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Chapter 7 Layout and flow 201
Figure 7.20 The arrangement of stages in product layout can be described on a spectrum from ‘long thin’ to
‘short fat’
The advantages of the long thin arrangement
These include:
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Controlled flow of materials or customers – which is easy to manage.
Simple materials handling – especially if a product being manufactured is heavy, large or
difficult to move.
Lower capital requirements. If a specialist piece of equipment is needed for one element in
the job, only one piece of equipment would need to be purchased; on short fat arrangements
every stage would need one.
More efficient operation. If each stage is only performing a small part of the total job, the
person at the stage will have a higher proportion of direct productive work as opposed to
the non-productive parts of the job, such as picking up tools and materials.
This latter point is particularly important and is fully explained in Chapter 9 when we discuss
job design.
The advantages of the short fat arrangement
These include:
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Higher mix flexibility. If the layout needs to process several types of product or service,
each stage or line could specialize in different types.