This course provides a comprehensive overview of facility layout planning, a core component of operations management that significantly influences efficiency, workflow, and organizational performance. The layout of physical spaces whether in manufacturing plants, service centers, offices, or retail environments directly impacts productivity, safety, and communication.
Students will learn to analyze, design, and optimize layouts based on the nature of the operation, from product-based (assembly line) to process-based (functional), and explore the emerging relevance of hybrid layouts that combine flexibility with structure. The course emphasizes that layout planning is not only essential during the design of new facilities but also during expansions, upgrades, or organizational changes. Through theoretical frameworks, real-world case studies, and hands-on exercises, learners will develop the skills to align layout design with strategic goals, employee well-being, and operational excellence.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Define facility layout planning and explain its strategic importance in operations management.
- Identify and describe various types of layouts, including product, process, fixed-position, and hybrid layouts.
- Compare and contrast product layouts (linear, repetitive workflows) and process layouts (functional, flexible operations).
- Understand and apply the steps in designing process and product layouts using practical tools.
- Analyze when and how to use hybrid layouts for complex or dynamic operational needs.
- Evaluate how layout planning integrates across functions within an organization—from HR to logistics and supply chain.
Topics to be included:
· What Is Layout Planning?
· Types of Layouts
· Designing Process Layouts
· Special Cases of Process Layout
· Designing Product Layouts
· Facility Layout within OM: How It All Fits Together
· Facility Layout across the Organization
- Predavač: Brunilda Kosta