To design a production line that scales, size it for a range of demand rather than a single forecast, build every station on a modular frame that can be added, moved or rebuilt, and bring materials to the point of use so a new station never forces a redesign of the whole flow. For manufacturers of power distribution equipment, where products are large, highly configurable and in rising demand, this lets you add capacity one station at a time instead of rebuilding the line.
Why are Ireland’s power equipment manufacturers expanding?
Ireland’s electrical equipment manufacturers are adding floor space and skilled jobs.
In August, Vertiv announced plans to expand manufacturing and testing in Ireland and the North West, with up to 300 new jobs at an expanded Letterkenny facility.
In Dundalk, a new Hanley Energy plant will build low voltage switchgear, power distribution units and remote power panels, creating 200 jobs.
Much of that demand comes from data centre and AI infrastructure. On the ground, though, the story is manufacturing: skilled jobs, Irish supply chains and production floors that have to grow.
Every one of these expansions ends up as the same question on a plant manager’s desk: how do we lay out a line that copes with today’s orders and next year’s?
What makes power distribution equipment hard to build on a traditional line?
Switchgear, PDUs and power panels are not small products rolling down a conveyor. In our experience building lines for this sector, four things set them apart.
- High mix. Units are configured to each customer’s specification, so work content varies from one unit to the next.
- Size and weight. Enclosures and frames are large. Moving them between stations is often the biggest source of waste and risk.
- Testing. Every unit is tested before it ships, and test bays easily become the bottleneck.
- Lumpy demand. Orders arrive in large blocks tied to large infrastructure projects, then ease off.
A line welded in place for one product at one volume struggles with all four.
What do the key terms mean?
- Production line design is the process of arranging stations, people, materials and equipment so work flows from parts to finished, tested product with minimum waste.
- Takt time is available production time divided by customer demand: the pace the line must hold to meet orders.
- A modular production line is built from standard frame systems, such as aluminium profile or round tube, so stations can be reconfigured without new fabrication.
- Point of use storage places parts and tools at the station where they are used, so operators never walk to fetch them.
How do you design a production line that can scale?
- Design for a demand range, not a single number. Agree low, expected and peak volumes with sales and planning. Lay out for the expected case and prove the design can reach the peak.
- Calculate takt for every scenario. If peak takt is shorter than the work content at your heaviest station, you already know where the line will break.
- Design stations around the product family. Group work by process step, not by one model, so new configurations fit existing stations.
- Build the frame modular. Aluminium profile and round tube frames can be extended, split or moved. Keep fabricated steel for the parts that genuinely need it: brackets, guards, fixtures and enclosures.
- Present materials at the point of use. Flow racks, kitting trolleys and line side storage keep operators building, not searching. Plan replenishment routes from day one.
- Leave room for the next station. Reserve floor space, power and air beside your bottleneck steps, so adding capacity is an installation, not a project.
- Pilot, then replicate. Prove one cell with real operators, fix what they find, then copy the design.
Worked example: what happens to the line when demand rises by 50%?
These figures are illustrative, to show the method.
A line runs one shift with 7.5 hours of available time, which is 27,000 seconds. Demand is 30 units per shift, so takt is 27,000 ÷ 30 = 900 seconds, or 15 minutes. The heaviest station, final assembly, carries 14 minutes of work content. It fits.
Demand then rises to 45 units per shift. Takt falls to 27,000 ÷ 45 = 600 seconds, or 10 minutes. Final assembly is now 4 minutes over takt on every unit.
On a fixed line, the options are overtime, a second shift or a rebuild. On a modular line, you split final assembly into two stations of 7 minutes each and add a second set of point of use racks, and the line meets takt again. The frame changes. The process design holds.
Fixed line or modular line: which suits power equipment?
| Fixed welded line | Modular line with fabricated parts | |
|---|---|---|
| New product configurations | Often needs new fabrication | Stations reconfigured with standard parts |
| Adding capacity | Usually a rebuild or a new line | Add or split stations |
| Speed of change | Depends on outside fabricators | Most changes made in days by a small team |
| Heavy fixtures and guards | Yes | Yes, fabricated to suit the loads |
| Best fit | Stable, single product, high volume | High mix, changing volumes, growing demand |
For most power equipment manufacturers, demand is growing and configurations keep changing. That points to modular.
How does ATC approach production line design?
Advanced Technical Concepts Ltd (ATC Group) is an Irish engineering company based in Shannon, Co. Clare, in business since 1993. ATC designs and builds engineered to order production lines, assembly lines, lean workstations, flow racks, trolleys and carts, point of use storage and machine enclosures for manufacturers and fulfilment operations across Ireland. ATC combines modular square aluminium profile and round tube systems with in house fibre laser cutting, CNC folding and welding in mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium, so custom parts are made under the same roof as the modular frame. ATC operates an ISO 9001:2015 quality management system certified by NQA, is a wheel.me autonomous mobile robot partner and an Enterprise Ireland client. Its purpose is Making Work Flow.
We have designed and built a full production line on round profile for a critical power equipment manufacturer.
That approach works for one simple reason. When the line needs a new bracket, guard or fixture, we cut, fold and weld it in the same building as the frame. Nobody waits on an outside fabricator, so the line can change at the speed the orders do.
You can read more about the kinds of production line design work we deliver in Ireland on our assembly lines and production cells applications page.
Planning a new line or expanding one?
Get the production line layout checklist: 15 questions to work through with your team before your layout is fixed.
Frequent Questions
It depends on scope, product complexity and how settled the process is. Design moves fastest when demand ranges, process steps and the floor plan are agreed before any layout work starts.
Usually, yes. Measure work content at each station against takt for your peak demand. The stations that break first are where split stations, modular frames and point of use storage pay back fastest.
Modular frames carry stations, storage and tooling. Where loads are heavy, fabricated steel fixtures, brackets and guards are built into the line. The right design combines both, specified for the actual loads.
Design covers the whole system: process steps, stations, takt, materials and people. Layout is where each element sits on the floor. Good layout follows good design, never the other way round.
