Case Study 7.1:
Workout Plus

I. How can Workout update its facility to attract new customers? What additional equipment or services would you suggest? How could something as simple as revising the layout help?

The current layout of Workout Plus is very basic and dull. The layout gives equal space to all four quadrants of the facility; aerobics room, free weights, cardio machines and circuit training. As a result of this equal space layout design valuable space becomes limited and not able to be used to its highest potential. In addition it also lacks the ability for this space to be used as a means of enhancement to draw new clients and customers in. As for current paying clients and customers it provides a rather unsatisfying experience for working out. From comments by Shannon a majority of members use the cardio machines and free weights more so than the other facility areas. It would be more beneficial to increase the size of the cardio area in order to add additional machines such as; treadmills and elliptical machines which prove to typically be most popular. Alongside the cardio area I would like to increase the area space for the free weights section. I would add additional weightlifting benches and additional dumbbells of the most used weight such as 20-45lb dumbbells. In regards to services added, I would suggest the addition of a designated kid’s activity and exercise area. Another service I wish to add is a juice\shake bar where members would be able to enjoy a small designated area for socializing and pre and post workout drinks such as protein shakes. In addition to these services I would propose to address the need for quicker 30 minute workout sessions. A separate designated aerobics room would be available for additional quick 30 minute instructor led workout sessions which would be held every hour starting at 6am until 6pm. For those members who cannot attend during these times a selection of 30 minute videos will be readily available to use during hours outside of this time frame in the room. Lastly I propose to have a designated area available for novice members where they can talk to trainers in regards to equipment functionality and brief knowledge and information sessions free of charge. This area would be placed close to the entrance of the facility along with a map detailing each area and included equipment for each section. Revising the layout of the facility provides a more organized flow throughout the floor of the gym while creating a more user friendly atmosphere and environment for members. The new layout would increase the useable space for equipment, handle peak capacity of designated areas, and reduce congestion in high traffic areas. The new proposed layout allows the focus of the gym to satisfy more members while attracting new clients\customers who are looking for services which Workout Plus competitors are not offering.

.II. It is your job to design a new layout for Workout Plus. Visit a nearby gym to get ideas. Watch the customer flow, unused space, and bottlenecks. What aspects of a process layout do you see? A product layout? Cells? Draw a simple diagram of your proposed layout. (You’ll want to be more detailed than the original layout.) How does your layout respond to the comments collected by Shannon? Visiting my own gym which I am a member of I took into consideration my proposed ideas of an improved facility layout. For the most part my gym, Choice Fitness provides a rather good customer flow during off peak ours. During peak times such as the hours between 5pm and 8pm the free weight section and certain circuit training machines often showed congestion and increased wait times for equipment. This is also the time frame where I saw a bottleneck in the layout of the facility. As for unused space, it appeared to be space in the center area of the gym which contained multiple weight benches and a few circuit training machines. With a process layout, I observed that Choice Fitness had their free weight training equipment located in the back of the gym farthest from the entrance. Seeing as this is one of the main designated areas which sees the most use regardless of time of day it did not seem feasible to have the layout this way. The area of unused space saw a bit of foot traffic from the entrance to the back of the gym to use the free weights. For the most part the equipment machines were strategically placed in regards to their functionality; free weights, cardio, circuit training, aerobics, etc. In regards to cells, the layout to me was inviting, upon entering the facility you area greeted by members working the front desk. To the right is a small sitting area and just beyond that is a juice\shake bar past the front desk with a few bar stools providing a social atmosphere. The setup consists of partitions between machines which I found to enable a more private workout if wanted. However this was only for a few machines mainly free weights and various popular cardio machines such as treadmills and elliptical machines. Taking into account my original proposed ideas and real world observations from my local gym facility Choice Fitness; I feel that I have created a layout which provides an easy flow. It addresses many of the comments collected by Shannon including activity\exercise area for children. The area is located within eyesight of the front desk and next to the designated area for novice members to have questions answered by trainers. The addition of the additional aerobics section and 30 minute workout sessions for busy members has also been addressed. This section has been moved towards the back of the facility as it generally sees less traffic and would not pose a threat for congestion upon members traveling between areas. The circuit training area is moved to an area closer to the front right side of the gym which tends to see less traffic. Cardio machines are located near the entrance and to the left where members tend to start their routine to warm-up before moving on to free weights. Both the cardio and free weight areas have been increased in size to accommodate more machines. I have created an extended front desk to include a juice\shake bar with a few seats. On the opposing side from the desk is a small seating area with a few tables where members can enjoy their juice\shake and social prior to or after their workout. Taking into account ideas from my own personal gym as well as enhancements of my own I feel that I have successfully been able to reduce the waste of unused space by increasing the size of both cardio and free weight areas. The increase in space will provide greater spacing between machines and improve congestion during peak operating times for Workout Plus.

Sources:
Russell, R. (2013). Chapter 7: Capacity and Facilities Design. In Operations and Supply Chain Management (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.