Production Line Efficiency

Chapter 4

Considerations in Unbalancing Your Line

Introduction

The amount of money spent annually on the operation and maintenance of production lines throughout the world runs into billions of dollars. Even slight savings in costs as a result of increased efficiency can add up to impressive returns on investment.

A balanced line, in which operators all work at the same pace and buffer space is equally distributed along the line, is extremely difficult to achieve in the real world. As this is the case, why not take advantage of the inherent “unbalanced” nature of the line and push it into the best configuration?

The Advantages of Reduced Idle Times

The simple answer to the question “Why reduce idle times?” is that idle time means money wasted. ...