Question

A manufacturing firm assembles wooden toolboxes from pre-fabricated kits. The

process has three stages: assembly, finishing, and packaging. They produce two models of
toolboxes: the Foreman and the Chief. The production process is shown below.

Assembly: Finishing: Packaging:
T= 4minutes/ ⇒ T= 3.5 minutes/ ⇒ T= 3 minutes/
toolbox toolbox toolbox

The production process operates 8 hours per day. The two models of toolboxes are produced in
batches of 300 toolboxes at a time, and whenever the finishing process switches between the two
models there is a 10-minute changeover time. The assembly and packaging processes can switch
quickly between the two models and have no changeover times.

Calculate the daily capacity of each stage in the process.

Answer 1

To calculate the daily capacity of each stage in the manufacturing process, consider the time it takes for each stage to complete one toolbox and the available production time. Calculate the capacity for the assembly, finishing, and packaging stages individually.

Step-by-step explanation:

The daily capacity of each stage in the process can be calculated by considering the time it takes for each stage to complete one toolbox and the total production time available. Let's calculate:

1. Assembly stage: The time to assemble one Foreman toolbox is 4 minutes and the time to assemble one Chief toolbox is also 4 minutes. So, in 8 hours (480 minutes), the assembly stage can produce a total of (480 / 4) Foreman toolboxes and (480 / 4) Chief toolboxes.
2. Finishing stage: The time to finish one Foreman toolbox is 3.5 minutes and the time to finish one Chief toolbox is also 3.5 minutes. Considering the changeover time of 10 minutes, we can divide the available production time into two 240-minute periods. In each period, the finishing stage can produce a total of ((240 - 10) / 3.5) Foreman toolboxes and ((240 - 10) / 3.5) Chief toolboxes. Adding the two periods together gives the daily capacity of the finishing stage.
3. Packaging stage: The time to package one Foreman toolbox is 3 minutes and the time to package one Chief toolbox is also 3 minutes. So, in 8 hours (480 minutes), the packaging stage can produce a total of (480 / 3) Foreman toolboxes and (480 / 3) Chief toolboxes.

By performing the calculations, you will find the daily capacity of each stage in the process.