Method and apparatus for cycle time costing

A method for obtaining cycle time costing data for a manufacturing facility having a plurality of work cells, comprising the steps of:

• inputting, into a first input device at a first work cell in the plurality of work cells, a first time associated with a first quantity of units to be processed at the first work cell;
• inputting, into a second input device at a second work cell in the plurality of work cells, a second time associated with a second quantity of units to be processed at the second work cell;
• inputting, into the first input device at the first work cell, a third time associated with the first quantity of units which has been processed by the first work cell;
• subtracting, by a computer coupled to the first and second input devices, the first time from the third time to obtain a net cycle time;
• dividing, by the computer, the second quantity by the net cycle time to obtain a net flow rate;
• obtaining, from the computer, a plurality of net flow rates associated with a product in the plurality of work cells;
• and
• displaying the plurality of net flow rates.

A method for obtaining cycle time costing data for a manufacturing facility having a plurality of work cells, comprising the steps of:

• inputting, into a first input device at a first work cell in the plurality of work cells, a first time associated with a first quantity of units to be processed at the first work cell;
• inputting, into a second input device at a second work cell in the plurality of work cells, a second time associated with a second quantity of units to be processed by the second work cell;
• inputting, into the first input device at the first work cell, a third time associated with the first quantity of units which has been processed by the first work cell;
• subtracting, by a computer coupled to the first and second input devices, the first time from the third time to obtain a net cycle time;
• dividing, by the computer, the second quantity by the net cycle time to obtain a net flow rate;
• obtaining, from the computer, a plurality of net flow rates associated with a product in the plurality of work cells;
• comparing, by the computer, the plurality of net flow rates to obtain a lowest net flow rate in the plurality of flow rates;
• obtaining, from the computer, a product's bottleneck cycle time cost associated with a process step having the lowest net flow rate by multiplying the lowest net flow rate by a cycle time charge and by the second quantity;
• obtaining, from the computer, a total bottleneck cost by summing the product's bottleneck cycle time cost and a product's raw materials cost;
• and,
• displaying a total bottleneck cost.

A method for obtaining cost information in a manufacturing facility, wherein the manufacturing facility includes a work cell having a bar code scanner coupled to a work cell computer, and wherein the work cell computer is coupled to a central computer, comprising:

• inputting time and quantity data by the bar code scanner at the work cell;
• storing the time and quantity data from the work cell in a memory location in the work cell computer;
• calculating cost information, by the central computer, regarding the work cell in response to the time and quantity data;
• and
• outputting the cost information to a printer.

An apparatus for improving a manufacturing process, wherein the manufacturing process includes a work cell for completing a process step, the apparatus comprising:

• input means for obtaining unit quantity and time data from the work cell;
• processing means, coupled to the input means, for calculating cycle time costing data in response to the unit quantity and time data;
• and,
• output means, coupled to the processing means, for presenting the cycle time costing data.

An apparatus for obtaining cost information in a manufacturing facility, wherein the manufacturing facility includes a production line for manufacturing a product, and the production line includes a plurality of work cells, the apparatus comprising:

• a bar code scanner for obtaining unit information from a work cell in the production line, the unit information including a first time associated with a first quantity of units;
• a local computer, coupled to the bar code scanner, for storing the unit information in computer memory;
• a central computer, coupled to the local computer, for calculating cycle time costing data, wherein the calculating includes subtracting the first time from a second time associated with a second quantity of units to obtain a gross cycle time;
• and,
• output means, coupled to the central computer, for presenting the cycle time costing data.

An apparatus for obtaining cycle time costing data for a manufacturing facility having a production line, wherein the production line includes a plurality of work cells, the apparatus comprising:

• a first input device at a first work cell in the plurality of work cells in the production line, for inputting time and quantity information including a first time and a first quantity of units, the first time associated with the first quantity of units to be processed at the first work cell;
• a first local computer at the first work cell, coupled to the first input device, for storing the first time and the first quantity;
• a second input device at a second work cell in the plurality of work cells in the production line, for inputting time and quantity information including a second time and a second quantity of units, the second time associated with the second quantity of units to be processed at the second work cell;
• a second local computer at the second work cell, coupled to the second input device, for storing the second time and the second quantity;
• a central computer, coupled to the first and second local computers, for calculating the cycle time costing data including a gross cycle time, the gross cycle time obtained by subtracting the first time from the second time, in response to the time and quantity information from the first and second work cells;
• and
• an outputting device, coupled to the central computer, for outputting the cycle time costing data of the first work cell.