Abstract: Production cycle. Production cycle: production cycle duration, components, calculation

Production cycle is one of the main technical and economic characteristics necessary for calculating the indicators of production and economic activity of an industrial enterprise. Thus, on the basis of the production cycle, the timing of launching a product into production is established, taking into account the timing of its release, the capacity of production units is calculated, the volume of work in progress is determined, and other production planning calculations are carried out.

Product manufacturing cycle(batch) represents the calendar period of its being in production from the launch of raw materials and semi-finished products into main production until the receipt of the finished product (batch).

The structure of the production cycle includes the time for performing main, auxiliary operations and breaks in the manufacture of products (Fig. 4).

Thus, production cycle represents a complete circle of production operations in the manufacture of a product and is characterized by a certain length and duration.

Production cycle length- this is not a line, but an area, the volume of the room in which production is located.

is the calendar time interval from the beginning of the first production operation to the last, which is measured in days, hours, minutes, depending on the type of product and stage of processing.

Rice. 4. Structure of the production cycle

Duration of the production cycle in time includes three stages: technological processing time (working period) + technological maintenance time + duration of breaks (Fig. 5).

Fig.5. Structure of the production cycle over time

Processing time(working period) represents the time during which direct impact is made on the subject of labor, the time of natural technological breaks.

Maintenance time includes quality control of product processing, control of machine operating modes (setup, repair), cleaning of the workplace, supply of workpieces and materials.

Break time from work- this is the time during which no impact is made on the object of labor. There are regulated and unregulated breaks.

The duration of the production cycle is established and regulated both as a whole for all products, including their constituent elements, and separately for each element. However, the length of time for manufacturing individual parts, assemblies, units, i.e. product components in total exceed the cycle time of the product itself due to the fact that a significant part of the components is manufactured in parallel.

The need to regulate and take into account the cycle time separately for each component of the product is due to the conditions of economy and production organization.

When calculating the duration of the production cycle, only those time costs are taken into account that are not covered by the time of technological operations (for example, time spent on control, transporting products). Breaks caused by organizational and technical problems (untimely provision of the workplace with materials, tools, violation of labor discipline, etc.) are not taken into account when calculating the planned duration of the production cycle.

When calculating the duration of the production cycle, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the movement of the subject of labor through the operations existing in the enterprise. Typically one of three types is used: serial, parallel, parallel-serial.

At sequential movement, the processing of a batch of items of labor of the same name at each subsequent operation begins only when the entire batch has been processed at the previous operation.

At parallel During movement, the transfer of objects of labor to a subsequent operation is carried out individually or in a transport batch immediately after processing in the previous operation. With parallel motion, the production cycle time is significantly reduced.

At parallel-serial In the form of movement, objects of labor are transferred to the subsequent operation as they are processed in the previous one individually or in a transport batch, while the execution time of related operations is partially combined in such a way that a batch of products is processed at each operation without interruptions.

The duration of the production cycle is influenced by many factors: technological, organizational and economic. Technological processes, their complexity and diversity, technical equipment determine the processing time of parts and the duration of assembly processes. Organizational factors of the movement of objects of labor during processing are associated with the organization of jobs, the work itself and its payment. Organizational conditions have an even greater influence on the duration of auxiliary operations, service processes and breaks.

Economic factors determine the level of mechanization and equipment of processes, and therefore their duration, as well as standards for work in progress.

The faster the production process takes place (the shorter the duration of the production cycle), which is one of the elements of the circulation of working capital, the greater will be the speed of their turnover, the greater the number of revolutions they make during the year. As a result, monetary resources are released that can be used to expand production at a given enterprise. For the same reason, there is a reduction in the volume of work in progress - the release of working capital in their material form, i.e. in the form of specific material resources.

Thus, reducing the duration of the production cycle is one of the most important sources of intensification and increase in production efficiency in industrial enterprises. The reserve for reducing the duration of the production cycle is the improvement of equipment and technology, the use of continuous and combined technological processes, deepening specialization and cooperation, and the introduction of methods of scientific organization of labor and maintenance of workplaces.

Production cycle- this is a calendar period of time during which a material, workpiece or other processed item undergoes all operations of the production process or a certain part of it and is transformed into a finished product (or a finished part thereof). It is expressed in calendar days or (if the product is low-labor) in hours.

