Takt time is the ratio of available production time to customer demand. Many Lean professionals refer to Takt time as the heartbeat of a just-in-time production system as it is used to schedule production to meet demand. The simple formula for Takt time is:
T = Ta ÷ D
In order to complete the Takt time formula, you will need to identify both available time per shift and the rate of customer demand per day. The process can be confusing and all too often managers get wrapped up with the numbers. This easy-to-use calculator is designed will calculate each factor of the Takt time formula and give you the optimal pace for your production process. The ratio of “X minutes per piece” is a simple way to determine what the processes in your facility must be capable of.
Available Time per Shift:
540 minutes
Net Working Time per Shift:
470 minutes
Net Working Time per Shift:
28,200 seconds
Net Available Time per Day:
56,400 seconds
Takt Time =
564 seconds / 9.4 minutes per piece
What’s next?
Using this information, you can now begin leveling and smoothing your production line. If your production line is not meeting demand, the first step is to assess the production line for any bottlenecks and eliminate them. Next, you will want to categorize work tasks as value adding activities or non-value adding activities and begin eliminating the activities that do not add value. When scheduling production, balance the work load between operators and be sure operators know the capacity of their equipment.
Production leveling, another important element to Lean manufacturing, has a number of benefits. It will help you in calculating the capacity of your machines, make any issues on the production line apparent, and reduce changeover times.
