Second International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering and Technology, ICETET-09

Minimization of Engine Assembly Time by Elimination of Unproductive Activities through MOST

Ashish R. Thakre*, Dhananjay A. Jolhe** & Anil C. Gawande***
to determine the standard time necessary for carrying out the job at the defined level of performance. It has two inherent drawbacks (i) the reading need to be taken repeatedly (to ensure desired confidence level) and (ii) the rating is highly subjective. However, it can be advantageously used for the jobs consisting of non-standard work elements. B. Work Sampling It is a technique in which a large number of observations are made over a period of time for one or group of machines, processes or workers. Each observation records what is happening at that instant and the percentage of observation recorded for a particular activity or delay, is a measure of the percentage of time during which that activity or delay occurs. This technique is more suitable for long cycle jobs. However, it may give erroneous results if the number of observations is not sufficient for the desired level of confidence and the accuracy margin. C. Predetermined Motion Time System (PMTS) It is a work measurement technique which synthesizes the previously established times for the basic human motions to build up the time for a job at the defined level of performance. The most commonly used PMTS is known as MTM (Method Time Measurement). Though it is a slow technique and tedious for calculations, it can measure the time in TMU (Time Measuring Units) (1 TMU = 0.036 s) for short cycle repetitive jobs consisting of standard work elements. D. MOST It is the youngest work measurement technique that can be easily implemented and practically maintained to not only estimate the standard time but also improve methods and maximize the resource utilization [3]. It was originally developed by H. B. Maynard & Company Inc. and has three versions- Basic MOST (for the activities between 20 s to 2 min.), Mini MOST (for the activities shorter than 20 s) and Maxi MOST (for the activities above 2 min.) [4]. The methodology of MOST is explained in following section.

AbstractThis paper highlights a methodology developed for

minimization of non-productive activities in an assembly line. The case study was conducted in tractor manufacturing unit having a dedicated assembly line for tractor engine. The study conducted using MOST (Maynards Operation Sequence Technique) revealed the excessive movements of the operators that significantly added to the basic work content. The necessary changes were suggested in workplace layout to minimize the stress creating unproductive movements. The paper, it is believed, would be of great help to those working in the area of efficiency improvement in automobile industry. Keywords - MOST, Non Value Added Activities, Total Work Content, Manpower estimation, Time Available to Complete Task

n the organization under study, the excess work content in an assembly line of tractor engine was the problem of concern. The average daily demand of the tractor engine was 87 (per shift), whereas only 85 engines were produced owing to the loss due to unidentified NVA (Non-Value Added) activities. Therefore, the real challenge was to identify the NVA activities and remove/minimize them to save the huge loss caused by excessive manpower. The study was undertaken with the objective of reducing the existing average work content of 88.81 min per engine which included the man-minutes of 18 operators. The highly practical, efficient and cost effective time estimation technique [2] - MOST was used for this purpose. II. LITERATURE SURVEY The study of various time measurement techniques is presented in this section. A. Stop Watch Time Study It is a traditional work measurement technique which records and rates the work elements of specified job carried out under specified conditions and further analyzes the data
Manuscript received July 10, 2009. * Lecturer & Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shankarrao Dhawad Polytechnic, Nagpur, INDIA 440 025 Phone: +91-9850357066, +91-712-2291682, e-mail: ashish20jan2000@yahoo.com (Corresponding Author) ** Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, INDIA 440 010 Phone: +919422166167, +91-712-2801164, e-mail: dajolhe@mec.vnit.ac.in *** Lecturer, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G. H. Raisoni Polytechnic, Nagpur, INDIA 441 110 Phone: +91-9579123134, +91-7104236102, e-mail: acg_333@rediffmail.com

I. INTRODUCTION

III. MOST METHODOLOGY MOST is a powerful analytical tool that helps increase productivity, improve methods, facilitate planning, establish workloads, estimate labor costs, improve safety and

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maximize resources [4]. MOST can be applied for the activities having well defined work methods. MOST focuses on three types of object movements[I] General Move, i.e., movement through the air from one point to another. This activity is represented by the following sequence of sub-activities or parameters A B G A B P A, where, A - Action Distance (Mainly Horizontal) B - Body Motion (Mainly Vertical) G - Gain Control P - Placement The variation in each sub-activity is indicated by an index value. For example, A6 B6 G1 A1 B0 P3 A0 represents, A6 - Walk three or four steps B6 - Bend and arise G1 - Simply grasp an object A1 - Move within reach B0 - No body motion P3 - Place object with adjustment A0 - No return move The common scale of index numbers for all MOST sequence models is 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 16, 24, 32, 42 and 54. The time value for a sequence model in basic MOST is obtained by simply adding the index numbers for individual subactivity and multiplying the sum by 10. For instance the standard time in TMU for the sequence A6 B6 G1 A1 B0 P3 A0 is, (6 + 6 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 3 + 0)*10 =170 TMU, i. e., 170 * 0.036 s = 6.12 s. [II] Controlled Move, i.e., the object remains in contact with a surface or the object path is controlled. The move sequence model is A B G M X I A, in which, M - Move Controlled X - Process Time I - Alignment [III] Tool Use Sequence, i.e., describing the manual tools (like wrenches, screw drivers, gauges, writing tools, etc.) that can be used during an operation. It also covers fingers and mental process. It is a combination of general move activities. The MOST has advantages that only one or two observations are needed to measure the work and the rating factor is inbuilt (in index time) [6]. The result does not deviate from analyst to analyst since the standard calculation sheet with standard motion sequence and index values are available. It is more accurate than other techniques and involves less paper work.

