Takt time has many rewarding attributes when applied properly on the manufacturing floor, however it is important to consider it as one tool in many, relative to Line balancing a production operation.

As Takt time has become more recognized and also more in vogue it has been misapplied in certain situations.  Takt time can certainly balance the labor needs on the line and stabilize the production flow as well, but used improperly it can kill a plants overall productivity.  Let’s discuss two situations where Takt time is often misapplied.

The first situation involves highly complex processes.  When processes become highly complex, the utilization of Takt time to improve overall efficiency may be more harmful than beneficial. How flexible and adjustable is the complex process, and are those adjustments worth the perceived gain in the balancing process?  Can the process be documented in enough detail to delineate all the necessary set points to run equally well at multiple speeds?  Is there a thorough understanding of the process capabilities at each of these speeds?  Only after these questions are answered can changes be made to more complex processes.

The second situation is more common and more important.  To understand this situation better let’s take a look from 50,000 feet or a plant management point of view.  In general terms the faster you produce a part the less it costs.  Also in general terms the faster machines run the higher their capabilities and repeatability’s.

Does your process allow for changeovers utilizing single minute exchange of dies (SMED) and similar techniques?  If so can you maximize your throughput, and produce to demand.  After defining this best fit for your plant, then apply Takt  times for a win-win scenario.

Here is an example for the second situation described above.

Let’s say a plant has a production line with very specialized and expensive equipment.  The first priority from a productivity point of view would be to keep that equipment running as fast and as much as would be reasonable considering normal maintenance etc.

Use SMED concepts for quick changeovers to satisfy multiple customers and finally apply Takt times to balance for other opportunities.