Launch and Rate Change

We Have a Rate Increase Coming

A rate increase shortens takt for every station at once. A station that was fine last quarter becomes the constraint, the staffing plan comes up short, and new people bring learning-curve hours with them. Plan it on paper before the floor runs into it.

What Is Usually Going On

  • Capacity is checked for the line as a whole, not station by station at the new takt.
  • Staffing is scaled straight up from today's headcount.
  • New hires are planned at the same hours per unit as experienced people.
  • Machines, test, tooling, suppliers and floor space are not checked at the new rate.

How to Fix It

  1. Recompute taktNew takt = available time / new demand. Note any change in shifts.
  2. Check every stationEffective cycle time, losses included, against the new takt. List every station over.
  3. Size the headsOperators = work content / new takt, plus balance loss and absence, in FTE. Run it on T1 and on expected hours.
  4. Plan the learning curveNew people and new stations start at higher HPU. Plan hours by month along the curve, not at mature HPU.
  5. Check the rest of the systemMachines, test stands, tooling, kits, supplier rate and floor space at the new takt.
  6. Stage the rampStep the rate with a gate at each step: hold the current rate for a set number of weeks before the next.
Make shop (asset-bound)
The question is machine hours. Load each machine at the new demand with setups; any machine over its available hours needs a shift, a second machine or setup reduction.
Assembly shop (labor-bound)
The question is heads and stations. A shorter takt needs trained hands, more stations, or a new balance, and new people need training time from the experienced ones.

Start Free

Guides and web tools on this site. No account needed.

Guide
Production Ramp Management: When Everything Changes at Once
Guide
Rate Adjustment & Disruption Modeling
Guide
Learning Curve Theory: The Math Behind Improvement
Calculator
Takt Time Calculator
Calculator
Capacity Utilization Calculator
Web tool
Process Modeler (free web)

When It Moves to the Floor

The same work as an offline file you keep: saved scenarios, print and export, no internet needed on the floor.

Common Questions

What is HPU?

Hours per unit: labor hours spent per unit built. It falls as the team learns the work, which is why new stations and new people cost more hours at first.

How do I plan the learning curve?

Use your own history from the last ramp if you have it. Plan hours per unit by month along that curve and staff to it, not to the mature number.

How far ahead should we plan?

As far ahead as the longest lead item: hiring and training, tooling or equipment. Start the station check now.

Why did output drop when we added people?

New people take experienced people's time to train, and HPU rises before it falls. Plan for that dip.