Industrial engineering formula
In garment line balancing, the ideal work content per operator (garment SMV / operators). In lean practice, takt time × pack-out quantity.
Line pitch time = garment SMV / operators; lean pitch = takt time × pack-out quantity
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| SMV_garment | Total garment SMV | min |
| N | Operators in the line | persons |
| q | Pack-out quantity | pcs |
Use the line definition when assigning operations to operators; use the lean definition when setting the interval for material movement.
A T-shirt with SMV 12.0 on a line of 40 operators: pitch time = 12.0 / 40 = 0.30 min (18 seconds). Each operator's allocated work should be close to 0.30 minutes.
Lean pitch with a 30-second takt and cartons of 20: 30 × 20 = 600 seconds, so one carton leaves the line every 10 minutes.
Pitch time means two different things in garment factories: the average work content per operator used for line balancing, and the lean interval for moving a pack of finished goods. Formulas, examples and when to use which.
Line balancing spreads the operations of a garment across operators and machines so work flows at the target rate without piles of WIP or idle people. A practical step-by-step method with a worked example, balancing efficiency and common mistakes.