Production Planning

Daily Takt Time & Factory Shift Output Modeler

Takt comes from the delivery date backwards. Capacity comes from operators forwards. Planning is finding the gap before the buyer does.

Order & Calendar Demand
garments
days
min
Line Capability Supply
no.
min
min
%
no.

Takt Time

— min

Rhythm the order demands, one garment every

Capacity Reconciliation

Required Daily Output
— garments
Operators Required
— no.
Daily Capacity
— garments
Capacity Surplus
— garments/day
Days to Complete
— days

Line efficiency is treated as a constant, and for a new style it is not — the line starts well below its steady figure and climbs, so the first days deliver considerably less than this predicts and the deadline is tighter than it appears. Operators required is a whole-line average and says nothing about balance; a line with the right headcount can still be throttled by one bottleneck operation. Cutting, finishing and packing capacity are excluded entirely, and any of them can bind before sewing does.

Daily Takt Time & Factory Shift Output Modeler — free, with the formula and a worked example, at Textile School.