Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

Review Questions
5.1 What is business logistics?
Answer: As defined in the text, business logistics is concerned with the acquisition,
movement, storage, and distribution of materials and products, as well as the planning and
control of these operations in order to satisfy customer demand.
5.2 What is the difference between external logistics and internal logistics?
Answer: External logistics is concerned with transportation and related activities that
occur outside of a facility, generally involving movement of materials between different
geographical locations. Internal logistics involves the handling of materials inside a given
facility, commonly known as material handling, which is concerned with the movement
and storage of materials during manufacturing and distribution.
5.3 What are the basic objectives in business logistics?
Answer: The basic objectives in business logistics are (1) to provide a specified level of
customer service and (2) to deliver that level of service at the lowest possible cost.
5.4 Identify the five components of the logistics system.
Answer: According to the text, the five basic components of the logistics system are (1)
facilities, (2) inventory, (3) transportation and material handling, (4) information system,
and (5) logistics workers.
5.5 With what is the procurement function in logistics concerned?
Answer: The procurement function in logistics is concerned with the acquisition and
movement of materials from suppliers to manufacturing plants that produce parts or
assemble products. Procurement may include the temporary storage of materials to
conform to production schedules or to take advantage of quantity discounts from suppliers.
Procurement also includes acquiring and transporting materials or products to retail or
wholesale establishments.
5.6 What are the four warehousing functions?
Answer: The four warehousing functions are (1) receiving, which consists of the activities
associated with handling and controlling incoming materials to the facility; (2) storing,
which involves putting the received materials into storage and recording their respective
locations; (3) order picking, which refers to the retrieval of materials from their storage
locations in response to customer orders, and (4) shipping, which includes packaging the
materials for shipment to the customer, preparing the required documentation, and loading
the materials into the carrier.
5.7 What is cross-docking?
Answer: Cross-docking is a warehousing operation in which shipments are received from
suppliers, and the items are sorted and shipped to their respective destinations without
being placed into storage. The advantage of cross-docking is that it eliminates the storing

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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

and order picking functions in warehousing, thus saving the costs associated with those
steps.
5.8 Name the five basic transportation modes.
Answer: The five basic transportation modes are (1) rail, (2) truck, (3) air, (4) waterway,
and (5) pipeline.
5.9 What are the general characteristics of freight that is suited to rail transport? Give
examples of this freight.
Answer: The general characteristics of freight that is suited to rail transport are movement
of large tonnage over long land distances. Prime examples of rail freight are commodities
such as raw materials located away from waterways (e.g., coal, ore, lumber), agricultural
products, and low-value manufactured goods (e.g., paper, wood products). Railway freight
also includes intermodal operations.
5.10 What are the general characteristics of freight that is suited to truck transport? Give
examples of this freight.
Answer: The general characteristics of freight that is suited to truck transport are
movement of high-value products and semi-finished items over short and medium
distances. Important examples are the movement of merchandise between distribution
centers and retail stores, and the delivery of components and subassemblies to final
assembly plants in the automotive industry.
5.11 What are the advantages of truck transport over rail transport when the applications are
appropriate for trucking?
Answer: Truck transportation has the following advantages over railroads in the
appropriate applications: (1) door-to-door delivery, (2) service availability and frequency,
and (3) speed of delivery.
5.12 What are the general characteristics of freight that is suited to air transport?
Answer: Air transport is suited to the delivery of high-value items that need to be shipped
long distances and time is an important factor.
5.13 What are the applications of pipelines?
Answer: Applications of pipelines are transport of gases, liquids, and slurries in large
volumes. Hence, materials suited to pipeline transport include natural gas, water, crude
petroleum and petroleum products, and sewage.
5.14 What are intermodal operations?
Answer: Intermodal operations involve the use of more than one transportation mode to
move materials and products between suppliers and customers. They include rail and truck
(piggyback), containerships, truck and ship, and train ship.
5.15 What are freight forwarders?
Answer: Freight forwarders are companies that consolidate the small shipments of
multiple customers into a large shipment and then transport it by common carrier (e.g., rail,
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

