Facilities Design

Course Description

The Facilities Design course aims to introduce students to the fundamental principles, methods, and tools used in the planning, design, organization, and optimization of industrial facilities.

The course covers the main stages of facility design, from the analysis of production requirements and material flows to the optimal arrangement of machines, workstations, departments, and material handling equipment.

Particular attention is given to improving productivity, minimizing material handling costs, reducing travel distances, optimizing space utilization, and ensuring workplace safety and ergonomics.

Students will explore various facility planning and optimization techniques, including Systematic Layout Planning (SLP), material flow analysis, facility layout methods, and material handling system design.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Understand the fundamental concepts and objectives of Facilities Design.

  • Identify and compare different types of facility layouts.

  • Analyze material flows and relationships between departments.

  • Apply the Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) methodology to industrial facilities.

  • Evaluate and compare alternative facility layout configurations.

  • Select and determine the required capacity of material handling equipment, including Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs).

  • Propose effective solutions to improve industrial system performance.

Course Content

The course covers the following main topics:

  1. Introduction to Facilities Design: Fundamental concepts, objectives, and challenges.

  2. Facilities Planning and Layout: Types of layouts and design criteria.

  3. Material Flow Analysis: Flow patterns, travel distances, and material handling costs.

  4. Systematic Layout Planning (SLP): Methodology and layout design tools.

  5. Material Handling Systems: Conveyors, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), and handling equipment.

  6. Facility Layout Evaluation: Assessment, comparison, and improvement of alternative layouts.

Teaching Methods

The course combines theoretical lectures, tutorial sessions, practical exercises, and industrial case studies. Students will apply the concepts and methods learned to analyze and solve real-world facility design problems.

Target Audience: Third-Year Industrial Engineering Students

Course Language: English