There are simple and complex production cycles. Downtime is the production cycle of a part. Complex is the product manufacturing cycle. The cycle duration largely depends on the method of transferring the part (product) from operation to operation.

For example, the production cycle of a part is the period of time from the receipt of material for processing until the end of manufacturing the part, and the production cycle of a product is the period of time from the launch of the source material and semi-finished products into processing until the end of manufacturing and packaging of the product intended for sale.

Shortening the cycle makes it possible for each production unit (shop, site) to complete a given program with a smaller volume of work in progress. This means that the company gets the opportunity to speed up the turnover of working capital, fulfill the established plan with less expenditure of these funds, and free up part of the working capital.

Due to the fact that the production process takes place in time and space, the production cycle can be measured by the length of the movement path of the product and its components, as well as the time during which the product goes through the entire processing path.

Production cycle time- this is the calendar time interval from the beginning of the first production operation to the end of the last; measured in days, hours, minutes, seconds depending on the type of product and stage of processing. There are production cycles for the product as a whole, cycles for prefabricated units and individual parts, cycles for performing homogeneous operations, and cycles for performing individual operations.

The duration of the production cycle (all other things being equal) depends on the size of launch batches, the size of transfer batches and the size of interoperational backlogs and determines the available production capacity of partial production processes of the entire system and the possible start and end dates of work.

In this case, an operation is understood as part of the production process of processing PT at one workplace without readjustment of equipment by one worker or group of workers using the same tools.

A launch batch is understood as a certain number of PT labor items of the same name, processed (or assembled) in a given operation with a one-time expenditure of preparatory and final time.

A transfer batch (“package”) is understood as a part of a launch batch that has been processed at a given one and transported to the immediately following operation.

In the general case, the backlog is understood as the accumulation of PT (waiting for processing) between two immediately following operations. There are working and insurance (reserve) reserves.

The production cycle consists of two parts: working period, i.e. the period during which the object of labor is directly in the manufacturing process and the time of breaks in this process.

Working period- this is the time during which direct impact on the object of labor is carried out either by the worker himself, or by machines and mechanisms under his control; time of preparatory and final work; time of natural technological processes; technological maintenance time. Those. the working period consists of the time for performing technological and non-technological operations; the latter include all control and transport operations from the moment the first production operation is performed until the delivery of the finished product.

The time for performing technological operations and preparatory and final work is called operating cycle.

Time of natural technological processes- this is the time during which the object of labor changes its characteristics without the direct influence of man or technology.

Maintenance time includes: quality control of product processing; control of operating modes of machines and equipment, their adjustment, easy repairs; cleaning the workplace; delivery of workpieces, materials, acceptance and cleaning of processed products.

The length of the working period is influenced by various factors, For example: quality of design and engineering work; level of unification and standardization of products; degree of accuracy of products (high accuracy requires additional processing, which lengthens the production cycle); organizational factors (organization of the workplace, placement of storage facilities, etc.). Organizational shortcomings increase the preparatory and final time.

Time of breaks from work- this is the time during which there is no impact on the object of labor and there is no change in its quality characteristics, but the product is not yet finished and the production process is not completed. There are regulated and unregulated breaks. Regulated breaks are divided into intra-shift (interoperational) and inter-shift (related to the operating mode).

Interoperative breaks are divided into:

batch breaks - occur when parts are processed in batches. Each part or unit, arriving at the workplace as part of a batch, is kept before and after processing until the entire batch has gone through this operation;

assembly interruptions - occur in cases where parts and assemblies lie due to the incomplete production of other products included in one set;

Waiting breaks - are caused by inconsistency (non-synchronization) in the duration of adjacent operations of a technical process; they occur when the previous operation ends before the workplace is freed up to perform the next operation.

Shift breaks include breaks between work shifts, lunch breaks, rest breaks for workers, weekends and holidays.

Unscheduled breaks associated with organizational and technical problems (untimely provision of the workplace with materials, tools, equipment breakdown, violation of labor discipline, etc.). They are included in the production cycle in the form of a correction factor or are not taken into account.

Production cycle structure(the ratio of its constituent parts) is not the same in different branches of mechanical engineering and at different enterprises. It is determined by the nature of the products manufactured, the technological process, the level of technology and production organization. However, despite the differences in structure, the possibility of reducing the duration of the production cycle lies in both reducing working time and reducing break time. The experience of leading enterprises shows that at each stage of production and at each production site, opportunities can be found to further reduce the duration of the production cycle. It is achieved by carrying out various activities, both technical (design, technological) and organizational.

