QRS Corp. is designing a product layout for a new product. They plan to use this production line 10 hours a day in order to meet forecasted demand of 900 units per day. The following table describes the tasks necessary to produce this product:
For output to equal forecasted demand, what is the theoretical minimum number of workstations needed?
A) 1
B) 3
C) 3.75
D) 4
E) 5

Question

QRS Corp. is designing a product layout for a new product. They plan to use this production line 10 hours a day in order to meet forecasted demand of 900 units per day. The following table describes the tasks necessary to produce this product: 
For output to equal forecasted demand, what is the theoretical minimum number of workstations needed?
A) 1 
B) 3 
C) 3.75 
D) 4 
E) 5

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The theoretical minimum number of workstations required is calculated by dividing the sum of task times by the cycle time, which is the maximum time per unit that is allowed at each workstation to maintain the desired output rate. The sum of task times is 26.2 minutes. The cycle time required to produce the required output is calculated as (600 minutes/day)/(900 units/day) = 0.67 minutes/unit. Therefore, the theoretical minimum number of workstations required is 26.2/0.67 = 39.1, which should be rounded up to the nearest integer, giving us 4 workstations. Therefore, the best choice is D, with a theoretical minimum number of 4 workstations.

QRS Corp Is Designing a Product Layout for a New Product