Takt Time
Calculate the takt time of a line from customer demand and actual working time, compare it to the cycle times of the workstations and draw the first shop-floor decisions from it: where the bottleneck is, how many operators, when to recalculate.
This course is intended for team leaders, shop-floor managers and methods technicians who have to hold a pace without knowing exactly which one. It starts from a simple question: every how many seconds must a part come off the line to deliver what the customer is asking for? By the end, you will know how to calculate the takt time of your line with the right time bases, distinguish it from cycle time and lead time, identify the workstation that breaks the rhythm, and decide what to do when a bottleneck machine cannot keep up. Each step is based on a worked example taken from an assembly line or a press, and ends with a success criterion that can be verified two weeks later.
What you will be able to do
- Define takt time as a pace set by customer demand, internal or external, and differentiate it from cycle time and lead time.
- Calculate the takt time of a line by subtracting breaks, meetings, cleaning and planned maintenance from the opening time, without subtracting unplanned stoppages.
- Compare the takt time to the cycle times of each workstation to identify the bottleneck and the workstations in overproduction.
- Choose between action levers when the bottleneck machine exceeds the takt: process, OEE, opening hours, rotation at breaks, doubling the equipment.
- Set a recalculation frequency suited to fluctuations in the order book and handle a multi-product line without averaging takt times.
The path
- Objectives
- Takt time: the rhythm the customer imposes on the line 4 min
- Calculating takt time with the right time bases 5 min
- Context
- Comparing takt with cycle times: finding the bottleneck 4 min
- Method
- Tips
- Machine takt time: what to do when the bottleneck exceeds the takt 5 min
- Recalculating the takt and managing a multi-product line 4 min
Prerequisites
Know how your line operates (workstations, opening time, break schedules) and have customer demand available over a given period (firm orders or forecast). No prior Lean knowledge is required; OEE is useful but not essential.
The closing quiz
The topic ends with a 7-question quiz, and a certificate is issued on success.