Single Model Tutorial

This tutorial section will show you how to create a single model line balance. Please use the sample scenario file Single Pumps.xml (located in the Help Directory of your CD, or available on the Proplanner website) for this tutorial.

II.	The data will load into the task editor as shown in Figure 2 below. To view the precedence graph, click on the “Precedence Graph” tab located at the bottom of the task editor.

Editing the basic data in the “Task Sheet” is very simple. Spend a few minutes modifying some of the data currently in the sheet. Try changing the Description, Value Added % (VA%), Line side, etc. If you change the process time or ID number, it will affect the line balance results shown in this tutorial. Save the changes to the scenario by clicking on File => Save or Save as.

II.

Next go to the “Precedence Graph” tab, and try editing information in the precedence graph (Figure 3). Delete the arc from PP01S-1 to PP01S-2 and add an arc between 40S-004 to PP01S-2. To delete an arc, click on the arc and select delete on your keyboard. To add an arc, move the mouse pointer around the center of the task from which you want to draw the arc, left click and drag the arc to the task you want to connect to. Save the precedence diagram. The diagram will be redrawn optimally (Figure 4).

I.	Go to the Station Editor (View => Station Editor) to view the workstations defined for this tutorial.

II.	Go to the Resource Editor (View => Resource Editor) to view the resources defined for this tutorial.

III.

Now add a new Class ‘Hoist’ (Select type ‘Class’), and then add a new Resource called ‘Hoist-Fixture’. Select Type as Resource and Class as Hoist. Check the ‘Is Monumental’ box which shows that the Hoist-Fixture is a monumental resource (cannot be easily moved). Once completed the data should look like the one below in Figure 5.

I.	Go to the properties window (File=> Properties…) and change the ‘Line Type’ to ‘Single Model’.

II.	The ‘Options Sheet’ in the Model editor allows defining options. You can create options here, and assign these options in the task sheet to different tasks. By doing so, the options value is taken into account while calculating the weighted time.

Note: You can assign multiple option values to a task. If you plan to do so, please check the calculated weighted times for the tasks.

IV.	Select ‘Auto Balance…’ (Balance => Auto Balance) or select it from the tool bar. Enter ‘Desired cycle time (Takt) = 47 sec.

V.	Leave the remaining values at their defaults and Select ‘OK’. A message saying the current assignment will be cleared will be displayed (Figure 7). Select ‘Yes’ to this prompt.

VII.	The screen view (above) shows the line balance for the entered cycle time (TAKT Time). You can now select the appropriate station for which to view the work assignment. Violations, Resources, Line Side, etc. are also shown in this view.

VIII.

Clicking on a violation displays violation information at the bottom of the application. Notice that not enough stations were initially defined in the ‘Station Editor’ to meet the specified Takt time, so new stations were automatically created by the application.

Note: While manually moving tasks around, ProBalance will allow you to exceed the Takt time and violate precedence constraints. This will be evident from the chart, as well as the station summary listed in the lower portion of the display.

II.	Go to station ‘BB001’. Right click on task ‘40S-002’ and select ‘Change Assignment’ and select station ‘BB007’. By doing this the station time of ‘BB007’ has exceeded the specified Takt time (Figure 9).

III.	Go to station ‘BB002’ . You will see a precedence violation for task ‘40S-003’. Clicking on ‘P’ shows the task that is causing the violation (in this case ‘40S-002’).

IV.	Refer to the precedence diagram to verify the above violation (View => Task Editor => Precedence Diagram)

V.	You can also exclude a task from the balance. Right click on row containing “40S-001” and select “Remove Assignment”. The task is removed from the station and the cycle time of the station is reduced. The task is moved to the “Unassigned Processes” to the left of the screen.

VI.	Clicking on the “Unassigned Processes” shows the unassigned task “40S-001”. Right click on the task and assign it to station “BB0002”.

I.	Tasks can be searched by invoking ‘Find’ (Edit => Find or CTRL + F) in the “Balance Station View”. Figure 12 below shows the various criteria with which you can search for tasks. Try searching for any task with a net time greater than 3 seconds. Select NetTime, type in >3, and click 'Find'.

i.	Balance Report: This report gives Max, Min, and Average times for Station Times, Idle Time and Utilization as well as individual cycle times for each station.

ii.	Station Summary: This report gives detailed information for each station including assigned tasks, resources, etc.