Manufacturing system design poses many challenges for new factory construction. Factories producing the same product may nevertheless have different layouts. The machining line of the engine shop in an automotive factory is a typical flow line, but the layout concept of the line varies among factories. In this paper, a simulation study on the design concept of the manufacturing system for automotive engines is discussed. For comparison, three types of real engine block lines in different factories are analyzed, and three structures of parallel lines are extracted. The effects of failure distribution on the performance measures of three types of parallel line structures are investigated, and some insights are offered regarding the layout concept.