Line Balancing

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization)‏ : 

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization) ‏ Prepared by: Shaheen Sardar BSc Textile Engineering MS Textile Management Line Balancing Garment Manufacturing

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization)‏: 

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization) ‏ The Line Balancing is “ to design a smooth production flow by allotting processes to workers so as to allow each worker to complete the allotted workload within an even time ”

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization)‏: 

LINE BALANCING (Process Organization) ‏ It is a system where you meet the production expectations and you can find the same amount of work in process in every operation at any point in the day.

Reasons to have balance the production line : 

Reasons to have balance the production line (1) Keeping inventory costs low results in higher net income (2) Keeping normal inventory levels lets the operator work all day long giving him/her the opportunity to earn more money by increasing his/her efficiency (3) Keeping the line balanced let’s the supervisors improve other areas because they can use their time better (4) Balanced production keeps prices low which turns into repeat sales (5) Balanced production means better production planning.

Balancing Tools: 

Balancing Tools The most basic tools are Production Sheets, the Daily production report, the inventory levels by operation and the Production Boards.

How do we start balancing the production line?: 

How do we start balancing the production line? Well we can start by determining how many operators for each operation are needed for a determined level of production. After this we need to determine how much WIP we need to anticipate production problems. Recommended WIP is 1-hour inventory level for each operation. A good range would be from 30 min to 120 min inventory level.

There are 3 rules for balancing:: 

There are 3 rules for balancing: (1) Have at least ½ hour of WIP for each operation (2) Solve problems before they become any larger (3) Meet production goals by keeping every operator working at their maximum capacity

Work In Process (WIP)‏: 

Work In Process (WIP) ‏ What is WIP? WIP is made up of all garments and their parts that are not completely finished.

How can we manage WIP?: 

How can we manage WIP? (1) Production planning (2) Trims control (3) Production Build-up (4) Balancing (5) Cut Flow Control

Balancing Matrix: 

Balancing Matrix LOW WIP HIGH OUT PUT LOW

Pitch Time: 

Pitch Time Reference value for synchronization in the division of labour is called Pitch Time (PT). Pitch Time provides average time allotted to each worker.

PITCH DIAGRAM : 

PITCH DIAGRAM

Bottleneck Process:: 

Bottleneck Process: The time at which the longest time is required is called “ bottleneck Process” The state of line organization should be evaluated as “Organization Efficiency” Using the pitch time and Bottleneck Process Time. Pitch Time Organization Efficiency (%) = ________________________ x 100 Bottleneck Process Time 100 = ______ X 100 140 = 71.4 % (For the aforementioned case study) ‏

Pitch Diagram in the form of Bar Graph: 

Pitch Diagram in the form of Bar Graph Work Allotment Time

How to reduce the number of bottleneck processes : 

How to reduce the number of bottleneck processes (1) Investigate the relation between the bottleneck process and its previous and subsequent processes to correct the line organization. (2) Investigate whether it is possible to further divide the process. (3) Conduct the motion study for work improvement. (4) Make improvements to equipment, jig and tools. (5) Mechanize the manual work. (6) Change the positions of workers. (7) Investigate the modification to the machining specifications. (8) Make it a rule to lend the worker in charge of the bottleneck process a helping hand

Control limit: 

Control limit

Control limit: 

Control limit Pitch Time Upper Limit = _________________________X 100 Target organization efficiency = 0.85 = 117.6 Seconds Lower Limit = 2 x Pitch Time – Upper Limit = 2 x 100 – 117.6 = 82.4 Seconds