Faculty of Engineering

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IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Christopher Risandy Anak Rimes

Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering)

2009

Faculty of Engineering

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UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA SARAWAK BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS

Judul: IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

SESI PENGAJIAN: 2008/2009

Saya, CHRISTOPHER RISANDY ANAK RIMES (HURUF BESAR)

mengaku membenarkan tesis * ini disimpan di Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:

1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

2. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja.

3. Membuat pendigitan untuk membanguankan Pangkalan Data Kandungan Tempatan.

4. Pusat Khidmat Maklumat Akademik, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi pengajian tinggi.

5. ** Sila tandakan (√) di kotak yang berkenaan.

SULIT (Mengandungi maklumat yand berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972).

TERHAD (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan).

TIDAK TERHAD

Disahkan oleh

_________________________ ___________________________

(TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

Alamat tetap: 36, Taman How Ching, ABG MOHD NIZAM ABG KAMARUDDIN Jalan Stephen Yong, Nama Penyelia

Batu Kawa, 93250 Kuching,

Sarawak.

Tarikh: __________ Tarikh: __________

CATATAN * Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah, Sarjana dan Sarjana Muda ** Jika tesis ini SULIT dan TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai

SULIT dan TERHAD.

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The Final Year Project Report as follow:

Title: Implementation of Group Technology in Local Manufacturing Industry

Author: Christopher Risandy Anak Rimes Matric: 13903

is hereby read and approved by:

_________________________________ __________________

Mr Abg Mohd Nizam Abg Kamaruddin Date

Project Supervisor

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IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

CHRISTOPHER RISANDY ANAK RIMES

A dissertation submitted to

Faculty of Engineering, University Malaysia Sarawak in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

Degree of Bachelor of Engineering

With Honours (Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering) 2009

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Group Technology Dedication

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Dedicated to my parents, Mr. Mark Rimes and Mdm Rita Sian, family, and

friends

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Group Technology Acknowledgements

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost I would like to thank my project supervisors, Mr Rasli Muslimen and Mr Abang Mohd Nizam Abang Kamaruddin for guiding me throughout the project with their wisdom, knowledge, experience and support.

Besides that I would also like to thank all the local companies for their cooperation in this project. Special thanks to Mr. Augustine Sittin, the production manager of C. S.

Choice Food Industries for his time and contribution.

Next I would like to thank my family and friends who has given me the support and encouragement.

Finally, thanks to everyone who were involved throughout the completion of this project.

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Group Technology Abstrak

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ABSTRAK

Projek ini adalah mengenai penyelidikan tentang pelaksanaan Teknologi Kumpulan dalam industri pembuatan tempatan. Teknologi Kumpulan (GT) adalah satu falsafah yang mengambil kira persamaan di antara masalah-masalah dan menerusi penggabungan masalah-masalah tersebut, satu jalan penyelesaian dapat diperoleh yang seterusnya akan menjimatkan masa dan tenaga. Konsep GT menekankan kepada pengurangan dimensi sesuatu situasi yang ingin dikawal. Kilang akan dibahagikan kepada sel-sel yang lebih kecil serba lengkap dengan mesin dan peralatan yang diperlukan untuk penghasilan sesuatu kumpulan bahagian. Demi mencapai objectif projek, survei pos telah dihantar kepada 48 syarikat dan hanya 8 yang membalas survei tersebut. Satu syarikat telah dipilih sebagai kajian untuk penyelidikan ini. Syarikat tersebut terletak di kawasan perindustrian Demak Laut dan terlibat dalam industri pemprosesan makanan. Temu ramah telah dijalankan semasa lawatan ke kilang tersebut untuk mengenalpasti kebarangkalian untuk melaksanakan GT dalam erti kata proses pembuatan dan susun atur kilang di kilang tersebut. Susun atur baru kilang tersebut telah direka berdasarkan maklumat semasa lawatan dan temu ramah dibuat. Objektif penyelidikan dan kertas cadangan ini telah dicapai. Saranan untuk kajian selanjutnya adalah untuk meluaskan skop kajian akibat daripada kekurangan syarikat yang sesuai di Kuching. Pengumpulan maklumat juga harus dilakukan dengan menelefon syarikat untuk mempercepatkan proses membalas survei. Adalah disarankan juga hanya syarikat tempatan patut dipilih untuk kajian.

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Group Technology Abstract

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ABSTRACT

The project is about the study on the implementation of Group Technology in the local manufacturing industry. Group Technology (GT) is a manufacturing philosophy that states if many problems are similar and that, by grouping similar problems, a single solution can be found to a set of problems, thus saving time and effort. GT concept emphasizes in reducing the dimension of the situation to be controlled. Instead of being functionally laid out, the factory is divided into smaller cells in such a way that each cell is equipped with all the machines and equipment needed to complete a particular family of components. In achieving the project objectives, mail survey was sent to 48 samples.

