FACULTY OF ENGINNERING AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (HONS) INDUSTRIAL

ENGINEERING

UGNA 1042 PRINCIPLES OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT

LECTURER: Ir Dr. Yang Chuan Choong

SUBMISSION DATE: 11/04/2019

YEAR AND
STUDENT ID NAME
TRIMESTER
1805804 Beryl Jee Miao Ting Y1S3
1800237 Cheong Phui Theng Y1S1
1701616 Yong Wen Yao Y1S3

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PAGE CONTENT

NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NUMBER

1.0 INTRODUCTION 3-4

2.0 OBJECTIVE 5

3.0 APPARATUS AND MATERIAL 5

4.0 PROCEDURE 6

5.0 METHODOLOGY 6-7

6.0 RESULTS 8-12

7.0 DATA ANALYSIS 13

8.0 DISCUSSION 14-15

9.0 CONCLUSION 15

REFERENCES 16

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Method study is the analysis and design of work methods and systems, including the
tooling , equipment , technologies , workplace layout , plant layout, and work
environment. Method study is also known as methods engineering, work study, work
simplification, process re-engineering and also business process re-engineering. The main
purpose of method study is to eliminate the unnecessary operations to reduce the cycle
time, to increase the productivity and efficiency, and to achieve the best method of
performing the operation. The other purposes of method study are to reduce labor
content, reduce product cost, improve customer satisfaction, improve work flow, improve
work methods and to increases the flexibility of work system.
Methods study is divided into two areas which are methods analysis and methods
design. The basic approach to method study consists of few steps which are select the
work to be studied and define its boundaries, record the relevant facts about the job by
direct observation and collect such additional data as may be needed from appropriate
sources, examine the way the job is being performed and challenge its purpose, place
sequence and method of performance, develop the most practical, economic and effective
method, drawing on the contributions of those concerned, evaluate different alternatives
to developing a new improved method comparing the cost-effectiveness of the selected
new method with the current method with the current method of performance, define the
new method, as a result, in a clear manner and present it to those concerned, i.e.,
management, supervisors and workers, install the new method as a standard practice and
train the persons involved in applying it, maintain the new method and introduce control
procedures to prevent a drifting back to the previous method of work.
Two handed process chart is a motion study where the motions are analyzed in
performing an activity. The aim of this investigation is to eliminate or reduce the
unwanted motion to minimum and to arrange the best of motions in a possible sequence.
Two handed process chart is also known as Left and Right Hand process chart
(n.a, 2018).
Predetermined motion time systems (PMTS) are work measurement systems based
on the analysis of work into basic human movements, classified according to the nature
of each movement and the conditions under which it is made. Tables of data provide a

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time, at a defined rate of working, for each classification of each movement. The first
PMTS (since designated as "first-level" systems) were designed to provide times for
detailed manual work and thus consisted of fundamental movements (reach, grasp, move,
etc) and associated times. Large amounts of research, data collection, analysis, synthesis,
and validation are required to produce PMTS data and the number of such systems is very
low. "Higher level" systems have since been devised, most commonly by combining
these fundamental movements into common, simple manual tasks. Such higher level
systems are designed for faster standard setting of longer cycle activity. One of the major
PMTS systems is MTM (Methods-Times Measurement) which is actually a 'family' of
systems operating at different levels and applicable to different types of work. MTM
gives values for such basic hand/arm motions as : Reach, Move, Turn, Grasp, Position,
Disengage, and Release, together with a small set of full body motions. The time taken to
reach to an object is then given by a table based on the kind of reach (e.g. whether the
object is in a fixed location - such as a tool in a tool holder - or is a single object located
on a bench, or jumbled together with other objects, etc.) and the distance to be reached
(Chand.S, n.d) .

Direct time study is the direct and continuous observation of a task using a stopwatch
or other device to record the time taken to accomplish the task. Each element should be
timed over several work cycles to obtain a reliable average data. Stopwatch timing
method is divided into two types which are snapback timing method and continuous
timing method. A PFD allowance is added to the normal time to compute the standard
time.

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2.0 OBJECTIVE

To introduce the use of two-handed chart, establish the basic time for the task and to
develop a better method.

3.0 APPARATUS AND MATERIALS

Figure 1 : The apparatus used in the experiment

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4.0 PROCEDURE

1. A 3-pin plug was prepared and dismantled into parts.

2. The 3-pin plug was fixed back action by action and the time was measured using
stopwatch. The time were paused after every action.

3. The time was recorded in two-handed process chart.

4. The 3-pin plug was dismantled into parts again.

5. Steps 1 to 4 were repeated using an improved method.

5.0 METHODOLOGY

Two-handed Process Chart

Two handed process charts are used to analysis the work performed by a worker at a
workstation. It records the left and right hand motions of the operator. This is because the
hand of the operator is treated as an activity. To illustrate how this is done, the hand’s
activities,in this case of assembly a 3-pin plug, we divide into work elements and tabulate
the duration of the task, as shown in the title of the table below:

Left Hand Right Hand Time (s) Cumulative time (s)

The process chart comprises 4 columns:

1. Left Hand : The task performed by left hand.

2. Right Hand : The task performed by right hand.

3. Time : Time taken for the motion.

4. Cumulative time : The total time taken from the beginning of the task.

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 Table 1 : Description of the symbols used in two-handed chart.

