Front line · cycle time, bottlenecks & line balancing
More output from the people and machines you already have
Your factory can only go as fast as its slowest step. We find that step, remove the waste around it, and balance the rest of the line so output goes up without adding cost.
Why buying a faster machine often doesn’t work
At one door manufacturer, the CNC was the obvious bottleneck. When we timed it, 43% of each cycle was loading, unloading and changing tools, not cutting. A faster machine would have cost a fortune and barely moved output. Fixing how doors got on and off the machine did.
The same pattern shows up everywhere: the real constraint is usually the work around the machine or the person, not the machine itself.
What we do
- Time every station and build a line-balance chart that shows exactly where the constraint is.
- Break down the bottleneck into what is value-adding and what is waiting, handling, searching or rework.
- Remove the waste with better tooling, fixtures, material presentation and standard work.
- Balance the line so work is shared evenly and nobody waits on anybody else.
- Plan staged crew sizes. We design line balances for different numbers of staff, so you can scale output up or down by reassigning workstations to match the roster.
| Crew | Cycle time | Target output |
|---|---|---|
| 3 operators | 17.1 min | 23 doors/day |
| 4 operators | 12.7 min | 34 doors/day |
| 5 operators | 9.6 min | 40 doors/day |
Staged line balance from a door manufacturer, up from about 12 doors a day. Read the case study.
Common questions
+How much can output increase?
It depends on the operation, but large gains are common. At Milne Construction & Fabrication, output went from 2 to 10 truss sets a day with a new production system.
+Do we need new equipment?
Usually not to start with. Most gains come from removing waste and balancing work. Where equipment is the limit, we model the return on investment first.
Find out what's keeping you on the floor
A free 30-minute call is the first step. We'll talk through your operation and whether a factory review makes sense.