Description

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Designed for junior- and senior-level courses in plant and facilities planning and manufacturing systems and procedures, this textbook also is suitable for graduate-level and two-year college courses. The book takes a practical, hands-on, project-oriented approach to exploring the techniques and procedures for developing an efficient facility layout. It also introduces state-of-the-art tools including computer simulation. Access to Layout-iQ workspace planning software is included for purchasers of the book. Theoretical concepts are clearly explained and then rapidly applied to a practical setting through a detailed case study at the end of the volume. The book systematically leads students through the collection, analysis, and development of information to produce a quality functional plant layout for a lean manufacturing environment. All aspects of facility design, from receiving to shipping, are covered. In the sixth edition of this successful book, numerous updates have been made, and a chapter on engineering cost estimating and analysis has been added. Also, rather than including brief case-in-point examples at the end of each chapter, a single, detailed case study is provided that better exposes students to the multiple considerations that need to be taken into account when improving efficiency in a real manufacturing facility. The textbook has enjoyed substantial international adoptions and has been translated into Spanish and Chinese.

About the Author

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Matthew P. Stephens is a professor and a University Faculty Scholar in the School of Engineering Technology at Purdue University, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in facilities planning, statistical quality control, and productivity- and reliability-based maintenance management. Stephens holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern Illinois University and the University of Arkansas, with specialization in operations management and statistics. He spent nine years with several manufacturing and business enterprises, and he has been involved as a consultant with a number of major manufacturing companies. Stephens has numerous publications to his credit including several internationally-adopted textbooks.