Symbol Activity

Operation: performing an operation. Worker operating on or

handling material at workplace. Machine performing an
operation on automatic or mechanized cycle.

Inspection: worker performing an inspection, to check for either

quantity or quality.

Delay: the material does not proceed to the next as planned

Moving: worker walking outside immediate workplace

Holding: worker holding an object in fixed position without

performing any work on it.

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6.0 RESULTS

Time Cumulative
Left Hand Right Hand
(s) time (s)

Get the base cover 0.95 0.95

Holding base cover Get the Earth pin 1.45 2.40

Holding base cover Insert Earth pin 2.26 4.66

Holding base cover Get Neutral pin 1.60 6.26

Holding base cover Insert neutral pin 2.50 8.76

Holding base cover Get Live pin 1.69 10.45

Holding base cover Insert Live pin 2.18 12.63

Holding base cover Get the fuse holder 1.60 14.23

Holding base cover Insert the fuse holder 1.77 16.00

Holding base cover Get the fuse 1.53 17.53

Holding base cover Insert the fuse 1.53 19.06

Holding base cover Get the wire 1.69 20.75

Holding base cover Connect wire to Live 2.81 23.56

terminal

Holding base cover Get screw 1 1.85 25.41

Holding base cover Position screw 1 3.30 28.71

Holding base cover Get the screwdriver 2.01 30.72

Holding base cover Screw screw 1 19.33 50.05

Holding base cover Put down screwdriver 1.44 51.49

Holding base cover Connect wire to Earth 3.66 55.15

terminal

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Holding base cover Get screw 2 1.33 56.48

Holding base cover Position screw 2 2.22 58.70

Holding base cover Get the screwdriver 1.69 60.39

Holding base cover Screw screw 2 9.77 70.16

Holding base cover Put down screwdriver 1.61 71.77

Holding base cover Connect wire to Neutral 7.85 79.62

terminal

Holding base cover Get screw 3 3.05 82.67

Holding base cover Position screw 3 2.41 85.08

Holding base cover Get the screwdriver 2.14 87.22

Holding base cover Screw screw 3 13.42 100.64

Holding base cover Put down screwdriver 1.61 102.25

Holding base cover Get the cable grip 1.53 103.78

Holding base cover Fit the cable grip 8.57 112.35

Holding base cover Get top cover 1.53 113.88

Holding base cover Put top cover 2.09 115.97

Flip the plug 0.79 116.76

Lay the plug on table 0.82 117.58

Holding the plug Get screw 4 1.61 119.19

Holding the plug Position the screw 4 1.93 121.12

Holding the plug Get the screwdriver 2.82 123.94

Holding the plug Screw screw 4 17.95 141.89

Holding the plug Put down screwdriver 1.22 143.11

Table 2 : Two-handed chart of normal method

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 Time Cumulativ
Left Hand Right Hand
(s) e time (s)

Get Earth pin Get a screw 0.97 0.97

Holding the pin Position the screw 2.07 3.04

Put down Earth pin 0.82 3.86

Get Neutral pin Get a screw 1.08 4.94

Holding the pin Position the screw 1.69 6.63

Put down Neutral pin Put down Neutral pin 0.92 7.55

Get fuse holder Get a screw 0.77 8.32

Holding the pin Position the screw 3 2.47 10.79

Pass fuse holder to Get fuse holder 1.2

11.99
right hand

Get the base cover 1.19 13.18

Holding the base cover Insert fuse holder 2.18 15.36

Holding the base cover Get Neutral pin 1.24 16.60

Holding the base cover Insert Neutral pin 2.31 18.91

Holding the base cover Get the Earth pin 1.18 20.09

Holding the base cover Insert Earth pin 2.21 22.30

Holding the base cover Get the wire 1.03 23.33

Holding the base cover Connect wire to Live 3.3

26.63
and wire terminal

Holding the base cover Connect wire to Earth 6.49

33.12
and wire terminal

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Holding the base cover Connect wire to Neutral 7.37
40.49
and wire terminal

Holding the base cover Get the screwdriver 1.98

42.47
and wire

Holding the base cover Screw Neutral wire 16.44

58.91
and wire

Holding the base cover Screw Earth wire 9.94

68.85
and wire

Holding the base cover Screw Live wire 10.76

79.61
and wire

Holding the base cover Put down screwdriver 1.16 80.77

Holding the base cover Get Live pin 1.21 81.98

Holding the base cover Insert Live pin 1.45 83.43

Holding the base cover Get fuse 1.67 85.10

Holding the base cover Insert fuse 2.76 87.86

Holding the base cover Get the cable grip 2.06 89.92

Holding the base cover Fit the cable grip 1.45 91.37

Holding the base cover Get top cover 1.23 92.60

Holding the base cover Put top cover 1.61 94.21

Flip the plug 0.82 95.03

Lay the plug on table 0.81 95.84

Holding the base cover Get screw 4 1.14 96.98

Holding the base cover Position the screw 4 1.96 98.94

Holding the base cover Get the screwdriver 2.02 100.96

Holding the base cover Screw screw 4 10.15 111.11

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Holding the base cover Put down screwdriver 1.09 112.20

