Transforming Your Value Streams Workbook Learn exactly what takt time is and how to calculate it. A workbook intended to accompany the Facilitator s Guides for this course. This guide includes the Key Points from the video, discussion items, quiz questions, and helpful tips. Using Gemba Academy s online learning content, any participant can use this workbook to facilitate learning in all courses. July 2017
Review What is Takt Time? Takt is German for or, and is often associated with the pace a conductor sets for an orchestra so they play in unison. Takt time is sometimes referred to as the heartbeat of a lean production system, since it is used to match the pace of to the average pace of customer demand. As a frame of reference, Toyota operates at a takt time of around 60 seconds, which means that there is a car rolling off their assembly lines every minute or so. Data Collection Before we can calculate our takt time, we need to gather some data. First, we must understand how much we have available to produce the product or service in question. Remember to account for breaks, lunches, and other planned downtimes. For example, someone who works for 9 hours a day, but takes a 30-minute lunch break and a 30-minute coffee break, only works for 8 net hours. Next, we need to understand the for the product or service in question. This can vary depending on your business and industry. In the example, the team is examining the annual sales units on a weekly basis. On average, they sold 1,000 units per week. Since they work one shift for 5 days per week, the average daily demand is around 200 units. The upper control limit is around 1,076 units per week, or 215 per day. After some examination, the team decided to use 1,040 units per week, or 208 units per day, in their calculation of takt time. Takt Time: Net Available Time per Day To calculate takt time, use the formula: Customer Demand per Day Takt time cannot be measured with a stop watch. It can only be calculated by the formula. 1
As an example of the formula in action: an office worker works 480 minutes per day, and takes an average of 240 calls per day. Her takt time (480/240) equals about 2 minutes per call. That means she has 2 minutes to successfully complete a call; if she can t handle that load, she should probably seek help or work overtime. 2
Quiz 1. The word takt comes to us from the language. Texan Japanese English German 2. Takt time can be measured with a stop watch. True False 3. We often speak about takt time as being the pulse or the of a lean production system. cycle time lead-time heartbeat anxiety 4. To calculate takt time we divide the net available time per day by the. customer demand per month sum of manual cycle times sum of automatic cycle time customer demand per day 5. If a production line operates for 480 minutes (breaks, lunches, and planned downtime already taken out), and their customer orders, on average, 120 units per day, what is the takt time in units per piece? 3
Reflection Some additional takt time calculation examples: An artisan works 240 minutes per day, and his demand for finished sculptures is 4 per day. What is his takt time? An intern in an office works 480 minutes per day (breaks and lunches already taken out), and handles an average of 30 tasks per day. What is her takt time? A photographer works, on average, 5 hours per day, and takes an average of 20 pictures per day. What is his takt time? 4