Disadvantages of Process Layout
1. Complexity of production Planning and Control: The absence of sequential mechanized channels for production make routing and scheduling more difficult and time consuming. The responsibility for production is divided among many departments and hence it is difficult to pinpoint the accountability for the overall performance.
Since the processes are non repetitive, separate controlling devices are to be devised and enforced for each process. Separate work orders materials requisition time cards etc, have to be maintained for each process affiliated to each department.
2. Frequency of Inspection: Under this layout each department is accountable for a specialized operation. Inspection is frequently essential before the work is passed onto the successive operation in another department. Inspection becomes inevitable a every stage because the next department should not reject the material processed by the preceding department.
3. Difficulty of Materials Handling: Under the process layout there would be higher of materials handling because of the routine or work to various departments and the greater distance over which jobs have to move. Moreover materials handling cannot be easily mechanized under this layout because of definite channels in the flow of materials in serial order.
4. Greater Floor Area: This type of layout involves longer floor space for locating different departments, setting up temporary storage leaving aisles and passages, inspection cribs, service facilities etc, machine production centres handling diverse operation of varied sizes require larger floor area than under the product layout wherein operations are balanced in a sequence.
5. Wasteful Back Tracking: Due to dissipation of production operations among diverse departments backward and forward tracking of work becomes inevitable. Frequency of such internal haulage proves to be wasteful and adds to the burden of overhead costs.
6. Longer Processing Time: Production process will take a long time for completion because the job has to be moved from department to department. Greater time is spent on loading the machine after collecting the work from preceding department. At each stage loading inspection conveying to other departments hold up the flow and lengthen the processing time.
7. Larger stock of Materials in Process: Since larger stock of materials is held up in the process due to frequent back tracking and difficulty of materials handling the working will be locked up with slow turnover and low rate of return of investment.