Cycle Time (CT)
Cycle time means the duration of time to finish one task of an operator. More specifically, it is the time length from the starting point of one task to the starting point of the next task. Simply put, CT is the time it takes to take material, finish the process, and finally put it in the right place. Usually, a stopwatch is used to observe the time.
The mathematical formula for calculating cycle time is:
CT = Net Production Time / Number of Units Produced
For example, 6 pairs of upper round stitching need 600 seconds. The CT of the upper round stitching process is:
CT = 600 / 6 = 100 seconds
So, for one pair of upper round stitching, it takes 100 seconds. Using this formula, you can calculate the cycle time of any production process.
Before taking the cycle time of an operation, some key points need to be checked:
01. Is material, machine, and tools available in the production line?
02. Is the production line environment favorable for the operator? For example, if the lights above the stitching operator’s head are damaged, the operator will not be able to work properly.
03. Is the operator mentally and physically fit for doing this operation?
04. Does the operator have enough skill to do this operation?
If any of these above four conditions are not fulfilled, then the cycle time will not be a standard margin.
Why CT is important:
01. Using the sum of each production process time, you can calculate the production target of this style of shoes.
02. It measures the efficiency of the production line.
03. It helps to find out the bottleneck of the production line.
04. It helps to identify areas of improvement.
05. It shows the production capacity within a certain period of time.
06. It helps management to take proper action and improvement plans.
07. It is an important term for cost analysis.
Finally, one of the major responsibilities of an IE executive is to take the cycle time of a running style in the production line. After collecting the data, an IE executive can analyze production data. If you imagine the role of an industrial engineer in the industry as a tree, then CT is the root of this tree.