Assembly Lines Essay

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Assembly Lines Chapter 15 MANUAL ASSEMBLY LINES REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Name three of the four factors that favor the use of manual assembly lines. Answer: The four factors listed in the text are the following: (1) Demand for the product is high or medium. (2) The products made on the line are identical or similar. (3) The total work required to assemble the product can be divided into small work elements. (4) It is technologically impossible or economically infeasible to automate the assembly operations. 2. What are the four reasons given in the text that explain why manual assembly lines are so productive compared to alternative methods in which multiple workers each perform all of the tasks to assemble the product? Answer: The four reasons are the following: (1) Specialization of labor, which asserts that when a large job is divided into small tasks and each task is assigned to one worker, the worker becomes highly proficient at performing the single task. (2) Interchangeable parts, in which each component is manufactured to sufficiently close tolerances that any part of a certain type can be selected for assembly with its mating component. (3) Work flow principle, which involves moving the work to the worker rather than vice versa. (4) Line pacing, in which workers on an assembly line are usually required to complete their assigned tasks within a certain cycle time. 3. What is a manual assembly line? Answer: The definition given in the text is the following: A manual assembly line is a production line that consists of a sequence of workstations where assembly tasks are performed by human workers. Products are assembled as they move along the line. At each station, a portion of the total work is performed on each unit. 4. What is meant by the term manning level in the context of a manual assembly line? Answer:

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