Process Study and Analysis, Operation Study and Analysis were elaborated in a presentation by Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao
Parts of process study
• Process Charting - Operation Sequence
• Process Analysis (Make or Buy Decisions, ECRS)
• Operation Analysis (For each operations - Machines & Facilities and Human Effort)
• Machine Work Study
• Method Study (Work place and working conditions improvement)
• Motion Study (Human effort reduction)
• Time Study (Operation/Element Simplification to reduce time)
• Work Measurement
• Cost Measurement
• Productivity Measurement
• Quality Assessment, Safety Assessment
Process study - Method study.
Productivity Analysis: Productivity analysis is a powerful systematic methodology to measure system performance, system efficiency, system effectiveness, resource utilization and profitability. Productivity analysis helps decision makers to identify the driving factors of productivity, adopt the appropriate action and monitor its consequences.
Henok Tamirat Ltebo. Productivity Improvement of SME Garment Manufacturing Industry: Case Study. International Journal of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. Vol. 7, No. 1, 2022, pp. 1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ijimse.20220701.11
Process Industrial Engineering Method/Procedures
Process Planning
Gideon Haveli wrote the book "Process and Operation Planning. This is the basic or first process design of a new product. The product design group may do periodically improvement of the product and process design group may modify the process to take care of product design modifications. On their own also, process design group may modify the current process to improve it further.
Industrial engineers have the responsibility to be present in the shop floor, observe the daily production data, daily cost data and technology developments to come out with process and operation changes that increase productivity and reduce costs. Improvement of products and processes based on development of productivity science was shown to be economical and value adding by Taylor and Gilbreth and hence industrial engineering departments were set up. There is enough work for industrial engineers to be with the product and process throughout the product life cycle as counterparts to product and process designers on the shop floor and do design modifications in products and processes.
In industrial engineering methods, there is a systematic process analysis method (first proposed in a systematic way by Frank Gilbreth using process charts) and system of operation analysis described Maynard (practiced in Westinghouse).
Process Chart Method of Productivity Analysis
Process Chart
In process chart proposed by him in 1921, Gilbreth tried to depict many activities in the process in a pictorial format. Maynard in 1939, said six activities and symbols are sufficient. ASME in its standardization of process charts recommended five steps.
Operation - Inspection - Transport - Temporary Delay - Permanent Storage.
Using the above five steps, two charts became popular,
1. Operation process chart - showing operations and inspections
2. Flow process chart - It shows along with operation/inspection, the three more steps - transport, temporary delay and permanent storage.
The two process charts show operations involved in the processes. To improve each operation, the inputs and methods of each operation are to be studied in detail. Also operations contain work elements. Improvement requires improving each work element and each input into operation. We generally speak of material, machine, machine and method. Man does movements and motions. Industrial engineering later recognized the role of energy and information also in operations and processes. Therefore we can conceptualize material industrial engineering, machine effort industrial engineering, human effort industrial engineering, energy industrial engineering, information industrial engineering. Information is created by planning or production planning. Therefore as part of process and operation improvement, production planning aspects are also examined by industrial engineers.
Process Analysis
Make or Buy Analysis - At each process analysis related to a part, industrial engineers can generate alternatives for make or buy and take appropriate decision. They have to compare cost of internal manufacture with new buy alternatives explored. They can make internal manufacture analysis for parts being purchased from outside now.
The process charts are used for analyzing whether each operation in the process is necessary or not. In the next step, it is examined whether the operations can be combined. We can also examine whether the operation needs to be split into two and two separate machines are to be used. The sequence of operations can also be changed. These decisions regarding operations are termed as process analysis. After these decisions are taken, the proposed operations are subjected to operation analysis. Shigeo Shingo explained that in operation analysis we examine the working of the machine and operator.
Maynard recommended that the right procedure for process improvement has to be first productivity analysis and engineering of operations and inspections. Then subsequently the necessary transport, and storage operations can be analysed. Even some temporary delays of material and components are part of a plan (due to batch quantity decisions) and not random occurrences according to the interpretation given by Shigeo Shingo.
Now we have the permission or leeway and also need to add more steps to the process chart. Information is an important to be added in a process chart. Also, the popularity of value stream mapping indicates the need for adding a data box after each row in a process chart. The term "total process chart" is already in use. So we can use the term to indicate steps we deem are important in our organization.
Lesson 81 of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course.
