Question

Based on the precedence diagram given below, using the longest task time heuristic to balance the line, if the cycle time is 1.3 minutes, what is the balance delay?

A) -4 minutes
B) 4 minutes
C) 1.3 minutes
D) 0.4 minutes

Answer 1

Without the precedence diagram or specific task times, we cannot calculate the balance delay. The balance delay is typically calculated by assigning tasks to stations using the longest task heuristic, ensuring no station's total time exceeds the cycle time, then measuring efficiency and delay.

Step-by-step explanation:

The original question seems to involve line balancing in a manufacturing or production context. Unfortunately, the provided information is insufficient to calculate the balance delay without the precedence diagram or task times. However, I can explain how one would generally calculate the balance delay using the longest task time heuristic given the cycle time of 1.3 minutes.

To calculate the balance delay, you would typically follow these steps:

1. Identify all tasks and their respective times using the precedence diagram.
2. Apply the longest task time heuristic to assign tasks to workstations, ensuring that the sum of times at each station does not exceed the cycle time.
3. After assigning tasks to stations, calculate the total task times and the number of workstations used.
4. The production line efficiency can be determined by dividing the sum of all task times by the product of the number of stations and the cycle time.
5. Finally, the balance delay can be calculated by subtracting the efficiency from 1 and converting it to minutes by multiplying with the cycle time and the number of stations used.

Given only the cycle time and without the specific task times or the total number of workstations, it is not possible to provide the numerical balance delay (options A, B, C, D).

To definitively answer the student's question, additional data from the precedence diagram is required.