Takt Time

What it is

Takt Time is the pace of production needed to meet customer demand.

It is the available weekly work time, taking into account the shifts worked and making allowances for planned stoppages (for planned maintenance, team briefings, breaks) divided by the anticipated average weekly sales rate (including spare parts) plus any extras such as test parts and anticipated scrap.

Example: If your customer requires 100 units a day, the Takt Time

This means a unit needs to be completed every 4 ½ minutes. Therefore every step or component needs to be done/delivered every 4 ½ minutes (or multiples of it). To smooth out variations in process time within the operation Kanbans, multiple machines and flexible labour can be used.

How to use it

  1. Calculate your demand i.e. what does your customer typically want every day/week/month.
  2. Calculate your available time = working time – regular ‘non-direct’ time

(non-direct time = stand-up meetings, breaks, cleaning etc)

  1. Calculate your Takt Time.
  2. Compare current operator cycle time against Takt Time using a bar chart. Insert pictures + equations
  3. Identify steps to rebalance work and, if necessary, adjust the number of operations so each employee has a full job, passed to Takt Time. Thus avoiding the build up of WIP or waste due to waiting.
  4. Consider the inputs you receive to do your work and take steps to adjust these to match Takt Time.
  5. Regularly (each week in most cases) recalculate your Takt Time to ensure it reflects current circumstances, and adjust manning levels accordingly.

How it helps

  • Essentially it provides a rhythm for the factory to work at thus stabilising the production, similar to getting a rowing team to pull at the same rate; much more effective than letting them all pull at their own rate.
  • It helps work cell designers as in an ideal cell all tasks are balanced
  • Immediate feedback on performance is a powerful motivator and Takt Time allows a team to be more aware of output rates and potential problems.
  • For processes and machines, working at the Takt Time may mean slowing down. This can actually lead to a reduction in lead time!! This is because queues build up after machines that run faster than the Takt Time i.e. try and get all machines in a plant running at the constant Takt Time.

Notes

  • Takt Time would work perfectly if the sales rate is known!!
  • Takt Time is not just for production areas. While it can’t always be applied with the same rigour in office areas due to the level of interruptions and unpredictability of task sizes, in broad terms it is a useful concept for balancing demand and supply.