Operation Analysis
Maynard has given large number of questions which are to be asked and answered as part of operation analysis. In terms of process chart framework, we can regroup them into questions relevant to each step of the process flow chart. But first full list of questions given by Maynard are given and then subsequently regrouping will be done in lessons discussing each step of the process chart and more questions will be added from the current literature. Readers can be indicate some more questions as well as modifications to the questions given in the list.
Each step of the process can be generally termed as operation (Shigeo Shingo). In this terminology, the first step is the processing step or value addition step, Remaining four may be necessary to complete the process of transferring the value added product or item to the customer. But still they are non-value adding items which are to be minimized to the extent possible rather than increasing them and incurring additional cost.
Lesson 82 of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course.
Lesson 83 of Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course.
Machine Work Study
Questions on Machine, Equipment and Tools
The tools and equipment used to perform the operation needs to analysed logically. The following questions are the sort that will lead to suggested improvements:
1. Is the machine tool best suited to the performance of the operation of all tools available? (Alternative machines, new machines)
2. Would the purchase of a better machine be justified?
3. Can the work be held in the machine by other means to better advantage? (Alternative fixtures)
4. Should a vise be used?
5. Should a jig be used?
6. Should clamps be used?
7. Is the jig design good from a motion-economy standpoint?
8. Can the part be inserted and removed quickly from the jig?
9. Would quick-acting cam-actuated tightening mechanisms be desirable on vise, jig, or clamps?
10. Can ejectors for automatically removing part when vise or jig is opened be installed?
11. Is chuck of best type for the purpose? (Alternatives)
12. Would special jaws be better? (Alternatives for jaws)
13. Should a multiple fixture be provided? (To reduce setup time)
14. Should duplicate holding means be provided so that one may be loaded while machine is making a cut on a part held in the other?
15. Are the cutters proper? (Alternative cutting tools)
16. Should high-seed steel or cemented carbide be used? (Now there are more alternatives)
17. Are tools properly ground? (Geometry of cutting tool - Taylor's experiments)
18. Is the necessary accuracy readily obtainable with tool and fixture equipment available?
10. Are hand tools pre-positioned ?
20. Are hand tools best suited to purpose? (Alternatives)
21. Will ratchet, spiral, or power-driven tools save time?
22. Are all operators provided with the same tools?
23. Can a special tool be made to improve the operation?
24. If accurate work is necessary, are proper gages or other measuring instruments provided? (Alternative inspection devices - Inspection operation of operation-inspection chart)
25. Are gages or other measuring instruments checked for accuracy from time to time?
Questions which will lead to suggestions for improvement of "Make-ready" and "Put-away" Elements are:
1. How is the job assigned to the operator (job card or ticket issue to operator)?
2. Is the procedure such that the operator is ever without a job to do (delays in giving job ticket)?
3. How are instructions imparted to the operator? (Instruction card)
4. How is material secured?
5. How are drawings and tools secured?
6. How are the times at which the job is started and finished checked?
7. What possibilities for delays occur at drawing room, toolroom, storeroom, or time clerk's office? (Analysis of delays in flow process chart)
8. If operator makes his own setup, would economies be gained by providing special setup men?
9. Could a supply boy get tools, drawings, and material?
10. Is the layout of the operator locker or tool drawer orderly so that no time is lost searching for tools or equipment? (Work place orderliness - 5S)
11. Are the tools that the operator uses in making his setup adequate?
12. Is the machine set up properly? (Is inspection necessary/)
13. Is the machine adjusted for proper feeds and speeds? (Instruction card - machine adjustment)
14. Is machine in repair, and are belts tight and not slipping?
15. If vises, jigs, or fixtures are used, are they securely clamped to the machine?
16. Is the order in which the elements of the operation are performed correct?
17. Does the workplace layout conform to the principles that govern effective workplace layouts?
18. Is material properly positioned?
19. Are tools prepositioned?
20. Are the first few pieces produced checked for correctness by anyone other than the operator?
21. What must be done to complete operation and put away all equipment used?
22. Can trip to return tools to tool room be combined with trip to get tools for next job?
23. How thoroughly should workplace be cleaned?
24. What disposal is made of scrap, short ends, or defective parts?
25. If operation is performed continuously, are preliminary operations of a preparatory nature necessary the first thing in the morning?
26. Are adjustments to equipment on a continuous operation made by the operator? (Total productive maintenance - Maynard)
27. How is material supply replenished?
28. If a number of miscellaneous jobs are done, can similar jobs be grouped to eliminate certain setup elements? (Sequencing issue)
29. How are partial setups handled?
30. Is the operator responsible for protecting workplace overnight by covering it or locking up valuable material? (Responsibility of operator to take care of work pieces and equipment)
Related Case Studies
As part of
Industrial Engineering ONLINE Course, every one of the issues raised by Maynard and additional issues related to machine work study, operator work study, operation process chart and flow process chart will be discussed and case studies will be provided.
