Productivity Blog
PRODUCTIVITY OF THE BOTTLENECK TOC (theory of constraints)
For any solution we must know the real cause of the problem. garment factories work on the principle that the overall efficiency / productivity can be increased by increasing the individual operator /operation efficiency. To this end each operator is provided with a buffer/wip of pieces, so that operators’ time is not wasted while waiting for pieces.. However in the concept of TOC, as established by Mr.Elia hu Goldratt; the efficiency of the factory depends on identification and improvement of the bottleneck. The following table can explain the difference between TOC model in comparison to the normal model
Comparison Table of TOC MODEL & CURRENT PRODUCTION MODEL
| TOC MODEL | CURRENT PRODUCTION MODEL |
|---|---|
| 1.PRODUCTIVITY OF THE LINE DEPENDS ON THE BOTTLENECK. | 1.PRODUCTIVITY ON THE LINE DEPENDS ON BALANCING THE LINE WELL. |
| 2.DATA IS ESSENTIAL TO FIND OUT THE BOTTLENECK AND ANALYZE METHODS ASSUMED THAT THE OPERATORS PRODUCE AS PER THEIR CAPACITY, BUT IN REALITY THE SITUATION VARIES DEPENDING ON MACHINE PERFORMANCE, MATERIAL AVAILABILITY ETC. AND HENCE THE NEED FOR REAL TIME ANALYSIS. | 2.SINCE IT IS ASSUMED THAT OPERATORS MORE OR LESS PRODUCE THE SAME AS PER THEIR CAPACITY, THERE IS NO FOCUS ON REAL TIME DATA COLLECTION. However in reality the production of each individual depends on machine performance, fatigue, mental and emotional status, wip availability etc. |
| 3.System push: System in contrast to the push system. Push system is where the wip is increased to put a pressure on the operators to perform, whereas pull system is to ensure sufficient, but not more to create a push. Instead sufficient so that everyone has sufficient for production Focus on bottleneck PROBLEMS | 3.System push: System is where excess is pushed into the system so that higher production can be achieved Focus is on each individual operations to achieve individual targets and line balance |
| 4.PLANNING: Requires detailed info on various capacities and the bottleneck and takes little time but systematic, being a pull concept production is smooth and easy | 4.PLANNING: Can start the line without much difficulty, but needs to focus on several areas continuously and push them. Requires constant intervention and motivation |
| 5.BALANCING THE FLOWS AND NOT CAPACITY | 5.BALANCING THE FLOWS AND NOT CAPACITY |
| 6.UTILISATION OF RESOURCE: Only the existing constraint/bottleneck | 6.UTILISATION OF RESOURCE: Every resource should be used to the maximum extent |
- The Goal of any organization is to earn money and share it with the team and the method to achieve this goal requires a good organization and system and whatever is blocking this goal is the constraint.
- The identification and management of the constraint/bottleneck is the concept of TOC.
- The normal production concept applied in the garment industry is to make each department and each worker more efficient, so that the overall efficiency increases.
- In contrast the concept of TOC, is to first analyze and identify the bottleneck operation and then focus on improving the bottleneck operation.