IV. MOST APPLICATION AT ASSEMBLY LINE The present study makes use of Basic MOST for the estimation of TWC (Total Work Content) of an assembly process consisting of 20 activities and 112 sub-activities. There are 20 workstations (carrying out one activity each) in the assembly line which are connected by a belt conveyor and equipped with auxiliary facilities to facilitate the assembly of 28 different types of tractor engines. The longest assembly process (of CI type engine) was chosen to identify NVA activities and further to improve the layout. The study was carried out in three phases: (i) Existing TWC Calculations using Basic MOST, (ii) Basic MOST Analysis to Identify NVA Activities and (iii) Elimination of the NVA Activities by making the necessary changes in layout/work methods. Manpower estimation and the study of various options (based on the suggested layout) were then carried out to determine the feasibility of the alternative options. A. Existing TWC Calculations The activities at each workstation were broken down into distinctly identifiable and measurable sub-activities. Each sub-activity was further broken down into sub-operation and the sub-operation into elements. The elements were then sequence modeled using the parameters and index values. Two unit sub-activities, namely, crank case indexing (frequency 11) and travel card writing (frequency 20) were defined and identified to ensure the ease in sequence modeling. Unit sub-activities have common and the same sequenced set of elements and occur frequently in many activities. The MOST estimation sheets (one each for an activity) were developed to sequence model the elements using the parameters and index values. Appendix A shows a partial MOST estimation sheet for the activity- Rocker Arm Fitment. It explains how a sub-activity is broken down into sub-operations and elements. The sample calculations, based on parameters and index values, are shown for each element. The cycle time (in s) for an element is calculated by adding the index values and then multiplying the sum by (0.36* FRQ/DIV). For example, for first element of the suboperation- Push Rod Fitment, the cycle time is, (6 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0) * (0.36* 1/1) = 14* 0.36 = 5.04 s. FRQ represents the frequency of the repeated elements. DIV (division) refers to the two or more elements done simultaneously by an operator, e.g., moving two trolleys simultaneously. Elemental cycle times are then added to obtain the cycle time of sub-operation. The cycle times of sub-operations are

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further added to obtain the cycle time of sub-activity. Work content is then obtained by adding the cycle times of the sub-activities. In case of the sample sheet, the activity consists of four sub-activities (sub-operations in bracket): 1. FITMENT OF PUSH ROD ON CYLINDER HEAD (Push Rod Fitment) 2. TAPPET SETTING (Place Spanner for Rotation of Crank Shaft + Turning of Crank Shaft for Tappet Setting + Setting of Tappet) 3. ROCKER ARM FITMENT (Fitment of Rocker Arm on Cylinder Head + Pull Nut Runner and Fasten First Fastener + Pull Nut Runner and Tighten Bolt on Rocker Arm + Nut Runner for Rocker Arm for 2 numbers of Nut) 4. TRAVEL CARD WRITING (Travel Card Writing) The cycle times of the above sub-activities are: 1. FITMENT OF PUSH ROD ON CYLINDER HEAD (30.60 s) 2. TAPPET SETTING (5.04 + 23.04 + 128.10 = 156.18 s) 3. ROCKER ARM FITMENT (41.68 + 8.98 + 5.74 + 1.44 = 61.42 s) 4. TRAVEL CARD WRITING (9.36 s) Therefore, the cycle time (work content) of the activity ROCKER ARM FITMENT is (30.60 + 156.18 + 61.42 + 9.36 =) 257.56 s. For other 19 activities, similar calculations were made to estimate work contents of each of them. TWC, the sum of all work contents, was found to be 88.81 min. It should be noted that this MOST study is concerned with only ON LINE elements, i.e., the elements during which the machine is not set in auto mode and the operators perform the activities like loading, unloading, setting, etc. OFF LINE elements, i.e., the elements performed by the machines (in automatic cycles) attract no attention as far as the time estimation of manual elements is concerned. B. Basic MOST Analysis Higher index values of the parameters lead to higher work contents. Hence, the parameters with higher (more than 2 in the present study) index values should be critically analyzed. Total 1510 parameters having 3 or more index values, as shown in Table I below, were identified from all the 20 workstations. C. Elimination of the NVA Activities Each of the 719 parameters identified in Table II were critically examined to eliminate or reduce the NVA activity associated with that parameter. In each case, it was observed that, few small changes in the layout at the individual workstation lead to drastic reduction in the work content. For example, few NVA activities involved in the activityRocker Arm Fitment, as shown in Table III, can be reduced by placing the storage bins nearer to the conveyors and increasing the ground clearance of the storage racks.