6. Prime Turning (TM) - New Turning Process with High Productivity
RE-INVENTING TURNING FOR THE FUTURE FACTORY, TODAY
SANDVIK COROMANT TECHNICAL PAPER, 2018
Case studies are being provided everyday with the lessons of the course.
Questions for Productivity Analysis of Material:
1. Does the material specified appear suitable for the purpose for which it is to be used?
2. Could a less expensive material be substituted that would function as well?
3. Could a lighter gage material be used?
4. Is the material furnished in suitable condition for use?
5. Could the supplier perform additional work upon the material that would make it better suited for its use?
6. Is the size of the material the most economical?
7. If bar stock or tubing, is the material straight?
8. If a casting or forging, is the excess stock sufficient for machining purposes but not excessive?
9. Can the machinability of the material be improved by heat-treatment or in other ways?
10. Do castings have hard spots or burned-in core sand that should be eliminated?
11. Are castings properly cleaned and have all fins, gate ends, and riser bases been removed?
12. Is material sufficiently clean and free from rust?
13. If coated with a preserving compound, how does this compound affect dies?
14. Is material ordered in amounts and sizes that permit its utilization with a minimum amount of waste, scrap, or short ends?
15. Is material uniform and reasonably free from flaws and defects?
16. Is material utilized to the best advantage during processing?
17. Where yield from a given amount of material depends upon ability of the operator, is any record of yield kept?
18. Is miscellaneous material used for assembly, such as nails, screws, wire, solder, rivets, paste, and washers, suitable?
19. Are the indirect or supply materials such as cutting oil, molding sand, or lubricants best suited to the job?
20. Are materials used in connection with the process, such as gas, fuel oil, coal, coke, compressed air, water, electricity, acids, and paints, suitable, and is their use con- trolled and economical?
Questions Analysis of Tolerances and Finishes
1. What are the inspection requirements of this operation?
2. What are the requirements of the preceding operation?
3. What are the requirements of the following operation?
4. Will changing the requirements of a previous operation make this operation easier to perform?
5. Will changing the requirement of this operation make a subsequent operation easier to perform?
6. Are tolerance, allowance, finish, and other requirements necessary?
7. Are they suitable for the purpose the part has to play in the finished product ?
8. Can the requirements be raised to improve quality without increasing cost?
9. Will lowering the requirements materially reduce costs?
10. Can the quality of the finished product be improved in any way even beyond present requirements?
Observe the relation between succeeding operations is being evaluated in this case also.
In value engineering analysis techniques, Miles has indicated that giving a cost estimate for each tolerance will bring out excess cost created by tolerances.
This article is an initial note to bring out the important contribution made to industrial engineering and methods productivity engineering by Maynard. The details will be covered in "Process Industrial Engineering Module" of the course. In this article a beginning is being made to start the detailed analysis.
I now feel production planning and control is a component of process chart analysis as far as process improvement is concerned. Industrial engineers have to improve production planning routines as part of process chart analysis. Such an emphasis is not there in IE curriculum, as process chart is method is taught in work study or time and motion study courses.
Process Human Effort Industrial Engineering
Process Human Effort Industrial Engineering Module.
Data to be Collected for Process and Operation Productivity Analysis.
For each operation in the total process chart, there is likely to be direct equipment, indirect equipment (providing working conditions), material being processed, indirect material, direct operators, indirect operators, supervisors and managers, information, and energy. All resources are to be identified, quantity used in the operation and per unit of product are to be collected. The nature of work performed or utility of material is to be ascertained. In case of machines and operators, time being taken to do elements of operations and if standard times already exist have to be collected. Lot of data collection has to be occur before starting the process and operation analysis.
The detailed data related to operations analysis are entered into operation analysis sheets. Operation analysis sheet is a detailed sheet in comparison to the total process chart which is used at first to judge whether the operation is a required operation or not? That decision does not require the resources being used to do the operation. Hence resource use is not captured in process chart, but is captured in operation analysis sheet.
Process and Operation Productivity Analysis - Module Lessons
Process Analysis for Productivity Improvement Opportunities
Updated on 18,8,2025, 13.12.2023, 8.11.2023, 16.8.2023, 30.9.2022, 17.8.2022, 27.6.2022, 17 August 2021, 4 August 2020
First published on 19 July 2020.