Out of the 48 companies only 8 replied. Only one company was chosen as the case study for this research. The company involves in food processing and is located in Demak Laut Industrial Park. Observation and interview was done during the visit to the company to identify the possibility of implementing and integrating GT concept in terms of manufacturing processes and plant layout. A new plant layout was designed to be proposed to the company based on the observation done during the factory visit and interview. Objectives of the research and the proposal are achieved. Recommendations for the research are to expand the scope of the project to a wider area due to the insufficient sampling group which is suitable in Kuching. Information gathering should include follow-up calls being made to the sampling groups to speed up the reply process.

It is also advised to choose local companies as the sampling group.

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Group Technology Table of Contents

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LIST OF TABLES

Table Page

Table 3.1: Lists of Sampling Group 33

Table 4.1: Respond of Survey on Returned Questionnaire 42

Table 4.2: Scaling of Annual Production Rate 45

Table 4.3: Scaling of Types of Products Being Produced 46 Table 4.4: Scaling of Number of Types of Machines in the Factory 47 Table 4.5: Scaling of Expected Benefits of Implementing Group Technology 48

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Group Technology List of Figures

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

Figure 2.1: Parts With Similar Geometrical Properties 7 Figure 2.2: Cubical Parts that can be made on the Same Multi-axis

Machining Center

8

Figure 2.3: Part Families 10

Figure 2.4: Layout of Process Type Plant 11

Figure 2.5: Layout of Group Technology 12

Figure 2.6: Plant Layout Before Implementation of GT 13

Figure 2.7: Plant Layout After Implementation of GT 14

Figure 2.8: Structure for Opitz Classification and Coding ¹⁹

Figure 2.9: Rotational Parts that Can be Classified in Form Code (digits 1-5) 20

Figure 2.10: Code Number for MultiClass Coding System ²²

Figure 2.11: Part-Machine Incidence Matrix or PFA Chart 24

Figure 2.12: Arranged PFA Chart Indicating Possible Machine Grouping 24 Figure 3.1: Project Flow Chart of Group Technology Implementation ³²

Figure 4.1: Bar Chart of Awareness on Group Technology 44

Figure 4.2: Bar chart showing the Comparison of Numbers of the Companies that are interested in Implementing Group Technology

44

Figure 4.3: Comparison between Company A, B and C Respectively 49

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Group Technology List of Figures

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Figure 4.4: Frankfurter Process Flow Diagram 54

Figure 4.5: Burger Patty and Minced Meat Process Flow Diagram ⁵⁵ Figure 4.6: Current Plant Layout of C. S. Choice Food Industries 57 Figure 5.1: Proposed New Plant Layout for C. S. Choice Food Industries ⁶⁵

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Group Technology List of Abbreviations

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

GT - Group Technology

USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics USA - United States of America

OIR - Organization for Industrial Research PFA - Production Flow Analysis

SCIB - Sarawak Concrete Industries Berhad

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Group Technology Introduction

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Group Technology (GT) is a manufacturing philosophy that states if many problems are similar and that, by grouping similar problems, a single solution can be found to a set of problems, thus saving time and effort. The objectives of GT are best achieved in business concerned with small to medium batch production which represents a major part of manufacturing industry. The traditional approach to this type of manufacture is to make use of a functional layout in the factory where similar machines are grouped according to type [1].

As a result of this form of machine layout, where only machining operations of a particular type may be performed in a limited area of the workshop, the workpiece itself must travel a considerable distance around the workshop before all the operations are performed upon it. This usually leads to a long throughput time, thus, the planning of process route becomes an extremely difficult task since a number of similar machine tools may be considered at each point in the sequence of manufacturing operations.

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As a result, a different concept of manufacturing organization and layout has been developed to overcome the difficulties. The GT concept emphasise in reducing the dimension of the situation to be controlled. Instead of being functionally laid out, the factory is divided into smaller cells in such a way that each cell is equipped with all the machines and equipment needed to complete a particular family of components. It has been found that by switching to this type of cellular manufacture, many benefits of flowline production can be attained in a batch production system [1].

1.1 Project Objectives

There are two main objectives for this project and they are as follows.

i. To study the potential of group technology in local manufacturing industry.

ii. To propose a system consists of group technology to the chosen company.

1.2 Scopes of the project

Malaysia has established a diverse and quickly-growing manufacturing sector that plays an increasing role in the Malaysian economy. Malaysia built up its manufacturing sector mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, utilizing its long-established industrial centers on the island of Penang and the Klang Valley, its well-developed transportation infrastructure (including seaports and railways), and the entrepreneurial skills of its

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small and medium-sized businesses. The industrial sector initially consisted of oil refining, machinery assembly, and light industries (including foodstuff processing and textile manufacturing) [2].

Malaysian manufacturing sector was boosted by the extensive growth of the electric assembly and electronics sectors. Malaysia became an important producer of radios, television sets, stereo equipment, and other related products. There was further growth in the manufacturing sector, especially in export-oriented electronics production, including semiconductors, silicon wafers, and other items. Malaysia has become the world's third- largest producer, and one of the world's largest exporters, of semiconductors [2].

