Glossary

Type I Balance: Minimizing the number of Stations requires the user to specify a Takt time in order to determine which tasks get assigned to what stations. In this situation, ProBalance tries to minimize the number of stations required for the available list of tasks, while ensuring that the precedence relationship is maintained

·	Type II Balance: Minimizing the Takt time, requires the user to specify the number of desired workstations. In this option, ProBalance tries to minimize the Takt time for the available list of tasks while ensuring that the precedence relationship is maintained.

A comma separated value file or a CSV file is one where all the columns within the file are separated by a comma. Microsoft Excel has the option of saving any file as a .csv file.

A cluster is a group of tasks with a precedence relationship defined. The user would create clusters to ease the process of defining precedence, instead of looking at the complete line the user can now process cluster by cluster.

A percentage that depicts the demand of the product. For example, imagine there are three products (A,B and C) being manufactured. A months demand requires a total of 200 A's, 400 B's and and 400 C's. Based on this, the demand percentage would be 0.20 for product A and 0.40 for products B and C.

Allows the user to group tasks/activities that always need to be done together. This is especially important during a rebalance since a set of grouped tasks moves as a single entity.

Refers to the process of adding an external file into the Proplanner application

A line balance with a mixture of models going down the line. Each model has a specific demand percentage associated with it.

These are resources that are fixed at a specific location on the plant (hoist, fixture, machine, etc.)

Proplanner allows multi operators per station. By default each station can be treated as an operator (i.e. One operator per station).

The peak model balance or the conservative balance checks to make sure that the model with the highest time is below the Takt time set by the user. By locating the model with the highest time, ProBalance ensures that none of the models exceed the Takt time in a given station. For example, consider a task T1 ( assembling a heat shield on an engine) that is applicable to models M1 and M2. The task takes two minutes for model M1 where as for M2 the task takes five minutes. The peak balance logic will make sure that the task time for M2 is within the Takt time, thus automatically taking care of M1. Also see Weighted Average Balance.

Operator, machine or tool that contains a fixed and variable cost, and is used to perform an activity. Resources are referenced by activities and assigned to locations within ProBalance. Each resource can be specified by class (lathe, operator, etc.) or by an instance of a class (lathe16 or operator12). Users can also define additional resource types as sub-types of these base types:

Resource blocks found within a layout drawing that have not yet been defined in the project are collected under the node “Import”. In the plant view, a resource is always a child of activity locations and are global to an account.

The speed at which parts must be manufactured in order to satisfy customer demand.

Proplanner entities can have variants of itself, which are differentiated by assigning version numbers.

The weighted average balance considers the weighted times of the different activities and ensures that they are within the Takt time specified by the user. This feature is applicable only for mixed model balancing. Consider a line with two models (M1 and M2) for example. M1 has a 60% demand percentage and requires a T1 task and M2 has a 40% demand percentage and requires a T2 task. T1 has a process time of 10 minutes and T2 has a process time of 12 minutes. The weighted average for T1 and T2, in this example, would be (10 * (0.6) + 12 * (0.4) = 10.8). This means that the line could be set at an 11 minute Takt time and still be balanced. Although one task (T2) is exceeding the Takt time the weighted average time is still below 11 minutes. Also see Peak Model Balance.

A station could have multiple zones, indicating that the operator can work in different areas of the work station. In order to add zones, create a comma separated list of the applicable zones and map them to a station.