Work study in a wood furniture manufacturing company

Abstract

This paper aims to present the problems encountered in a wood manufacturing company, located in Selangor by implementing a work/method study and time measurement. Direct time study was applied for the time measurement. Finishing section consists of sanding process, shellac and drying was chosen for the case study. Pareto chart was used to identify the critical process in the company, namely the sanding process. Standard time for the existing sanding activities was 22.94 minutes. After improvement has been made, the time taken was 16.86 minutes, and hence a 26% reduction in time was achieved. This improvement was done dy designing the more effective tool and workstation. SolidWork simulation software was used to assist in the design. By eliminating some activities through appropriate designed tool and workstation that in turn reduce the time of movement and space saving, the productivity in the company was subsequently demonstrated to have increased.