Productivity Improvement Using Time Study Analysis in a Small Scale Solar Appliances Industry- a Case Study

The pattern of economic competitiveness has changed globally now days. Many countries have joined the global economic competition to capture global market in order to remain profitable and competitive by increasing its productivity. There are many factors that influence the productivity of a manufacturing organisation. The most widely tackled issue is how to improve efficiency and productivity. Motion and time study technique is one of the productivity improvement techniques used in many manufacturing companies. Motion and time study is defined as a scientific analysis method designed to determine the best way to execute the repetitive task and to measure the time spent by an average worker to complete a given task in a fixed workplace. In manufacturing industries, assembly line is also another major area to be taken into consideration for increasing productivity. Throughout the study, the aim is to propose a new system to the related company to increase their productivity. The purpose of this paper is to discuss related issues of motion and time study implementation and assembly line balancing and its influence toward productivity improvement. Data from a study carried out on a sample of manufacturing industry small scale solar appliances shows that motion and time study implementation and assembly line balancing contributes positively towards achieving productivity.