Takt Time
The rate at which products must be completed to meet customer demand, calculated by dividing available production time by customer demand. Takt time sets the pace for production and helps balance workloads across operations to achieve smooth, synchronized flow without overproduction or shortages.
RELATED TERMS
Cycle Time
The total elapsed time required to complete one unit or one cycle of a production process from start to finish. Cycle time includes processing time, wait time, and move time, and is a critical metric for capacity planning, scheduling, and identifying improvement opportunities.
Throughput
The rate at which a manufacturing system produces finished goods, typically measured as units per hour or per shift. Throughput is determined by the system's bottleneck operation and represents the actual productive output that generates revenue.
Lean Manufacturing
A systematic approach to manufacturing derived from the Toyota Production System that focuses on eliminating waste while delivering value to customers. Lean identifies seven types of waste (overproduction, waiting, transport, overprocessing, inventory, motion, and defects) and uses tools like value stream mapping, 5S, and kanban to continuously improve processes.
Production Schedule
A detailed plan that specifies what products will be manufactured, in what quantities, and when, coordinating resources across the shop floor. Production schedules balance customer demand, available capacity, material availability, and operational constraints to optimize delivery performance and resource utilization.
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