ABSTRACT
In the real world, one encounters either one of two situations. In the first case, a facility exists, it must be used as found, and the building and its interior layout cannot be changed significantly. The layout suits only the specific product, and breakdown of any single machine or of special transport equipment may stop everything. In the second case, one can plan and design a new facility and its details according to the process at hand, to suit the product and the production. It is the purpose of facility layout, or facility improvement, to select the most economical, efficient, and safest design of building, department, and workstation. A facility with well laid out material flow has short and few transportation lines. Transportation is always costly in terms of space, machinery, and energy; it does not add value to the object being moved; and it is full of hazards to people.
