Lean Supply Chain Management Essentials

70 Lean suppLy ChaIn ManageMent essentIaLs

Figure4.8 shows the time required for each operator in a cell. e value of each

bar is the total time of all of the operations for each operator. e takt time of the

process for the cell is shown as a horizontal dotted line across the top of the chart.

Any deviation between the takt time bar and the operator bars represents waste—an

opportunity for improvement using Lean tools.

Product flow must keep pace with takt time to avoid overproduction or late deliv-

ery. Cycle time is the actual production rate, which tells us how often we can produce

a product with the given resources. e unbalanced line g