How can takt time help synchronize production with customer demand?

1 Calculate takt time

The first step is to calculate your takt time using this simple formula: Takt time = Available working time / Customer demand. The available working time is the total time you have to produce your units, excluding breaks, maintenance, and other non-value-added activities. The customer demand is the average number of units your customers expect from you in a given period, such as a day, a week, or a month. For example, if you have 480 minutes of available working time per day and your customer demand is 240 units per day, your takt time is 2 minutes per unit.

2 Compare takt time with cycle time

The second step is to compare your takt time with your cycle time, which is the actual time it takes to produce one unit. Ideally, your cycle time should be equal to or less than your takt time, meaning that you can meet or exceed your customer demand without overproducing or underproducing. However, if your cycle time is greater than your takt time, you have a problem: you are producing slower than your customer demand, resulting in delays, backlogs, and dissatisfaction. If your cycle time is less than your takt time, you also have a problem: you are producing faster than your customer demand, resulting in overproduction, inventory, and waste.

3 Balance the workload

The third step is to balance the workload among your production processes, workers, and machines, so that they all operate at the same takt time. This means that you need to eliminate any bottlenecks, idle times, or imbalances that cause variation in your cycle times. You can use various lean tools, such as value stream mapping, standard work, kaizen, and 5S, to analyze and improve your production flow and layout, reduce waste and motion, and ensure quality and safety. By balancing the workload, you can create a smooth and continuous production rhythm that matches your customer demand.

4 Adjust takt time as needed

The fourth step is to adjust your takt time as needed, based on changes in your customer demand or your available working time. For example, if your customer demand increases, you need to reduce your takt time, meaning that you need to produce faster. If your customer demand decreases, you need to increase your takt time, meaning that you need to produce slower. Similarly, if your available working time increases or decreases, you need to adjust your takt time accordingly. By adjusting your takt time, you can adapt to the changing market conditions and customer expectations, and avoid overproduction or underproduction.

Takt time is a powerful tool that can help you synchronize your production with your customer demand, and achieve lean manufacturing goals. By following these four steps, you can calculate, compare, balance, and adjust your takt time, and optimize your production performance and customer satisfaction.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?