goods and processes without
any delay.
·
Provision of supervision and control.
Objectives of Plant Layout:
·
Careful planning to avoid changes and re-layout
of a plant.
·
Provision of safety to workers.
·
Meet quality and capacity requirement in the
most economical manner.
·
Provision of adequate medical facilities and
refreshment facilities.
·
Have enough of material handling space.
·
Space for future expansion.
Implications of Layout Planning:
·
The relationship between “volume-variety-flow”
provides crucial inputs to the layout problem.
·
As the flow becomes more cumbersome, the type of
layout may significantly influence the ability of the operations manager to
effectively plan and control operations on the shop floor.
Types of Layouts:
·
Over the years, operations management and
practitioners have evolved four major types of layouts.
Types of Layouts:
·
Process Layout
·
Product Layout
·
Group Technology Layout
·
Fixed Position Layout
Process Layout:
·
A process layout is an arrangement of
resources on the basis of the process characteristics of the resources
available.
·
Product layout has a disorganized flow.
·
Process
layout is normally used when the production volume is not sufficient to justify
a product layout. Typically, job shops employ process layouts due to the
variety of products manufactured and their low production volumes.
Product Layout:
·
In a product layout, the resources are placed
to follow exactly the process sequence dictated by a product. Eg. Tablet
production
·
The
product layout is selected when the volume of production of a product is high
such that a separate production line to manufacture it can be justified.
Group Technology Layout:
·
Its combination of Process and product layouts.
Group Technology Layout is a philosophy that seeks to exploit the commonality
in manufacturing and uses this as the basis for grouping components and
resources. The GT is often known as Cellular Manufacturing.
Fixed Position Layout:
·
Fixed Position Layout are typically employed in
large – project type organizations. Eg. Ships building
Utilities and services
• Process utility systems are the
systems that are designed to satisfy the requirements of the production
processes.
• Pharma industry requires the
following services:
– Power (Purchased and self-generating)
– Lighting (Natural and artificial)
– Water (Purified [RO, distillation,
ultrafiltration], WFI), Storage
– Air conditioning: Tablets, Softgel
caps, sterile products
– Air: Filtered air, HEPA,
– Gases: Nitrogen, Helium
– Vacuum system: Drying
– Dust collection: Removal of air born
particles
– Effluent treatment: for waste
remaining
Summary
• A
plant should be located at a place where inhabitants are interested in its
success, the product can be sold profitably and production cost is minimum
• Layout
planning in manufacturing and service organizations involves the physical
arrangement of various resources available in the system to improve the
performance of the operating system, thereby providing better customer service.
• Process utility systems are the
systems that are designed to satisfy the requirements of the production
processes.
