Time Study Analysis

Get Real Data from the Gemba - 5 Best Practices for Conducting a Time Study Time studies are one of the most practical, low cost, and insightful tools for observing and documenting the Gemba. Whether it’s part of a Lean Six Sigma project or a standalone investigation, time studies let you see the truth of how work gets done. But a successful time study takes more than just a stopwatch. Here are 5 proven best practices to make your time study accurate, valuable, and ready to drive real improvement: ✅ 1. Scope the Workstation Clarify exactly what’s in and out of scope. Defining these details up front leads to cleaner, more actionable data. ✅ 2. Do Your Homework Before collecting any data, observe without documenting. Talk with operators, identify work elements, and understand the value-added vs. non-value-added elements. This pre-study time builds clarity. ✅ 3. Prepare Decide which shifts and how long you’ll observe. (don't skip the night shift) Think carefully about how you'll document the findings in real time. ✅ 4. Conduct the Study with Discipline Stay out of the operator’s way. Let them work as usual Ask clarifying questions after. ✅ 5. Report with Visuals Don’t just dump raw data—make it meaningful. Use Pareto charts, histograms, and time breakdowns. Categorize activities into Value-Added and Non-Value-Added Time studies are the easiest, fastest way to documenting what’s really happening on the floor. When done right, they provide insights no spreadsheet or meeting room ever could.

Manufacturing Story #10 – Overtime What would you do if your plant’s profit suddenly dropped — even though production stayed the same? That’s exactly the question that started this story. At the beginning of the month, the Profit & Loss report arrived. The rising conversion cost caught everyone’s attention — especially the Plant Head. Orders hadn’t increased, yet conversion costs kept climbing. In any manufacturing setup, total cost is broadly divided into three parts: * Material Cost – raw materials used to make the product. * Conversion Cost – energy, repairs, maintenance, spares, and manpower. * Administrative Cost – services and overheads. While material and conversion costs vary with volume, admin cost usually remains stable. Here, the issue was clear — conversion cost was rising. Upon analysis, it was found that manpower cost had increased — mainly due to growing overtime payments. The Plant Head asked Operations to investigate. When the team hesitated to simply stop overtime, fearing production loss, the Business Excellence team stepped in to conduct Time Study and Motion Study — classic Industrial Engineering tools that define the time and motion required to perform tasks efficiently (developed by Taylor and Gilbreth). Along with these, the team used the Cost Loss Matrix — a tool linking 16 losses with cost heads to show how time losses impact total cost. The analysis revealed setup and minor stoppages as major contributors. A combination of Lean and TPM tools — SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) and VSM (Value Stream Mapping) — were applied to improve flow. Focused Kaizens were launched on these areas, and line balancing helped eliminate bottlenecks, reduce operator idle time, and enhance flow efficiency. After a month, the study showed that the standard 8-hour shift was enough — overtime was unnecessary. Based on this, the company stopped overtime from the next month. There was initial resistance, but the progressive union reviewed the report and agreed. Gradually, the change took hold. In the following months, conversion cost reduced, productivity improved, and the plant began its journey towards profitability. Encouraged by results, new projects were launched in maintenance cost reduction and defect elimination, further strengthening the improvement culture. Of course, cost and profitability are broad outcomes — built through ongoing improvement in quality, productivity, maintenance, and supply chain. This story highlights just one such example in that journey. Because sometimes, the solution isn’t in working harder — it’s in working smarter. How did your plant or team drive a turnaround in profitability or productivity? Would love to hear your experiences and insights. ~ Sachin Kale ©️ #ManufacturingStories #ContinuousImprovement #BusinessExcellence #LeanManufacturing #TPM #SMED #VSM #Kaizen #CostLossMatrix #Productivity #Maintenance #DefectElimination #LineBalancing #Leadership #IndustrialEngineering

Mold change time is one of the most obvious places to find hidden capacity, yet many shops accept long changeovers as unavoidable. Consider what happens during a typical mold change. The current mold cools and is disconnected from water, hydraulics, and electrical. It gets unbolted and removed. The new mold is brought in, positioned, and bolted down. Connections are made. The mold heats up. First shots are run and inspected. Adjustments are made until parts meet specification. Only then does real production begin. Each of these steps takes time. Some of that time is unavoidable. But much of it accumulates from small inefficiencies that nobody has examined closely. Standardized connections for water and hydraulics can eliminate fumbling with different fittings for every mold. Quick mold change systems with standardized clamping can reduce bolting time significantly. Automatic mold height adjustment eliminates manual shimming and measurement. Process recipes stored in the machine controller eliminate re-entering parameters from paper records. Preparation matters too. If the next mold is staged and ready before the current job ends, changeover starts immediately. If someone has to search for the mold, find the setup sheet, and locate the right connections, time gets wasted before the physical change even begins. The first step is measurement. Time the entire changeover process from last good part to first good part. Document every step and how long it takes. The results usually reveal that most time goes to a few specific activities that can be improved. If your mold changes consistently take longer than you think they should, a detailed time study often reveals opportunities you did not know existed. How long does a typical mold change take in your shop, and have you ever documented where that time actually goes?