The higher index parameters represent the elements involving considerable walking, bending, grasping, move, control, placement, process time, etc. Such elements obviously indicate the higher probability of NVA activities. Primary observations revealed the scope for reducing the NVA activities contained by the 719 parameters shown in Table II.

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Similar exercise was done for all the NVA activities associated with 719 parameters. Total reduction in the work content is obtained as 15.41 min. The existing and improved workplace layouts for the engine assembly are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 respectively. Low cost automation, like power screw for the transportation of engine from station CC2 to M1 and from M14 to D1 and the transportation of cylinder head from subassembly to conveyor can significantly reduces the walking distances and moves controlled. The closely arranged subassembly racks and storage bins (i.e., within the reach of operators) further reduced the work contents.

= 450/87 = 5.17 min The TACT of 5.17 min includes the allowance of 0 .03 min for various mechanical losses. Therefore, the actual TACT = 5.14 min. Manpower required (excluding the effect of absenteeism) = TWC/TACT Manpower for the Existing Set-up = 88.81/5.14 18 and, Manpower for the Improved Set-up = 73.40/5.14 15 With the improved set up, the organization has now two options: (i) Reduce the manpower and keep production constant or (ii) Keep the manpower same and increase the production. The two options are compared with the existing situation in Table IV.

Fig. 1: Existing Workplace Layout

Fig. 2: Improved Workplace Layout Appendix B shows a partial MOST estimation sheet for the same activity with improved set-up. The new cycle time (work content) of this activity (consisting of four subactivities as explained above) in the improved set-up is (21.96 + 142.50 + 49.12 + 9.36 =) 222.94 s as against 257.56 s in the existing set-up, giving us the difference of 34.62 s. Similar MOST estimation sheets were developed for the all workstations (i.e., total 20 activities) for the improved set-up to estimate the TWC of 73.40 min.

Pitch is the distance between two workstations which is 3 m in each case. Four conveyor speeds may be utilized - 0.48 m/min, 0.58 m/min, 0.68 m/min and 0.78 m/min. The TACT is then simply the ratio of pitch and the conveyor speed, i.e., for the pitch 3 m and the conveyor speed 0.58 m/min, TACT = 5.17 min. (including 0.03 min of mechanical losses). By increasing the conveyor speed to 0.78 m/min (Option (ii)), production may be increased to 117. VI. CONCLUSION The study revealed that the MOST can be successfully utilized to determine the NVA activities associated with various work elements/ parameters. It helped to establish the standard time of 73.40 min. which could save 15.41 min. per engine thereby saving manpower cost of Rs. 12 lakh per year. The manpower can be reduced by 17% with little changes in the layout and rearrangements at the workstations. Further, the study focused on an alternative of improving the production capacity to 117 engines (as against 87 engines) per shift which could result in 34.5% higher production at the same cost. It would be interesting to utilize MOST to balance the entire assembly line by identifying the bottlenecks.

V. MANPOWER ESTIMATION The manpower requirement, based on the existing and improved set up, is discussed in this section. Total working time = 510 min/shift Breaks for lunch & breakfast = 60 min Available time /shift = 450 min/shift TACT (Time Available to Complete Task) = (Net Available Production Time in Shift/ Production quantity in Shift)

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[3] [4]

[5] [6]

[7] [8]

Kalpakjian & Mickee, K E; Automated Inspection and Production Control, Proceeding of 8th International Conference, 23-25 June, 1987, Chicago, USA. Perrone, L.F., Wieland, F.P., Liu J., Lawson, B.G., Nicol, D.M. and Fujimoto, R. M; Effective Designing an Assembly Line Using Modeling and Simulation, Proceeding of the 2006 Winter Simulation Conference. Shan H. (1999); Work Study And Ergonomics, Dhanpat Rai And Sons (P) Ltd, New Delhi. Tew, J. D., Manivannan, S., Sadcwski, D. A. and Seiia, A. F.; Development and Application of Realistic and Consistent Manufacturing Data as a Basis for Simulations, Proceedings of the 1994 Winter Simulation Conference, Ed. Zandin, Kjell B. Telsang M.; Industrial Engineering And Production Management, S. Chand and Company Ltd, 2007, New Delhi Zandin, Kjell (1990); MOST Work Measurement Systems, Marcel Dekker INC., New York.

REFERENCES
[1] [2] International Lobour Organization (1991); Introduction To Work Study; Oxford and IBH Publishing Co.Pvt . Ltd. New Delhi. Jiao, Jianxin and Tseng, Mitchell M.; A Pragmatic Approach to Product Costing Based on Standard Time Estimation, International Journal of operation & Production Management, 1999, Volume 19, Issue 7.

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