Quantitative Layout Analysis - Travel Chart

A basic tool that is primarily used to analyze the material handling cost or in certain cases number of moves in a process layout is the travel chart. A travel chart as the name suggests, is a chart of record of the amount of travel by the material in process while going from machine to machine or form one department to another, this chart sometimes known as from to chart or trip frequency chart or a cross chart which is actually an adoption of the form of a mileage chart commonly found on a road map. Travel charts are extensively used in solving various production management problems such as:

1.  To analyze and plan department location,
2.  To analyze material movement,
3.  To reduce work in process,
4.  To reduce labour cost, and to make appropriate use of floor space etc

From a travel chart, management can easily determine the optimum relative arrangement of various departments. This is found by computing the management of the material handling cost for all possible arrangement of the departments and finally selecting the layout for which the magnitude is minimum. The layout analyst frequently locates the receiving and shipping department first depending upon the existing locational condition. A travel chart also helps in improving the existing layout.