truck, air). Upon arrival at the destination, the large load is then separated into the original
small shipments for delivery to the final customer.
5.16 Give some examples of the distribution of information and entertainment products by
means of the Internet and similar communication-based distribution modes.
Answer: Examples given in the text are airplane tickets, digital distribution of music,
satellite radio, video-on-demand, and high-speed Internet access.
5.17 Define material handling.
Answer: The definition given in the text is the following: Material handling is “the
movement, storage, protection and control of materials throughout the manufacturing and
distribution process including their consumption and disposal.” This is the definition used by
the Material Handling Industry of America.
5.18 What are the four major categories of material-handling equipment?
Answer: The four categories identified in the text are (1) material transport equipment, (2)
storage systems, (3) unitizing equipment, and (4) identification and tracking systems.
5.19 What are the five basic types of material transport equipment?
Answer: The five basic types identified in the text are (1) industrial trucks, (2) automated
guided vehicle systems, (3) monorails and other rail guided vehicles, (4) conveyors, and
(5) hoists and cranes.
5.20 Why are forklift trucks so widely used in industry?
Answer: Forklift trucks are so widely used because they are designed to move pallets, and
most non-bulk materials are moved in pallet loads.
5.21 What is an automated guided vehicle system? Define the term.
Answer: As defined in the text, an automated guided vehicle system (AGVS) is a material
handling system that uses independently operated, self-propelled vehicles guided along
defined pathways on the facility floor.
5.22 How is a monorail different from an automated guided vehicle? Identify two differences.
Answer: Two differences can be identified: (1) the monorail rides on a track system
(overhead or on the floor), whereas the AGV rides on the floor with no visible track; and
(2) the power source for the monorail is a “third rail” that provides electric power to
operate the motor on-board the monorail vehicle, whereas the AGV carries a battery as its
power source.
5.23 Conveyors can be classified as powered and nonpowered. What is the feature about
powered conveyors that distinguishes them from rail-guided vehicles and automated
guided vehicles?
Answer: The feature that distinguishes powered conveyors is that the power mechanism
for transporting materials is contained in the fixed path, using chains, belts, rotating rolls, or
other mechanical devices to propel loads along the path. Basically, the pathway moves to
transport the materials. Rail-guided vehicles have on-board motors to move themselves,
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

picking up electric power from a “third rail” in the track. AGVs have on-board motors and
on-board batteries to power the motors.
5.24 Name some of the major types of powered and nonpowered conveyors.
Answer: The text lists roller conveyors, skate wheel conveyors, belt conveyors, in-floor
tow-line conveyors, and overhead trolley conveyors.
5.25 What are the four conventional (nonautomated) storage methods and equipment types?
Answer: The conventional storage methods and equipment types are (1) bulk storage, (2)
rack systems, (3) shelves and bins, and (4) drawer storage systems.
5.26 What are the two basic types of automated storage systems?
Answer: The two basic types of automated storage systems are (1) automated
storage/retrieval systems and (2) carousel storage systems.
5.27 What are some of the reasons why companies automate the storage function?
Answer: Reasons given in the text are (1) to increase storage capacity, (2) to increase
storage density, (3) to recover factory floor space presently used for storing
work-in-process, (4) to improve security and reduce pilferage, (5) to reduce labor cost
and/or increase labor productivity, (6) to improve safety, (7) to improve control over
inventories, (8) to improve stock rotation, (9) to improve customer service, and (10) to
increase throughput.
5.28 What is a carousel storage system?
Answer: A carousel storage system consists of a series of bins or baskets suspended from an
overhead chain conveyor that revolves around a long oval rail system. The purpose of the
chain conveyor is to position bins at a load/unload station at the end of the oval.
5.29 What is unitizing equipment? Define what the term means.
Answer: The term unitizing equipment refers to (1) containers used to hold individual items
during handling and (2) equipment used to load and package the containers.
5.30 What are the three drawbacks in manual data collection and entry that automatic
identification and data capture systems tend to eliminate?
Answer: The three drawbacks mentioned in the text are the following: (1) Errors that
occur in both data collection and keyboard entry of the data accomplished manually; (2)
Time delay between when the activities and events occur and when the data on status are
entered into the computer. Also, manual methods are themselves inherently more time
consuming than automated methods. (3) Labor cost, which refers to the fact that the full time
attention of human workers is required in manual data collection and entry.
5.31 What is the unit load principle in material handling?
Answer: The traditional interpretation of the unit load principle is that the unit load should
be as large as is practical for the material handling system that will move or store it, subject
to considerations of safety, convenience, and access to the materials making up the unit load.

