Stückgrößen

Stückgrößen, in production and supply chain management, denote the quantity produced or processed in a single batch or lot. They are a central decision variable in production planning, inventory control and procurement, influencing capacity requirements, lead times and service levels. The chosen Stückgröße affects how often setups or changeovers occur, how much work-in-progress is in the system, and how quickly demand can be met.

Larger Stückgrößen reduce the need for frequent changeovers and lower per-unit setup costs, but they increase average and peak inventories, raise carrying costs and the risk of obsolescence or mismatches with demand. Smaller Stückgrößen improve responsiveness, shorten lead times and reduce inventory risk, yet raise the frequency of setups and can increase production scheduling complexity and downtime.

Economic considerations often guide the choice of Stückgröße. Classic models include the Economic Lot Size (EOQ) approach, which minimizes total costs under a steady demand rate, and the Economic Production Quantity (EPQ) model, which accounts for finite production rate and work-in-progress. In lean and just-in-time environments, pull systems such as Kanban aim to keep smaller, controlled Stückgrößen to reduce waste and lead times.

Variants and concepts include lot-for-lot (producing exactly the amount demanded in a period), fixed batch sizes, and dynamic or capacity-constrained batching, which adjust the batch size in response to demand and availability. Determinants of the Stückgröße include product variety, demand variability, setup/changeover times, production technology, and desired service levels.

Industries applying the concept range from consumer goods and electronics to pharmaceuticals, food processing and printing, where batch size decisions directly impact efficiency and customer lead times.