Table 7.11
The Pennsylvania Appliance Company is installing an assembly line to produce vacuum cleaners,and you,as an operations manager,are responsible for balancing the line.The work elements to be performed are listed,along with their times and immediate predecessors.

-Use the information in Table 7.11.The company is planning to operate 2 shifts per day 8 hours per shift.If the desired output rate of the line is 480 units per day,what is the theoretical minimum number of stations (TM)for the line? How many workstations are needed for the most efficient balance possible given these circumstances?
A)TM = 3;solution = 3 stations
B)TM = 3;solution = 4 stations
C)TM = 4;solution = 4 stations
D)TM = 4;solution = 5 stations

Question

Table 7.11
The Pennsylvania Appliance Company is installing an assembly line to produce vacuum cleaners,and you,as an operations manager,are responsible for balancing the line.The work elements to be performed are listed,along with their times and immediate predecessors.
 
-Use the information in Table 7.11.The company is planning to operate 2 shifts per day 8 hours per shift.If the desired output rate of the line is 480 units per day,what is the theoretical minimum number of stations (TM)for the line? How many workstations are needed for the most efficient balance possible given these circumstances?
A)TM = 3;solution = 3 stations 
B)TM = 3;solution = 4 stations 
C)TM = 4;solution = 4 stations 
D)TM = 4;solution = 5 stations

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The theoretical minimum number of stations (TM) can be calculated using the formula TM = sum of task times / cycle time. From the given data, the sum of task times is 19.48 minutes and the desired output rate is 480 units per day which means the cycle time is 960 minutes/day (8 hours per shift x 2 shifts per day x 60 minutes per hour). Therefore, TM = 19.48/960 = 0.0203 which rounds up to 0.03 or 3 stations. However, for the most efficient balance possible, we should consider the efficiency rating of the line. Using the largest candidate of 4 stations, the efficiency rating can be calculated using the formula Efficiency = (sum of task times) / (cycle time x number of stations). Plugging in the values, we get Efficiency = 19.48 / (960 x 4) = 0.0051 or 0.51%. This is the highest efficiency rating we can get among the given options, so the best choice is C with 4 workstations.

Table 7.11 the Pennsylvania Appliance Company Is Installing an Assembly Line to Line