Manufacturing of planes, trains, and other ultra-large products may require a different approach to process planning and facility design beyond the over-simplified characterizations of functional, line and cellular arrangements. Staffing strategies, for example, make for large differences in space requirements and throughput time. This paper examines the implications for Plant Layout, Workflow, Engineering and Cash Flow in this type of manufacturing. It also derives a set of principles to apply when designing workflow and facilities for such products.
This paper presents a few simple principles for large product manufacturing and discusses the implications for workflow, plant layout, scheduling, delivery, cash flow and other aspects of manufacturing. The principles are:
• Job #1—Concentrate maximum practical resources on the next job due.
• Minimize the number of jobs in process.
• Use major subassemblies to increase simultaneous work.
• Do not start until all resources are available.