Reducing material handling costs at the American Printing House for the Blind

This thesis presents a method for analysis of a material flow problem at the American Printing House for the Blind, producers of large type, recorded, braille, computer and tactile graphic publications, as well as a wide assortment of educational and daily aids products for visually impaired persons. The analysis is conducted within the large type department in order to determine if an alternative layout exists that will reduce the time, cost, and distances associated with the movement of materials through the shop floor. Two tools were used in the aid of analysis, Muther's Systematic Layout Planning (SLP) procedure and FactoryFLOW(c), a software package developed by Cimtechnoloies Corporation.;The study evaluates several different shop floor layouts and, through the use of FactoryFLO(c), concludes with a set of recommendations.