Takt Time / Lead Time

Short Description

In any production environment it is mandatory to follow a strictly defined speed. That speed is driven by the selling speed of the product. Hence the takt time is calculated based on the customer demand – not measured! Takt time is the pace of a production and indicates the target time per part.

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Why do you have to respect a calculated Takt Time?

Produce Just-in-Time

It is mandatory to follow the speed of the customers to prevent waste

Avoid Overproduction

When following the customers demand, no overproduction occurs

Transparency

Takt time indicates productions behind schedule and allows implementing lean principles

Less Floor space

A takt enables one piece flow having a huge impact on the required floor space

Less fixed Capital

Products are sold once been produced instead of being stored

Room for Improvements

The takt time reveals weak points in the production. Seize this as an opportunity to improve!

How do you calculate the correct Takt Time?

Takt time is calculated based on a time span and the quantity of parts which have to be produced during that time
The available working time is the time the operators or machine works. Make sure to deduct all kind of downtime (like breaks, machine set-up, cleaning)
The available working time often is the time per shift deducted by those downtimes (8 hours)
The result is the takt time. In the shown example the takt time is 19 s. Each 19 seconds a part has to be produced
The takt time is the overall target for your production