Module 4: Numerical Questions (Product Layout/Assembly

Line Balancing)
Q1. Best Vision is revamping its assembly lines to improve efficiency. As shown
below, there are 10 steps to assembling a television set.
Task Precedence Time (mins)
A - 8
B A 4
C A 7
D A 3
E B 7
F C, E 11
G D 2
H G 8
I F, H 5
J I 7
62

a. If Best needs to produce 120 televisions in a 40-hour work week, how should
the line be balanced? Given that one worker is assigned to each workstation,
how many workers are required to operate the line? What is the efficiency of
the line?
b. If demand for televisions is reduced to 100 sets per 40-hour week, how many
workers will be needed to man the line? Re-balance the line and re-calculate its
efficiency.

Q2. Professional Image Briefcases is an exclusive producer of handcrafted, stylish

cases. The company assembles each case with care and attention to detail. This
laborious process requires the completion of the six primary work elements listed
here.

Task Precedence Time

(mins)
A — 30
B A 15
C B 10
D — 5
E C, D 10
F E 10
80
a. Construct a precedence diagram for the manufacturing of briefcases.
b. Compute the flow time required for assembling one briefcase and the cycle time
necessary to assemble 50 cases in a 40-hour week.
c. Balance the line and compute its efficiency.
d. How would you change the line to produce 80 cases per week?
Q3. The Action Toy Company has decided to manufacture a new train set, the
production of which is broken into six steps. The demand for the train is 4,800 units
per 40-hour workweek:

a) Draw a precedence diagram of this operation.

b) Given the demand, what is the cycle time for this operation?
c) What is the theoretical minimum number of workstations?
d) Assign tasks to workstations.
e) How much total idle time is present each cycle?
f ) What is the efficiency of the assembly line with five stations? With six stations?

Q4. The following table details the tasks required for Indiana-based Frank Pianki
Industries to manufacture a fully portable industrial vacuum cleaner. The times in
the table are in minutes. Demand forecasts indicate a need to operate with a cycle
time of 10 minutes.

a) Draw the appropriate precedence diagram for this production line.

b) What is the theoretical minimum number of workstations?
c) Assign tasks to workstations and determine how much idle time is present each
cycle.
Q5. The precedence diagram and task times (in minutes) for assembling McCauley’s
Mystifier are shown here. Set up an assembly line to produce 125 mystifiers in a 40-
hour week. Balance the line and calculate its efficiency.

Q6. Given in the following table are the tasks necessary for the assembly of Fine Cedar
Chests, the length of time needed to perform each task, and the operations that must
be completed prior to subsequent operations.
Element Precedence Time
(min)
A — 2
B A 4
C B 5
D — 5
E D, E 3
F — 1
G F 2
H C, E, G 4
26

a. Calculate the cycle time necessary to complete 300 cedar chests in a 35-
hour week.
b. What is the minimum number of workstations that can be used on the
assembly line and still reach the production quota? Balance the line and
calculate the line’s efficiency.
c. Rebalance the line with a cycle time of 9 minutes. How do the number
of workstations, output, and line efficiency change?
Q7. The Mach 10 is a one-person sailboat manufactured by Creative Leisure. The final
assembly plant is in Cupertino, California. The assembly area is available for
production of the Mach 10 for 200 minutes per day. (The rest of the time it is busy
making other products.) The daily demand is 60 boats. Given the information in the
table,
a) Draw the precedence diagram and assign tasks using five workstations.
b) What is the efficiency of the assembly line, using your answer to (a)?
c) What is the theoretical minimum number of workstations?
d) What is the idle time per boat produced?
Q8. Because of the expected high demand for Mach 10, Creative Leisure has decided
to increase manufacturing time available to produce the Mach 10 (see Problem 7).
a) If demand remained the same but 300 minutes were available each day on the
assembly line, how many workstations would be needed?
b) What would be the efficiency of the new system, using the actual number of
workstations from (a)?
c) What would be the impact on the system if 400 minutes were available?

Q9. Dr. Lori Baker, operations manager at Nesa Electronics, prides herself on excellent
assembly-line balancing. She has been told that the firm needs to complete 96
instruments per 24-hour day. The assembly-line activities are:
c) If the cycle time after allowances is
given as 10 minutes, what is the daily
(24-hour) production rate?
d) With a 10-minute cycle time, what is
the theoretical minimum number of
stations with which the line can be
balanced?
e) With a 10-minute cycle time and six
workstations, what is the efficiency?
f) What is the total idle time per cycle
with a 10-minute cycle time and six
workstations?
g) What is the best workstation
assignment you can make without
a) Draw the precedence diagram. exceeding a 10-minute cycle time, and
b) If the daily (24-hour) production rate what is its efficiency?
is 96 units, what is the highest
allowable cycle time?