PART III | LESSON 10: RATE AND BOTTLENECKS MATERIAL HANDLING ACADEMY
DRIVING QUESTION Will this flow still hold when the rate gets real?

Solutioning Rate: Three Outputs

Gap Produced

SpeedOut x (L / SpeedIn) - L + StartingGap

The gap after a speed change. Accelerate and it grows.

Theoretical Rate

SpeedIn / ((L + StartingGap) / 12)

Max cartons per minute. Design to the worst case.

Pitch

Gap + L

Center-to-center distance. Sanity-check the rate.

THE RULE

The formulas don't account for slippage. Never design right to the minimum. In solutioning, apply plus or minus ten percent and confirm the flow can carry the rate. Set the design target above average, deliberately, and write it down.

The Five-Question Stress Test

  1. A wave releases. Does each section absorb the surge without backing up upstream?
  2. A downstream station slows. Does accumulation absorb it, or does it reach induction?
  3. Volume grows 20 to 30 percent. Is there headroom, or is the system saturated?
  4. Combined flows both peak. Is the conflict structural?
  5. An exception is handled manually. Is there a path that doesn't block the main flow?