Table 3: Two-handed chart of improved method

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7.0 DATA ANALYSIS

Let the PDF allowance = 15%,

Normal time to assembly the 3-pin plug using normal method,

Tn1 = 143.11s

Tstd1 = Tn (1 + Apdf)

= 143.11 (1 + 0.15)

= 164.58s

Normal time to assembly the 3-pin plug using improved method,

Tn2 = 112.20s

Tstd2 = Tn (1 + Apdf)

= 112.20 (1 + 0.15)

= 129.03s

Difference in duration, Tdiff = Tstd1 - Tstd2

=164.58 - 129.03

= 35.55s

Tdifference
Improved percentage, , %   100%
Tinitial

35.55
  100%
164.58

 21.60%

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8.0 DISCUSSION

After the study and analysis of method engineering in this assignment, the assembly
method of 3-pin plug can be improved to obtain a reduced cycle time. A normal method
in assembling a 3-pin plug takes 143.11 seconds to complete. However, after developing
an improved method by reducing or combining non-productive motions, the cycle time is
reduced to 112.20 seconds, in which 30.91 seconds are conserved. By setting PDF
allowance as 15%, the standard time for normal method and improved method are 164.58
seconds and 129.03 seconds respectively. After developing a better method, it is shown
that the standard cycle time is reduced by 35.55 seconds, which is 21.60% of the normal
method.
When performing the normal assembly method of 3-pin plug, it consists of a few
unnecessary and non-value adding work elements. For instance, the basic motion
elements of the work elements in assembling the pins and cables of respective pins into
the plug are similar. Firstly, the pin is get and put into the plug, then the cable of the
particular pin is get and positioned at the pin terminal. After that, the screw is positioned
at the terminal and the screwdriver is get to tighten the screw. This series of basic motion
elements are repeated three times for the respective pins which are Earth, Live and
Neutral pins. These repetitive motions are found to be time-consuming and therefore need
to be reduced.
To redesign the method of assembly, the repetitive motions mentioned above are
combined to reduce time as well as increase productivity and efficiency. Before
assembling the pins into the plug, the screws of respective terminals are positioned at the
terminals. Then, the fuse holder, Earth and Neutral pins are inserted into the plug. Next,
the wire are connected to the terminals of respective pins. With the left hand holding the
cables, the right hand tightens all the screws at one time with the screwdriver. The
following procedures are similar as the normal method.
Comparing the normal method and improved method, the repetitive motions are
combined to eliminate unnecessary time-waste. In the improved method, all of the wires
are connected in one time and all of the screws are tightened in one time instead of doing
them separately. Moreover, the left hand is well-utilized in the improved method. Unlike
the normal method which the left hand is only used for holding, in the improve method,

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there are combined motions in grasping two objects by both hands at the same moment.
However, apart from improving the assembly method in terms of eliminating or
combining the motions, there also other methods that can improve productivity and
efficiency. The most significant aspect that need to be considered is the measurements of
the cable wires. Each cable wire has its particular length in the plug, for example, 32mm
for Earth cable wire, 22mm for Neutral cable wire and 12mm for Live cable wire. This is
to ensure that the cable wires are properly aligned in the plug with its appropriate length.
If the length of the cable wires are incorrect, problems will be encountered when
screwing the wires in its respective terminal.
Another method to improve efficiency is to handle appropriate tool or equipment
during operation. Using a proper tool can reduce mistakes and also improve safety of a
worker. By taking this assignment as an example, the size of the screwdriver needs to be
corresponded to the size of the screw so the screw can be tightened easily and efficiently
by using the screwdriver. As the errors and mistakes in performing the operation are
reduced, the PFD allowance factor can be reduced due to the reduced delay time caused
by mistakes when using an improper tool. Therefore, the standard cycle time can be
reduced.

9.0 CONCLUSION

The assembly method of a 3-pin plug can be improved by combining the unnecessary
repetitive basic motion elements and work elements. This can reduce the time as less
movements occur. After the improvement is made, the standard time of the assembly
process is reduced by 21.60%, which is from 164.58 seconds to 129.03 seconds. Besides,
in order to improve the efficiency and productivity, proper tools need to be used and the
lengths of each wire cables have to be appropriate.

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REFERENCES

(n.a ). (2018) . “Method Study Production and Operation Management” . Retrieved from :
https://www.wisdomjobs.com/e-university/production-and-operations-management-
tutorial-295/method-study-9658.html

Chand, S . (n.d ). “Notes on Two Handed Process Chart | Work Method Study”.
Retrieved from :
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/ergonomics/notes-on-two-handed-process-chart-work-
method-study/34472

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