FlowWork Measurement

Line Balancing

Distributing work evenly across stations so each cycle time is at or below takt, minimizing idle time and bottlenecks.

Line balancing assigns work elements to stations so that every station's cycle time is as equal as possible and at or below takt time. The goal is to eliminate bottlenecks and idle time, maximizing line efficiency.

A yamazumi (stacked-bar) chart is the standard visual tool for balancing, showing each station's workload against takt so work can be redistributed.

Go Deeper
Line Balancing guide→Line Efficiency Calculator→
Related Terms
Takt Time
The rate of customer demand — available production time divided by demand — that sets the pace production must match.
Cycle Time
The time to complete one unit of work from start to finish at a process — distinct from takt time and lead time.
Yamazumi Chart
A stacked-bar chart showing each operator or station's workload against takt time to guide line balancing.
Line Efficiency
The ratio of total value-added work time to total available station time across a line — a measure of how well it is balanced.
Bottleneck
The process step with the lowest capacity, which sets the maximum throughput of the entire system.
Cellular Manufacturing
Arranging equipment and workstations into a compact cell (often U-shaped) that processes a family of similar products in flow.

Put Line Balancing into practice

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