Takt Time is a critical aspect of Lean Manufacturing and the Toyota Production System but isn’t addressed in detail in most Lean Six Sigma Training. In this article and video, I want to explain it and show you a few examples. I also share a Free Takt Time Calculator you can use. One aspect most don’t know is that Takt Time is also a critical part of Respect for People. So, what is Takt Time?
Takt Time is the desired time between units of production output, synchronized to customer demand. The word “Takt Time” is a German word which translates to Baton, as in a Baton of an orchestra conductor.
There are many benefits to Takt Time. The simplicity of the concept belies its extraordinary effects. Takt Time can be used in Service as well as in Manufacturing. Among these are:
- Production Stability- by limiting overproduction, it stabilizes the system and prevents buildups of inventory and the subsequent stops and starts.
- Workcell Design- Takt time helps cell designers. In an ideal workcell, all tasks are balanced, they all require the same time to execute and that time equals the Takt time. If any operation requires more than the Takt time, the cell cannot produce at the necessary rate.
- Psychological- immediate feedback of performance is a powerful motivator. When a workcell team tracks takt time, they have a heightened awareness of output rates and potential problems. They attempt to achieve the Takt time on each cycle and immediately make necessary corrections.
The concept carries backward through a process stream. Ideally, every step synchronizes with the final output. Takt Time is fundamental to Lean Manufacturing.
Video Transcript and Notes
Okay. I want to give a very “Lean” presentation on Takt Time. I want to see if I can give the presentation in two minutes or less. So begin by stating that Takt is a German word for pace, and what we want to do in production is we want to set a pace. And the Takt Time formula states that we take our production hours available, and here we have our hours available at 15 and a half. That’s two eight hour shifts. Production hours available divided by our demand. If we need 70 devices in our two shifts, one day, that equals 4.52 devices per hour. So the Takt time formula is B2, 15.5, divided by B3. the result is .22. But that’s .22 of one hour. So this formula here, one device every 13.29, is .22 times 60, so that we can state one device every 13.2 minutes.
Keep in mind that our demand is 70, and what I’ve listed here is what would our Takt Time be if it went up to 75 or 80. And we can see it goes from 13.2 minutes to 12.4, so we have to speed up our line, but that’s not a whole lot of time in between 70 and 80 devices. That’s ten extra machines a day if we can just speed up our Takt Time a little bit. So I’ve got our virtual assembly line going here, and at 30, so what we want to see is in 13.2 seconds one device rolls off the line and into the truck. And then in another 13.29 seconds another one rolls into the truck. So it doesn’t have to be the truck. It could be one assembly area, or the next, but one device rolls out of each assembly area in 13.29 minutes.