Answer to Question #295181 in Operations Research for Q17 Part c

Question

A production plant has nine departments and the present layout is shown in the following figure. A D G B E H C F I 

The movement of materials between the departments is shown in the load summary table below. To From B F I A 90 D 180 200 E 90 270 H 630 Obtain a good layout considering the unit costs of movement is Rs.10 per unit distance per load for all movements. 

Answer 1

Total Distance travelled by customers through the retail outlet on weekly basis as per present layout

= 60 + 120 + 60 + 60 + 120 + 90 + 60 + 90 + 60

= 720 feet

Proposed layout:

From the load given, we have arranged the departments such that departments with the maximum number of movements are placed next to each other.

Total Distance travelled by customers through the retail outlet on weekly basis as per proposed layout

= 60 + 60 + 60 + 60 + 60 + 90 + 60 + 90 + 60

= 600 feet