Topic
Distributing work evenly across a sewing line: pitch time, takt time, bottlenecks, WIP and operator skills.
8 notes
A bottleneck is the station that limits the output of the whole line. How to find it with WIP observation and capacity studies, the common reasons a station becomes a bottleneck, and practical ways to raise its output.
Line efficiency compares the minutes a sewing line earned with the minutes it had. Learn the formula, work through examples, understand what drives efficiency up and down, and avoid the reporting mistakes that make the number meaningless.
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.
When a sewing line runs well below its planned efficiency, the cause is usually in a few places: the SMV, the balance, lost time, quality or people. A structured way to check each one and fix the biggest losses first.
A skill matrix records which operators can do which operations and how well. How to build one for a sewing line, how to grade skills with real efficiency data, and how to use it for balancing, absenteeism and training.
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.
Takt time is the pace at which garments must be finished to meet demand. How to calculate it, how it differs from cycle time and pitch time, and how to use it to size and balance a sewing line.
Work in progress keeps a sewing line running, but too much hides problems and stretches lead time. How to measure WIP, set a sensible level per station, and control bundles on the floor.