From equipment spacing and floor space footprint considerations to workflow optimization and preparing hookups for necessary utilities, several important yet forgotten factors come into play when deciphering what an ideal panelizing facility layout looks like for your business. Ensuring a proper layout is arguably one of the most important aspects of the process to ensure efficiency, safety, and finished product quality while also working within your capital investment budget.
At Panels Plus, we want to be certain you get the most out of your panelizing experience when utilizing our panelizing machines and equipment. That’s why we’ve created this second educational blog in our Foundations of Panelized Construction series so we can pass on our industry knowledge as a guide to determining the best fit for your desired production.
Starting with the basics
The first step in the process is to determine what the best solution looks like based on your current facility or the space you have intended for your panelizing operations. Common preliminary questions we always ask our customers to ensure we get an accurate overview of what we’ll be working with include these listed below.
· What’s your facility look like?
Whether you’re planning on panelizing components in a micro-factory, or within your company’s fully equipped manufacturing facility, we need to make sure we understand where and how your facility is currently structured to give you honest, helpful suggestions on what the best layout solution looks like.
· Are you panelizing components for your own builds or as a supplier?
Understanding your production context—whether for internal projects or external distribution—will help us tailor your layout to support efficient assembly. To better assess volume requirements, we also consider factors such as the number of linear or board feet of walls that will be produced per day.
· What is your planned production?
The mix of components your facility is planning on producing will determine the size and layout of your facility. For example: Facilities that manufacture a high volume of interior and exterior wall panels may install an interior and exterior line, so they are
able to produce a higher volume of panels. This way, they won’t hold up production. However, having two lines takes up substantially more room, which would need to be accounted for when planning out your facility.
With the answers to these initial questions, we’ll determine the ideal setup that will yield the most efficiency and productivity for your operation. We encourage collaboration during this process as the best solutions often result from a mix of our knowledge and your ideas.
Establishing proper layout dimensions
Once the parameters of your overall layout goals have been defined, it’s time to establish the proper layout dimensions that will maximize your flow, efficiency and safety of your panelizing operations. This will entail machine location and orientation, adequate space for personnel to move around the equipment and keeping materials close by so you don’t have to go out of your way to gather materials.
Keeping your hard work protected
In addition to keeping employees safe, your facility layout should ensure your finished panels are protected. It is critical to make sure there is enough room between panelizing equipment for safe and proper handling of both the machinery and product being panelized. Additionally, protection from weather will allow your operation to run year-round, help ensure consistent product quality and extend the overall life of your panelized product.
At Panels Plus, we’re committed to helping you find the best solution for your panelizing process and optimizing your facility layout as much as possible. As your trusted partner for consistent, high-quality manufacturing, we’ll provide you with our honest expertise, all while taking in your valuable input to best fit your product installation and layout needs.
Let us help you meet modern manufacturing demands for the Building Component Industry with confidence. Contact our team today to get started at: https://panplus.com/contact/