Reconsider Problem 19.18 except that both the current line and the proposed line will have…

Reconsider Problem 19.18 except that both the current line and the proposed line will have storage buffers before and after the manual stations. The storage buffers will be of sufficient .capacity to allow these manual stations to operate independently of the automated portions of the line. Determine: (a) production rate. (b) proportion uptime, and (c) cost per unit for the current line and the proposed line.
Problem 19.18
A partially automated production line has a mixture of three mechanized and three manual workstations. There are a total of six stations, and the ideal cycle time Tr = 1.0 min, which includes a transfer time Tr= 6 sec. Data on the six stations are listed in the following table. Cost of the transfer mechanism Cat = $0.10/min, cost to run each automated station Cas= $012/man, and labor cost to operate each manual station Cw = $0.17/min. It has been proposed to substitute an automated station in place of station 5. The cost of this station is estimated at Cos = $0.25/min, and its breakdown rate P5 = OM, but its process time would be only 30 sec, thus reducing the overall cycle time of the line from 1.0 min to 36 sec. Aver-age downtime per breakdown of the current line as well as the proposed configuration is Td = 3.5 min. Determine the following for the current line and the proposed line: (a) pro-d action rate. (b) proportion uptime, and (c) cost per unit. Assume the line operates without storage buffers, so when an automated station stops, the whole line stops, including the manual stations Also, in computing costs, neglect material and tooling costs.