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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

Less effort and work are required to collect and move many individual items as a single
load than to move many items one at a time.
Problems
Analysis of Vehicle-based Material Handling Systems
5.1 A fleet of forklift trucks has an average travel distance per delivery of 600 ft loaded and an
average empty travel distance of 500 ft. The fleet must make a total of 55 deliveries/hr. Load
and unload times are each 0.4 min and the speed of the vehicles is 400 ft/min. The traffic
factor for the system is 0.93. Availability is 1.0 and worker efficiency is assumed to be
100%. Determine (a) ideal cycle time per delivery, (b) the resulting average number of
deliveries per hour that a forklift truck can make, and (c) how many trucks are required to
accomplish the specified number of deliveries per hour.
Solution: (a) Tc = 0.4 + 600/400 + 0.4 + 500/400 = 3.55 min/delivery
(b) Ideally, Rdv = 60/3.55 = 16.9 deliveries/hr
With traffic factor, Rdv = 16.9(0.93) = 15.72 deliveries/hr
(c) Number of trucks nc = 55/15.72 = 3.5 rounded up to 4 forklift trucks
5.2 An automated guided vehicle system has an average travel distance per delivery of 250 m
and an average empty travel distance of 200 m. Loading time is 0.4 min, unloading time is
0.35 min, and the speed of the AGV is 1 m/s. The traffic factor is 0.9, and availability is 1.0.
How many vehicles are needed to satisfy a delivery requirement of 40 deliveries/hr?
Solution: vc = 1 m/s = 60 m/min
Tc = 0.4 + 250/60 + 0.35 + 200/60 = 8.25 min/delivery
Rdv = 60(0.9)/8.25 = 6.55 deliveries/hr
nc = 40/6.55 = 6.11 rounded up to 7 vehicles
5.3 Four forklift trucks are used to deliver pallet loads of parts between work cells in a factory.
Average travel distance loaded is 300 ft and the travel distance empty is estimated to be the
same. The trucks are driven at an average speed of 4 miles/hr when loaded and 4.5 miles/hr
when empty. Terminal time per delivery averages 1.0 min (loading time is 0.5 min and
unloading time = 0.5 min). Availability is 1.0 and worker efficiency is assumed to be 100%.
If the traffic factor is assumed to be 0.90, what is the maximum hourly delivery rate of the
four trucks?
Solution: When loaded, vc = 4 mi/hr = 352 ft/min. When empty, vc = 4.5 mi/hr = 396 ft/min
Tc = 0.5 + 300/352 + 0.5 + 300/396 = 2.61 min/delivery
Rdv = 60(0.90)/2.61 = 20.69 deliveries/hr
With four trucks, maximum delivery rate = 4Rdv = 4(20.69) = 82.76 deliveries/hr
5.4 Hourly delivery requirements among four departments in a factory are listed in the From-
To table below. Forklift trucks are used to make the deliveries. All entries in the chart are
loaded transports. The deliveries can be scheduled so there are no empty moves. All loads
enter and exit the factory through Department 1. In the table below, the values in front of
the slash indicate the number of moves per hour, and the values following the slash
represent the average distance traveled (ft) in the move. Loading time in a department is
5
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

0.40 min, and unloading time in a department is 0.30 min. Average vehicle velocity is 300
ft/min, availability is 0.96, traffic factor is 0.94, and operator efficiency is assumed to be
1.0. Determine (a) travel distances loaded and empty, (b) ideal delivery cycle time, and (c)
number of vehicles required to satisfy the delivery demand.
To 1 2 3 4
From 1 - 15/350 10/500
2 - 3/300 12/600
3 - 13/400
4 25/250 -

15(350) + 10(500) + 3(300) + 12(600) + 13(400) + 25(250)

