Productivity improvement of a small scale industry by the application of an effective plant layout and weld-fixture design

Abstract

Small scale organizations strive to achieve maximum output with limited availability of resources. An effective plant layout plays a significant role in enhancing the overall productivity and efficiency of an organization. Using a fixture for holding a job ensures accurate alignment and reduces defects in finished components. This paper discusses the implementation of an optimized plant layout and designing a fixture for welding of pipes. The existing plant layout had unused spaces and unscientific arrangements of machines. There was a need for a fixture which would reduce the defects caused due to alignment errors during welding. This could be achieved by the use of a fixture table, supporting unit and clamping unit. The use of weld-fixture reduced the rework from the existing 10% to 5%. The proposed plant layout computed using CRAFT simulation tool reduced the material travel distance. This resulted in the reduction of material handling costs by 15%.