Demand never stays flat. When it rises, takt gets shorter and stations that were comfortable may now exceed it. When it falls, takt gets longer and the line has more people than it needs. A line that ignores these shifts either misses shipments or builds chairs nobody ordered. Recalculating takt is the trigger for deciding what to change.
When takt shortens, the options are, in rough order of preference: rebalance work so stations fit the new takt, add an operator and split a station, extend available time with planned overtime, or add a shift. Running a line with stations above takt and hoping for the best is not on the list. When takt lengthens, combine stations and reassign the freed operators to other work rather than letting everyone slow down to fill the day.
Keep a simple review rule. Recalculate takt whenever the demand forecast for the coming period moves by more than 10 percent from the figure the line is currently balanced to. Post the new takt, redraw the balance chart, and confirm staffing before the first shift at the new pace.
Standard Procedure
- 1Recalculate takt with the new demand and the current available time.
- 2Compare every station's cycle time to the new takt on the balance chart.
- 3Recompute minimum operators from total work content ÷ new takt.
- 4Rebalance work, add or remove operators, and only then consider overtime or extra shifts.
- 5Post the new takt and review it again when the forecast moves more than 10 percent.
Lesson Summary
- ✓Rising demand shortens takt; falling demand lengthens it; either way, rebalance before changing hours.
- ✓Minimum operators scale with takt, so freed operators should be redeployed, not idled.