The effectiveness of layout strategies in any organization is seen as an important factor that determines how well the organization can compete with other organizations. When designing a layout, a few key factors should be taken into consideration. These include higher utilization of space and equipment, improved customer/client interaction, and flexibility.
Types of layouts
Office layout: Emphasis is placed on the flow of information making its structure to be unique. Electronic communication has increased with the changing technology allowing workers to do their duties offsite.
Retail layout: Mainly used to maximize the profit margin of the products on sale. The available space is allocated to products to ensure they are fully exposed for the customer to notice them.
Warehouse layout: The main objective is to fully utilize the space available for storage and at the same time reduce the handling cost.
Fixed-position layout: Includes limited space for all workers doing the projects, hence they assemble at one place where the project is being done.
Process-oriented layout: This allows for differentiation depending on the customer’s needs, can make products and services with variations hence providing customer satisfaction. Various machines and equipment are used to achieve these differentiations.
Work-cell layout: This creates a unit of people and machines from various departments who concentrate on working to achieve a common objectctive, thereby creating efficiency in production of a specific product or a family of related products.
Product-oriented layout: They revolve around manufacture of specific products or production of goods that are related.
Questions on State Automobile License Renewals
New configuration
To accommodate 120 applications per hour, the time taken per hour will have to be greatly minimized since time taken to make one application = 30sec. Steps 1 to 4 should also have more clerks since they’re paid the least as compared to other clerks. This will keep costs per hour low. Proposed configuration is as follows:
