Evaluation of Plant Layout and Material Flow Efficiency in a Bottling Plant in Kwara State

Plant layout design has a direct and measurable impact on material handling distances, throughput times, and production flexibility in beverage bottling facilities, where synchronised machine-paced production lines make inefficient layouts particularly costly. This study evaluates plant layout effectiveness and material flow patterns in a carbonated beverage bottling plant in Ilorin, Kwara State. Systematic layout analysis techniques were applied, including process flow analysis, from-to chart construction, and travel distance computation for materials, products, and labour across the key production stages from raw material receiving through to finished goods dispatch. The plant layout was modelled using AutoCAD, and alternative layout configurations were generated and evaluated using the CRAFT heuristic layout improvement procedure. Material handling cost indices were computed for both the existing and proposed layouts under representative production volume scenarios. Results from the existing layout analysis showed that raw glass bottle movement between receiving, washing, and filling stations accounted for 31 percent of total material handling effort, representing the highest-priority flow relationship. The proposed layout modification, which relocated the washing station adjacent to receiving and shortened the bottle-to-filler conveyor path, projected a 24 percent reduction in material handling cost and a 17 percent improvement in line throughput. Implementation cost for the recommended layout change was estimated at 4.2 million naira with a projected payback period of under one year. Keywords: plant layout, material flow, bottling plant, CRAFT algorithm, Kwara State.