Solution: (a) Ld = = 382 ft
15 + 10 + 3 + 12 + 13 + 25
Le = 0
(b) Tc = 0.4 + 382/30 + 0.3 + 0/300 = 1.974 min/delivery
(c) Available time AT = 60(0.96)(0.94)(1.0) = 54.14 min/hr
Workload WL = 78(1.974) = 153.9 min/hr
nc = 153.9/54.14 = 2.84 rounded up to 3 vehicles
5.5 Solve the preceding problem but assume that all loads enter the factory through department
1 and exit the factory through department 4. Therefore, there is no need to transport the 25
loads from department 4 back to department 1. However, the forklift trucks must still
return from department 4 to department 1 so that they can make deliveries that originate at
department 1. This means that 25 empty moves must be made from department 4 to
department 1. The distance remains the same 250 ft.
15(350) + 10(500) + 3(300) + 12(600) + 13(400)
Solution: (a) Ld = = 444.3 ft
15 + 10 + 3 + 12 + 13
Le = 25(250)/53 = 117.9 ft
(b) Tc = 0.4 + 444.3/30 + 0.3 + 117.9/300 = 2.574 min/delivery
(c) Available time AT = 60(0.96)(0.94)(1.0) = 54.14 min/hr
Workload WL = 53(2.574) = 136.4 min/hr
nc = 136.4 /54.14 = 2.52 rounded up to 3 vehicles
5.6 A proposed AGVS will operate between points A and B. In a given hour, 6 loads must be
delivered from A to B, and 4 loads must be delivered from B to A. The AGVS layout will be
a simple oval loop, with a travel distance between A and B of 500 m in either direction. The
traffic factor is therefore 1.0, availability is 1.0, and vehicle speed is 50 m/min. The time to
load is 1.0 min and time to unload is 1.0 min. Determine the required minimum number of
vehicles that will satisfy these delivery requirements. Indicate the assumptions concerning
vehicle operation under which this minimum number will be achieved.
6(500) + 4(500)
Solution: Ld = = 500 m, and Le = 2(500)/10 = 100 m
6+4
Tc = 1.0 + 500/50 + 1.0 + 100/50 = 14.0 min
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

Workload WL = 10(14.0) = 140 min/hr

Available time AT = 60(1.0)(1.0) = 60 min/hr
nc = 140/60 = 2.33 rounded up to 3 vehicles
Assumptions: Vehicles can drop off load and pick up load at same station to minimize empty
travel time.
5.7 An AGVS has three load/unload stations (numbered 1, 2, and 3) that form the corners of an
equilateral triangle whose sides are each 1000 m long. The hourly rate of loads carried
between stations is as follows: 20 loads from station 1 to station 2, 20 loads from station 2 to
station 3, and 15 loads from station 3 to station 1. The From-To chart requires that the
vehicles always move in one direction around the triangle (from 1 to 2 to 3 to 1 . . . ), so the
traffic factor is assumed to be 1.0. Vehicle speed is 60 m/min. A total of 1.0 min is required
for handling time per delivery (0.5 min for loading and 0.5 min for unloading). The AGVs
must be scheduled as efficiently as possible, but the delivery requirements make it
impossible to avoid some empty traveling by the vehicles. Assume that availability is 100%.
Determine (a) average delivery cycle time of a vehicle and (b) how many vehicles are
needed to meet the hourly delivery schedule.
20(1000) + 20(1000) + 15(1000)
Solution: (a) Ld = = 1000 m
20 + 20 + 15
5(1000)
Le = = 90.9 m
20 + 20 + 15
Tc = 1.0 + 1000/60 + 90.9/60 = 19.2 min/delivery
(b) Workload WL = 55(19.2) = 1055 min/hr
Available time AT = 60(1.0(1.0) = 60 min/hr
nc = 1055/60 = 17.6 rounded up to 18 vehicles
5.8 An AGVS is being proposed to deliver parts between 22 workstations in a factory. Loads
must be moved from each station about once every 30 min; the delivery rate is thus 44 loads
per hour. Average travel distance loaded is estimated to be 200 ft and travel distance empty
is estimated to be 250 ft. Vehicles move at a speed of 150 ft/min. Total handling time per
delivery is 1.2 min (load = 0.6 minute and unload = 0.6 minute). Availability is 1.0. Traffic
factor Ft becomes increasingly significant as the number of vehicles nc increases. This
relationship can be modeled as Ft = 1.0 - 0.04(nc-1) for nc = Integer > 0. Determine the
minimum number of vehicles needed in the factory to meet the flow rate requirement.
Solution: Ft = 1.0 - 0.04(nc -1) = 1 – 0.04nc + 0.04 = 1.04 – 0.04nc
Tc = 1.2 + (200 + 250)/150 = 4.2 min/delivery
Rdv = 60(1.04 – 0.04nc)/4.2 = 14.857 – 0.5714nc deliveries/hr per vehicle
With 44 deliveries/hr to be made, nc = 44/(14.857 – 0.5714nc)
nc(14.857 – 0.5714nc) = 44
14.857nc - 0.5714nc2 = 44
Rearranging as a quadratic equation: 0.5714nc2 - 14.857nc + 44 = 0
Solving the quadratic equation, nc = 13.00  9.59 = 22.59 or 3.41. Use nc = 4 AGVs
Check: Ft = 1.04 – 0.04(4) = 0.88
Rdv = 60(0.88)/4.2 = 12.57 deliveries/hr
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

