anyone has excel spreadsheet that determine the number of operator required in a production line?
I've attached a spreadsheet which will do as you ask based on your unique takt time. If you should be unable to balance the line, it will also show you the necessary buffers where necessary along with the amount required.
This is only my first draft which I did over the holidays and I'm in the process of expanding the file in my free time. There are comments in many of the fields which should help to explain the purpose.
You will need to enable macros in order to sort and calculate so don't be alarmed when the request appears when the file is opened. If it is disabled, the file will not perform the calculations correctly.
I hope it helps...any feedback would be appreciated as it is a work in progress.
Wayne
Thank You to wmarhel for your informative Post and/or Attachment!
I received a question regarding the assignment of man to machines and thought I would provide the explanation I gave here as well.
The simple way to solve this is to determine your takt time and then divide this by the cycle time of the operation (takt/OPct= # operators). In this instance, it can a few different things:
1) The machine isn't fast enough, in which case I need to employ a second piece of equipment or run it on an additional shift.
2) If the machine is fast enough, but there are too many manual operations necessary, I can add additional help with one or more persons.
Having a time under takt could possibly mean that an operator may be able to operate an additional machine or take on additional tasks.
The spreadsheet I provided will perform this calculation, you would just need to act as if the assembly line consisted of only one station.
From a lean perspective, everything is driven by takt.
Wayne
Thanks to wmarhel for your informative Post and/or Attachment!
I guess I should have share this...after all, this is what this site is...where we share experince and knowledge. Those in bold are replied by Wayne
We are working 12 hr per shift with total of 70 mins breaks (20 mins + 20 mins + 30 mins). I allocated 10 mins for team briefing and 10 mins for other allowances. So total allowances is 90 mins.
I am trying to fill-up the format. I am hiliting those that I don’t quiet understand.
Available time: 630 mins
Actually it would be (12hrs*60min)-70mins for breaks. You would also include any time allotted for meetings/training/etc.
This means that Station #1 needs to work extra to the daily production requirement. If the line is longer and the bottleneck is farther down
Current Standard = I do that by timing each station and add up the cycle time. Do I need to consider allowances? If you are referring to PF&D, then yes, that needs to be included.
# of Operators = Is this the total number of current operators (not from calculation)
No. That's the current number of operators in your system, typically each station would have a single operator at a minimum.
Takt Time = I know how to calculate this.
Required Buffer Size = if Stn 1 is twice as fast as Stn 2….there will be 1 buffer at Station 2. Is that what this is showing?
If station #1 is faster than station #2, than no buffer is required between these stations. The buffer size is required when a station is slower than the "next" station.
Example: Station #1 is 1/2 the speed of station #2 and 100 are needed off the line each day. Station #1 would require that 50 pcs. be available after station #1 to allow Station #2 to meet the daily requirements.
If the line is longer, and the bottleneck farther in the process, than the necessary buffer would need to flow through all preceding stations. Hence the reason times would show up in all preceding stations even though no additional is kept there.
How do I modify the spreadsheet to have 20 stations? That's going to require some work. You'd need to look at the data kept in the cells and copy/paste/modify as needed. The cells which would need to be modified are either in yellow or in the dark grey bordered area for the most part. There would also need to be some changes made in the "LookUp" worksheet, and to the macro used when the CALCULATION button is depressed.
Example: Station #1 is 1/2 the speed of station #2 and 100 are needed off the line each day. Station #1 would require that 50 pcs. be available after station #1 to allow Station #2 to meet the daily requirements.
I dont quiet understand the above. In pull system we were told there should not have buffer in between station. Somehow in real life there bound to have. The next question is what is the right buffer size.
Simple Simulation Software for Line Balancing
Linear Mode
