taktzeiten

Taktzeit, also written takt time in English, is the pace at which a process must produce units to meet customer demand within a given period. It is a planning metric used in Lean and operations management. The taktzeit is defined as the net available production time divided by the customer demand for the same period. Net available time accounts for planned downtime, breaks and maintenance, and may be measured per shift, per day, or per week. Example: if a line has 7 hours of net production time in a shift and customer demand is 210 units in that shift, the taktzeit is 2 minutes per unit.

Purpose: Taktzeit sets the required pace for the line and serves as a basis for line balancing, standard times, and capacity planning. It helps compare actual cycle times and identify bottlenecks. The goal is to synchronize workstations so that each station finishes roughly every taktzeit, enabling a smooth flow and minimizing work-in-process.

Variations and complexities: In mixed-model or multi-product lines, companies may use a single common taktzeit for the line or compute product-specific taktzeiten and adjust the line balance accordingly. Variability in demand, uptime, quality yields or changeovers can erode adherence to taktzeit, so contingency measures such as buffers, reducing setup times, and improving reliability are important.

Other applications: taktzeit concepts are also used in service processes to pace activities such as call handling or order processing, aligning throughput with customer requirements.