nc = 44/12.57 = 3.5 rounded up to 4 AGVs

5.9 An AGV driverless train system is being planned for a warehouse. Each train will consist of
the towing vehicle plus three pulled carts. Train velocity is 200 ft/min. Only the pulled carts
carry loads, one load per cart. The average loaded travel distance per delivery cycle is 2500
ft and empty travel distance is the same. The anticipated traffic factor is 0.95 and availability
is 0.98. The load handling time per train per delivery is expected to be 7.5 min. If the
requirements on the AGVS are 20 loads per hour, determine the number of trains required.
Solution: Tc = 7.5 + 2500(2)/200 = 32.5 min
AT = 60(0.95)(0.98) = 55.86 min/hr per train
Rdv = 55.86/32.5 = 1.72 deliveries/hr per train
With three carts, Rdv = 1.72(3) = 5.16 loads/hr per train
Required deliveries are 20 loads/hr, so nc = 20/5.16 = 3.88 rounded up to 4 trains
5.10 The From-To chart below indicates the number of loads moved per 8-hr day (before the
slash) and the distances in feet (after the slash) between departments in a factory. Forklift
trucks are used to transport loads between departments. Average truck speed is 300 ft/min
(loaded) and 400 ft/min (empty). Load handling time per delivery is 1.0 min, and anticipated
traffic factor is 0.95. Availability is 0.97 and worker efficiency is assumed to be 100%.
Determine the number of trucks required under each of the following assumptions: (a) trucks
never travel empty; and (b) trucks travel empty a distance equal to their loaded distance.
To Dept. 1 2 3 4 5
From Dept 1 - 70/600 50/500 40/300
2 - 65/400
3 - 75/250
4 - 60/350
5 -

70(600) + 50(500) + 40(300) + 65(400) + 75(250) + 60(350)

Solution: (a) Ld = = 402 ft
70 + 50 + 40 + 65 + 75 + 60
Total number of loads in 8 hours = 360. Hourly rate Rf = 360/8 = 45 loads/hr
Under the assumption that Le = 0,
Tc = 1.0 + 402/300 + 0/400 = 2.34 min/delivery
Rdv = 60(0.95)(0.97)(1.0)/2.34 = 23.6 deliveries/hr per truck
nc = 45/23.63 = 1.9 rounded up to 2 trucks
(b) Under the assumption that Le = Ld = 402 ft from part (a),
Tc = 1.0 + 402/300 + 402/400 = 3.35 min/delivery
Rdv = 60(0.95)(0.97)(1.0)/3.35 = 16.5 deliveries/hr per truck
nc = 45/16.5 = 2.72 rounded up to 3 trucks
5.11 Riding lawnmowers are assembled on a production line at the rate of 45/hr. The products are
moved along the conveyorized line on work carriers (one lawnmower per carrier). At the end
of the line, the finished products are removed from the carriers, which are then removed
from the line and delivered back to the front of the line so they can be reused. Automated
guided vehicles are used to transport the work carriers to the front of the line, a distance of
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

750 ft. Return trip distance (empty) to the end of the line is 800 ft. Each AGV carries four
work carriers and travels at a speed of 165 ft/min (either loaded or empty). The work carriers
form queues at each end of the line, so that neither the production line nor the AGVs are ever
starved for work carriers. Time to load each work carrier onto an AGV is 0.3 min; time to
release a loaded AGV and move an empty AGV into position for loading at the end of the
line is 0.4 min. The same times apply for work carrier handling and release/positioning at the
unload station located at the front of the production line. The traffic factor is 1.0 since the
route is a simple loop. Availability is 95%. How many vehicles are needed to operate the
AGV system?
Solution: TL = Tu = 4(0.3) + 0.4 = 1.6 min
Tc = 1.6 + 750/165 + 1.6 + 800/165 = 12.59 min/delivery
AT = 60(1.0)(0.95) = 57 min/hr per AGV
Rdv = 57/12.59 = 4.53 deliveries/hr per AGV
With each AGV moving four work carriers, Rdv = 4.53(4) = 18.11 work carriers/hr per AGV
nc = 45/18.11 = 2.65 rounded up to 3 AGVs
5.12 A rail-guided vehicle system is being planned as part of an assembly work cell. Delivery
requirements (loads/hr, before the slash) and distances (ft, after the slash) are indicated in the
From-To chart below. In operation, a base part is loaded at station 1 and travels either
through stations 2 and 3 or through stations 4 and 5, where components are assembled to the
base part. From stations 3 or 5, the product moves to station 6 for removal from the system.
Vehicles remain with the products as they move through the station sequences; thus no
loading and unloading of parts occurs at stations 2, 3, 4, and 5. After unloading at station 6,
the vehicles then return to station 1 for reloading. The speed of each rail-guided vehicle is
120 ft/min. Assembly cycle times at stations 2 and 3 are 5.0 min each (10 min total), and at
stations 4 and 5 they are 6.0 min each (12 min total). Load and unload times at stations 1 and
6 respectively are each 0.75 min. The traffic factor is 0.95. How many vehicles are required
to operate the assembly work cell?
To: 1 2 3 4 5 6
From: 1 - 20/45 16/55
2 - 20/50
3 - 20/30
4 - 16/60
5 - 16/35
6 36/150 -

Solution: Assembly through stations 2 and 3:

Tc = 0.75 + 45/120 + 5.0 + 50/120 + 5.0 + 30/120 + 0.75 + 150/120 = 13.79 min
AT = 60(0.95) = 57 min/hr per vehicle
Rdv = 57/13.79 = 4.13 deliveries/hr per vehicle
nc = 20/4.13 = 4.84 vehicles
Assembly through stations 4 and 5:
Tc = 0.75 + 55/120 + 6.0 + 60/120 + 6.0 + 35/120 + 0.75 + 150/120 = 16.0 min
AT = 60(0.95) = 57 min/hr per vehicle
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Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