The manufacturing division includes establishments engaged in the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into new products. These establishments are usually described as plants, factories, or mills and characteristically use power driven machines and materials handling equipment. Establishments engaged in assembling component parts of manufactured products are also considered manufacturing if the new product is neither a structure nor other fixed improvement [2].

This project will cover the extent of implementation of GT in the local manufacturing industry particularly in Kuching, Sarawak. Before that, in-depth research and study on the topic would be done to gain knowledge, understanding the principles and fundamentals of GT. The information collected would be used later to come up with proposal of implementation to the selected company.

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4 1.3 Chapter Overview

In the first chapter, an introduction to the topic was done. This section explained briefly on what the project is all about. The objectives of the project were also defined as well as the scope of the project. There is also an overview of every chapters included.

The second chapter is literature review. This chapter will cover the history of GT and its development. Besides that, it would also include other components of GT such as the fundamentals of GT, part families, application of GT and analysis in GT.

The third chapter is methodology. This chapter will describe on the strategy used to do this research and to give the reader an overall understanding of all steps involved in carrying out this project. It will cover objectives of survey and sampling group, information gathering, analysis of survey data and expected problem during project.

The fourth chapter is where the results, analysis and discussion will be presented.

Data obtained from the questionnaires and interview will be analyzed and one company will be chosen to be the case study for this research.

In the fifth chapter, proposal of GT implementation will be discussed. This proposal will include the analysis and suggestions of the recommended new layout.

Chapter six would be the conclusion, including with the limitations and recommendations of the research.

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Group Technology Literature Review

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

In general, group technology (GT) is considered as a manufacturing philosophy which identifies and exploits the similarity of parts and operation processes in the design and the manufacture of products. GT is vital in the foundation for successful development and implementation of computer-integrated manufacturing through the application of the part family and its analysis.

2.1 History of Group Technology

The initial idea on GT first surfaced in 1925 where R. Flanders from the United States presented a paper on organizing manufacturing at Jones and Lamson Machine Company. In 1937, A. P. Sokolovski from the USSR suggested that parts of similar configurations and features where all factors being equal should be manufactured in the same way by a standardized technological and manufacturing process. S.P. Mitrofanov, also from the USSR then expanded this theory and introduced GT. Mitrofanov stated

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that design simplification and standardization are the necessity to an effective GT program. In 1937, a U.S.A. manufacturer announced a technique in their manufacturing system, which was the same year Sokolovski published his paper. In 1949, a Swede named A. Korling presented on “group production” which is an adaptation of production line techniques to batch manufacturing. In his presentation he described that work was divided in groups where each contained machine and tooling of certain purposes [3,4].

In 1963, GT was applied at Hopkinsons Ltd., in Huddersfield, England which was similar to the one implemented at Forges et Ateliers several years earlier. GT was also implemented at a machine tool manufacturing plant in Sringfield, Vermont in 1963.

Mitrofanov’s work was published in Russia and German in 1966. First International Conference on Classification and Coding was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States also in the year 1966. In 1967, the Second Conference on Classification, Coding and Group Technology was held at Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. In 1968, the Third International Conference on Classification, Coding and Group Technology was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida [3,4].

In 1969, there was a conference organized by the International Labor Organization at Turin, Italy, where the main topic being discussed at the conference was on the meaning of GT. Also during the same year, Langston Division of Harris-Intertype of New Jersey, United States applied GT where they transform a traditionally arranged machine shop into “family of part” lines. The implementation has improved the productivity by 50% and at the same time has reduced leadtimes to days rather than weeks [3,4].

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7 2.2 Fundamentals of Group Technology

Grouping objects (i.e., components, parts, or systems) into families based on the object features has been done using GT approaches. Similar components can be grouped into design families, and modifying an existing component design from the same family would lead to new designs. The philosophy of group technology is an important concept in the design of advanced integrated manufacturing systems. GT classifies and codes parts by assigning them to different part families based on their similarities in shape and/or processing sequence [4].

Figure 2.1 below shows an example of three different components having similar geometrical properties. All three parts are manufactured by using the same machine. The main difference between each component is the machining process. All three components are made from the same raw material which is a cylinder shaped rod.

Figure 2.1: Parts With Similar Geometrical Properties [10].

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Group technology is an example of optimizing the strategic perspective on machine technology so that when the tactical aspects of the technology are considered, the results could be for the better of the company. The similarities between processes, products and materials can be used as the basis of grouping and as the basis of subsequent cellular manufacturing [5]. Group technology can and has been successfully applied in manufacturing, in production planning and control, in purchasing and in sales as well as in process design, parts decisions and elsewhere in organizations [5].

Figure 2.2 below shows another example of different but similar in characteristics components. All three cubicle parts looked different but are manufactured of the same equipment which is the multi-axis machining center. The machine could orient the component in various axis to execute different types of operation depending on the instructions being input into it.

Figure 2.2: Cubical Parts that are made on the Same Multi-axis Machining Center [10].

Faculty of Engineering

IMPLEMENTATION OF GROUP TECHNOLOGY IN LOCAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Faculty of Engineering

Dedicated to my parents, Mr. Mark Rimes and Mdm Rita Sian, family, and

friends

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRAK

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW