Takt time is a measure used in manufacturing to determine the longest period that can be spent on each unit while meeting demand. It’s calculated by dividing total production time by the number of units required. Takt time helps identify inefficiencies and problems in a production process, but it may not work well for highly crafted items or if different phases require substantially different times.
Takt time is a measure used in manufacturing. It is simply the longest period that can be spent on each unit while still meeting a given level of demand. Measurement can be especially useful for making sure that every part of a production line is operating efficiently.
The name Takt time comes from the German word Taktzeit. This roughly translates as cycle time. The German word originally developed to refer to the rhythm of music and its practical elements such as the pace set by a conductor during a performance.
Takt time calculation is, in its most basic form, an extremely simple process. It’s simply the total time available to produce a batch of products divided by the total number of units that must be produced to meet the deadline. In practice the calculation could be slightly more complicated as different staffing levels may need to be taken into account in case of staggered shifts or breaks. Most people who use Takt time will also gain some time for slowdowns such as car breakdowns or accidents.
The units used for Takt time vary from factory to factory. For simple products where the factory has an hourly target, it could be in minutes. For larger products like a car, the time might be in weeks.
Takt time calculation is most beneficial for production lines that carry out several stages of manufacturing a product. For example, a factory that assembles DVDs may have people or machines working on three different processes: inserting the disc into the case, inserting a booklet into the case, and wrapping the case. If the shrink wrap goes too slowly, a puck buildup will form and could clog the line. Alternatively, if the people inserting the disc into the case work too fast, the same thing could happen. Either way, some employees may find themselves unable to do any more work until the backlog is cleared, which is wasteful.
In this example, the company can calculate a Takt Time of 15 seconds per disk. In addition to the entire process producing four discs per minute, people working on each stage will know that they have to do their section of the job at a rate of four discs per minute. This will ensure that they all run at the same pace without a hitch. Working with a takt time system can also help highlight where particular problems or inefficiencies, such as a faulty machine or underperforming personnel, lie in a production process. And
Takt time has several limitations. It doesn’t work well if the different phases of a production process inevitably require very different times. It is not suitable for production where quality is substantially more important than speed, for example with highly crafted items. Strictly adhering to a Takt time system can also be as inflexible as if one stage of the process slows down, such as when a machine breaks down, the whole process can stop.
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