Rdv = 57/16 = 3.56 deliveries/hr per vehicle

nc = 16/3.56 = 4.49 vehicles
Total number of vehicles required = 4.84 + 4.49 = 9.33 rounded up to 10 vehicles
Analysis of Conveyor Systems
5.13 A roller conveyor is 250 ft long and its velocity is 80 ft/min. It is used to move pallets
between load and unload stations. Each pallet carries 10 parts. Cycle time to load a pallet is
0.25 min and one worker at the load station is able to load pallets at the rate of 4/min. It takes
0.20 min to unload at the unload station. Determine (a) the center-to-center distance between
pallets, (b) the number of pallets on the conveyor at one time, and (c) the hourly flow rate of
parts.
Solution: (a) sc = TL vc = 0.25(80) = 20 ft/pallet
(b) Number of pallets on conveyor = Ld/sc = 250/20 = 12.5 on average (either 12 or 13 pallets
at any instant)
(c) Rf = npvc/sc = (10 pc/carrier)(80 ft/min)/(20 ft/carrier) = 40 parts/min = 2400 parts/hr
5.14 A roller conveyor moves tote pans at 200 ft/min between a load station and an unload
station, a distance of 250 ft. The time to load parts into a tote pan at the load station is 0.05
min/part. Each tote pan holds 12 parts. In addition, it takes 0.15 min to load a tote pan onto
the conveyor. One worker is assigned to loading the parts and then loading the tote pan onto
the conveyor. Determine (a) the spacing between tote pan centers flowing in the conveyor
system, and (b) the flow rate of parts on the conveyor system. (c) Consider the effect of the
unit load principle. Suppose the tote pans were smaller and could hold only one part rather
than 12. Determine the flow rate in this case if it takes 0.10 min to load a tote pan onto the
conveyor (instead of 0.15 min for the larger tote pan), and it takes the same 0.05 min to load
the part into the tote pan.
Solution: (a) TL = 0.15 + 12(0.05) = 0.75 min/tote
sc = (200 ft/min)(0.75 min/tote) = 150 ft/tote
(b) Rf = npvc/sc = (12 pc/tote)(200 ft/min)/150 ft/tote = 16 pc/min = 960 pc/hr
(c) For the case where np = 1 pc/tote
TL = 0.15 + 0.05 = 0.20 min/tote
sc = 200(0.20) = 40 ft/tote
Rf = (1 pc/tote)(200 ft/min)/40 ft/tote = 5 pc/min = 300 pc/hr
5.15 An overhead trolley conveyor forms a continuous closed loop. The delivery loop has a length
of 150 m and the return loop is 120 m. All parts loaded at the load station are unloaded at the
unload station. Each work carrier on the conveyor can hold one part and the carriers are
separated by 5 m. Conveyor speed is 1.10 m/s. Determine (a) maximum number of parts in
the conveyor system, (b) parts flow rate, and (c) maximum loading and unloading times that
are compatible with the operation of the conveyor system?
Solution: (a) Number of parts on the conveyor = (150 m)/(5 m/pc) = 30 pc
(b) Rf = npvc/sc = 1(1.1)/5 = 0.22 pc/sec = 13.2 pc/min
10
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Solutions Manual: Ch05-Logistics-s

(c) TL = Tu = 1/Rf = 1/0.22 = 4.55 sec

5.16 A closed loop overhead conveyor must be designed to deliver parts from a load station to an
unload station. The specified flow rate of parts between the two stations is 320 parts/hr. The
conveyor has carriers spaced at a center-to-center distance that is to be determined. Each
carrier holds one part. Forward and return loops are each 75 m. Conveyor speed is 0.6 m/s.
Minimum feasible times to load and unload parts at the respective stations is 0.16 min for
each. Does the system achieve the specified flow rate? If so, what are appropriate values for
the number of carriers and the spacing between carriers?
Solution: Relationships needed to analyze the problem:
Relationship (1): Rf = vc/sc = 0.6/sc pc/sec = 36/sc pc/min for np = 1 pc/carrier
Relationship (2): TL = Tu  sc/vc = sc/1.667 sc sec = 0.02778 sc min
Relationship (3): ncsc = 2(75) = 150 m
Solving (1): Specified flow rate Rf = 320 pc/hr = 5.333 pc/min = 36/sc
Rearranging, sc = 36/5.333 = 6.75 m
Solving (2): TL = Tu = 0.16 min  0.02778 sc
sc = 0.16/0.2778 = 5.76 m
If sc = 6.75 m from (1), then TL = Tu = .02778(6.75) = 0.1875 min, which is greater than the
specified minimum of 0.16 min.
Solving (3) ncsc = 150 m
Try sc = 6.75 m, nc = 150/6.75 = 22.22 carriers
However, nc must be an integer.
Try nc = 24 carriers.
24sc = 150, so sc = 150/24 = 6.25 m/carrier
Check relationship (1): Rf = 36/6.25 = 5.76 pc/min = 345.6 pc/hr which exceeds the specified
Rf = 320 pc/hr.
Check relationship (2): TL = Tu = 0.2778(6.25) = 0.174 min, which is greater than the
specified minimum of 0.16 min.
The system achieves the Rf and TL specifications with nc = 24 carriers and sc = 6.25 m

11
Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover. ISBN 0-13-140650-7.
© 2007 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.