Four Concepts of production Line process

The basic concept of production line process. 

I. beat. 

The "beat" (Cycle time) of a process refers to the interval between the continuous completion of the same two products (or two services, or two batches of products). 

In other words, the average time it takes to complete a product. 

The beat is usually only used to define the unit output time of a specific process or link in a process. 

If the product must be made in batches, the beat refers to the interval between two batches of products. 

In process design, if a process is given in advance of the necessary output per day (or other unit of time), the first thing to consider is the beat of the process.

Second, bottleneck. 

The slowest production step in a process is usually called "bottleneck" (Bottleneck). 

The bottleneck in the process not only limits the output speed of one process, but also affects the production capacity of other links. 

More broadly, the so-called bottleneck refers to the various factors that restrict output in the whole process. 

For example, in some cases, the manpower that may be used is insufficient, the raw materials can not be put in place in time, the equipment of a certain link is malfunctioning, the flow of information is blocked, and so on, all of which may become bottlenecks. 

As the literal meaning of "bottleneck", the size of the mouth of a bottle determines the speed at which liquid flows out, while the bottleneck in the production process restricts the output speed of the whole process. 

3. Drift

Bottlenecks can also "drift", depending on the products produced or the manpower and equipment used within a specific period of time. 

Therefore, enough attention needs to be paid to the process design and the daily production operation in the future. 

Free time. 

Another concept associated with beats and bottlenecks is "idle time" in the process. 

Free time refers to the period of time during which effective work tasks are not carried out during working hours, which can refer to the time of equipment or people. 

When the beats of each process in a process are inconsistent, other processes other than the bottleneck process will generate idle time.