CPM Plant Layout & Material Flow 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which layout type is BEST suited for high-volume, low-variety production?
- Fixed-position layout
- Process (functional) layout
- Product (line) layout (Correct answer)
- Cellular layout
Correct answer: Product (line) layout
Product layouts arrange equipment in the sequence of operations for a specific product, enabling efficient high-volume, low-variety production.
Question 2: In a from-to chart used for plant layout, what does each cell value typically represent?
- Distance between departments
- Number of trips between departments per period (Correct answer)
- Cost of material handling per trip
- Number of workers assigned between areas
Correct answer: Number of trips between departments per period
A from-to chart records the number of loads or trips moved between each pair of departments, helping planners minimize total material handling.
Question 3: Which of the following is a primary advantage of a U-shaped production line over a straight line?
- Higher throughput speed
- Reduced worker cross-training requirements
- Easier balancing and flexible staffing levels (Correct answer)
- Lower equipment investment
Correct answer: Easier balancing and flexible staffing levels
U-shaped lines allow workers to cover multiple stations and adjust headcount easily while keeping material flow compact.
Question 4: A plant manager wants to reduce aisle congestion. Which metric should be analyzed first?
- Equipment utilization rate
- Aisle traffic density (loads per hour per aisle segment) (Correct answer)
- Worker absenteeism rate
- Cycle time of individual machines
Correct answer: Aisle traffic density (loads per hour per aisle segment)
Measuring loads per hour through each aisle segment identifies bottleneck aisles and guides redesign decisions.
Question 5: The 'closeness rating' in a Relationship Chart (REL chart) is used to indicate:
- Physical distance between departments
- Desirability of locating two departments close together (Correct answer)
- Number of employees shared between departments
- Cost of relocating a department
Correct answer: Desirability of locating two departments close together
REL chart closeness ratings (A, E, I, O, U, X) express how important it is for two departments to be adjacent based on workflow and safety.
Question 6: Which material handling principle states that materials should travel the shortest possible distance?
- Gravity principle
- Space utilization principle
- Move distance minimization principle (Correct answer)
- Unit load principle
Correct answer: Move distance minimization principle
The move distance minimization principle directs designers to arrange equipment and departments to shorten travel paths and reduce handling time.
Question 7: In a lean plant layout, supermarkets (buffer stock locations) are placed:
- At the beginning of every production line
- Between processes to control pull-based flow (Correct answer)
- At shipping docks only
- Inside individual machines for just-in-time replenishment
Correct answer: Between processes to control pull-based flow
Lean supermarkets are positioned between process steps to allow downstream operations to pull inventory on demand, controlling WIP.
CPM Plant Layout & Material Flow 2
Which layout type is BEST suited for high-volume, low-variety production?