Balance a line to the takt time

Spread the work across the stations so none goes over the pace the customer needs or sits waiting.

The task in figures

Gives you back
It does not recur every month
Elmira today
Not covered
Frequency
Per project
Who does it today
Engineer, Senior
How it is done today

What hurts today.

  • One station waits while the next one cannot keep up.

  • The balance goes stale when demand changes.

  • Without reliable times, balancing is done by eye.

Takt is the pace at which the customer buys: available time divided by demand. Balancing a line means measuring each station’s time, charting it against the takt (the yamazumi), moving tasks from overloaded stations to waiting ones and testing the new balance on the line. It is repeated whenever demand or the product changes, and it needs reliable times and judgment not to move what cannot be moved.

Done today with

  • Expert
  • In-person meeting
  • On the floor
  • Spreadsheet
With Elmira

Each step, today and with Elmira.

She does not: balancing a line needs times measured at the station and specialist analysis.

StepTodayWith Elmira
Work out the takt from customer demandSpreadsheet15 min – 30 minStill by hand
Time each stationOn the floor1 h – 4 hStill by hand
Build the balance chart (yamazumi)Spreadsheet30 min – 1.5 hStill by hand
Redistribute the tasks across stationsIn-person meeting, Expert1 h – 3 hStill by hand
Test the new balance on the lineOn the floor1 h – 4 hStill by hand

The conversation

No example conversation: the Obeyaka web app does it, or it comes later.