What is takt time?
Takt time is the rate at which you need to finish one unit to exactly meet customer demand. The word comes from the German Takt, the beat a conductor keeps. It's set by the customer, not by the process:
Takt time = Net available production time ÷ Customer demand
Net available time is the scheduled time minus planned breaks, meetings, and other planned stops. Unplanned downtime is not subtracted. Takt is the target, and losses are what you have to beat it despite.
Takt time vs cycle time vs lead time
| Measure | What it is | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Takt time | Time allowed per unit to meet demand | Customer demand |
| Cycle time | Time a station or line actually takes per unit | The process |
| Lead time | Time from order (or start) to delivery of one unit | The whole value stream |
If any station's cycle time is longer than takt, that station is a bottleneck and the line can't keep up. If every station is well below takt, operators are waiting and the line is over-staffed.
Worked example
A plant runs two 480-minute shifts. Each shift has 30 minutes of breaks and a 10-minute start-up meeting. Customers order 880 units a day.
Net time = 2 × (480 − 30 − 10) = 880 min = 52,800 s Takt time = 52,800 s ÷ 880 units = 60 s per unit
The product needs six tasks taking 25, 40, 35, 20, 50 and 30 seconds, 200 seconds of work in total.
Minimum stations = ⌈200 ÷ 60⌉ = ⌈3.33⌉ = 4 Balance efficiency = 200 ÷ (4 × 60) = 83.3%
Four stations is the theoretical minimum. Whether you can actually reach it depends on task order and which tasks can be grouped. Every station's total must stay at or under 60 s. These are the default values in the calculator above.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include unplanned downtime in available time?
No. Takt time uses planned available time only. Unplanned stops, scrap and slow cycles are losses, measured separately (for example with OEE). Many plants plan to a cycle time a little below takt to absorb them.
What if a single task takes longer than takt?
No amount of rebalancing fixes that alone. You need to split the task, speed it up, or run it in parallel, for example two operators or machines alternating units. The calculator flags any such task.
What is a good balance efficiency?
100% means every station is loaded exactly to takt, which is rarely practical. Many lines aim for roughly 85–95%, leaving a little slack for variation.