3. Workshop characteristics impacting the layout.
Several types of workshop are addressed in the literature. In
fact, the layout problems addressed are strongly dependent on
the specific features of manufacturing systems studied. Several
factors and design issues clearly differentiate the nature of the
problems to be addressed, in particular: the production variety
and volume, the material handling system chosen, the different
possible flows allowed for parts, the number of floors on which
the machines can be assigned, the facility shapes and the pickup
and drop-off locations. Due to their importance, these factors
are detailed below.