Cycle time reduction has many positive effects on the manufacturing process from reducing work in process (WIP) to increasing throughput and all without increasing the resources required to produce the product. In order to reduce cycle times you have to measure it. OEE is a great tool for benchmarking your cycle time reduction efforts. Here are a few proven ways to reduce cycle times:

• Line Pacing to Reduce Cycle Time
• Reduce Load Time to Improve Cycle Time
• Increase Capacity by Reducing Cycle Times

The strategies below depict a few of the many problems our customers ask us to solve and the solutions we provide. Always feel free to call us if you'd like to discuss a specific problem or idea. We encourage you to use our application experience to help you reduce your cycle times.

Strategies to Reduce Cycle Times

Line Pacing to Reduce Cycle Time
PROBLEM	Cycle times are inconsistent. As a result we rarely meet our takt time goals. As a result production efficiency is low.
STRATEGY	Create better line pacing and awareness of real-time efficiency. Expose all key performance indicators to the operators, the people who have the greatest potential effect on production efficiency.
SOLUTION	Expose the number of completed cycles as an actual count and compare them to a takt-based target count. Additionally the calculated efficiency, as well as the last, average and current cycle times can be shown. The 87 Series 4" to 12" and XL Series Production Monitor displays are capable of showing real-time cycle time data as well as associated variables.
Reduce Load Time to Improve Cycle Time
PROBLEM	The operator loads a part that is processed by a machine. As a result, they have the ability to significantly affect the overall cycle time.
STRATEGY	Create operator awareness of how they affect the efficiency of the process. Split the cycle time into two individual components – load time and in-process time with very clear visual distinction.
SOLUTION	Display the load time in green with a brief period displayed in yellow then red when the cycle time should be in the machine portion of the process. Add audible prompts if the process requires complete focus on the task. Additionally, the operator does not need to look at the display in order to determine where they are at in the process. Color change, much like a stoplight, is intuitive in its meaning. The 87 Series 4" to 12" and XL Series Production Monitor displays are capable of showing real-time cycle data.
Increase Capacity by Reducing Cycle Times
PROBLEM	We are at capacity but need to produce more on the equipment we have in order to meet customer demand.
STRATEGY	Increase equipment effectiveness and output by monitoring the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). Specifically, OEE Performance for cycle time reduction. Focus on cycle time reduction and overall equipment effectiveness by tracking OEE, specifically the OEE Performance metric. OEE reduces potentially complex production problems into the simple intuitive presentation of information.
SOLUTION	Monitor real-time OEE to recover production capacity lost to inefficiency. The XL Series Production Monitor displays are capable of delivering real-time OEE and all associated metrics to the plant floor and over your network.