Bottleneck Operation: Improving Production Flow

Bienestar, Inc., implemented cellular manufacturing as recommended by a consultant. The production flow improved dramatically. However, the company was still faced with the competitive need to improve its cycle time so that the production rate is one bottle every five minutes (12 bottles per hour). The cell structure is shown below; the times above the process represent the time required to process one unit.

12 minutes	30 minutes
Heating < ========= mixing
10 minutes	14 minutes

Tableting =============> Bottiling

Required:

1.How many units can the cell produce per hour (on a continuous running basis)? If required, round your answer to one decimal place. units per hour

2.How long does it take the cell to produce one unit, assuming the cell is producing on a continuous basis? minutes