The production cycle is one of the most important indicators of technical and economic development, which determines the capabilities of the enterprise in terms of production volume and the costs of its production.

The duration of the production cycle refers to the standards for organizing the production process. Both rational spatial placement and optimal production cycle duration are important.

The duration of the production cycle is determined by the formula:

T c = T vrp + T vrp,

where T vrp is the time of the work process;

T vpr - time of breaks.

During the working period, technological operations are performed

T vrp = T shk + T k + T tr + T e,

where T shk - piece-calculation time;

Tk - time of control operations;

T tr - time of transportation of objects of labor;

T e - time of natural processes (aging, relaxation, natural drying, sedimentation of suspensions in liquids, etc.).

The sum of the times for piece work, control operations, and transportation is called operational time (T def):

T def = T shk + T k + T tr.

Tk and Ttr are included conditionally in the operating cycle, since organizationally they do not differ from technological operations; piece-calculation time is calculated using the formula

T shk = T op + T pz + T en + T oto,

where T op - operational time;

T pz - preparatory and final time when processing a new batch of parts;

T en - time for rest and natural needs of workers;

T oto - time for organizational and maintenance (receipt and delivery of tools, cleaning the workplace, lubrication of equipment, etc.).

Operational time (T op) in turn consists of main (T os) and auxiliary time (T in):

T op = T os + T v,

Prime time is the actual time it takes to process or complete a job.

Auxiliary time:

T in = T y + T z + T ok,

where T y is the time for installing and removing a part (assembly unit) from the equipment;

T s - time of fastening and unfastening the part in the device; Tok is the time of operational control of the worker (with equipment stopping) during the operation.

The time of breaks (T vpr) is determined by the labor regime (T rt), inter-operational tracking of the part (T mo), the time of breaks for inter-repair maintenance and equipment inspections (T r) and the time of breaks associated with deficiencies in the organization of production (T org):

T vpr = T mo + T rt + T r + T org.

The interoperational holding time (T mo) is determined by the time of batching breaks (T pairs), waiting breaks (T ozh) and acquisition breaks (T kp):

T mo = T steam + T cool + T cp.

Batch breaks (T pairs) occur when products are manufactured in batches and are caused by holding processed parts until all parts in the batch are ready in a technological operation.

Waiting interruptions (TI) are caused by inconsistent duration of adjacent operations of the technological process.

Packing breaks (T cp) occur during the transition from one phase of the production process to another.

Thus, in general terms, the production cycle is expressed by the formula

T c = T def + T e + T mo + T rt + T r + T org.

When calculating the production cycle, it is necessary to take into account the overlap of some time elements either with technological time or with interoperational holding time. The time for transporting objects of labor (T tr) and the time for selective quality control (T k) are overlapped elements.

Based on the above, the production cycle can be expressed by the formula

T c = (T shk + T mo) k per k op + T e,

where k lane is the coefficient of conversion of working days to calendar days (the ratio of the number of calendar days D to the number of working days in the year D p, k lane =D k /D p);

k or is a coefficient that takes into account breaks for equipment maintenance between repairs and organizational problems (usually 1.15 - 1.2).

The production cycle (PC) is a central technical value. On its basis, many values of the enterprise’s activities are calculated. The PC value is needed to establish the timing of the launch of objects into production. The deadlines for the latter establish the necessary resources that departments must have.

What is a production cycle

The production cycle is a period of full turnover of funds that are needed to maintain the operation of the enterprise. The beginning of the cycle is the arrival of raw materials and supplies, its completion is the shipment of products. That is, PC is the length of time required to complete the production of a product. The result of the production cycle is the receipt of a finished product. Determining the duration of the production process ensures the establishment of time spent on the production of goods. It is measured in days, hours and minutes. The indicator in question is needed in the following cases:

Confirmation of the correctness of the definition of the goods production program.
Formation of a schedule for the movement of objects during production (logistics).
Establishing the scale of work in progress.
Determination of the amount of working capital.

The production cycle is necessary for internal planning in the company. The main task of carrying out calculations is to limit the duration of the PC. This is needed to achieve the following goals:

Reducing the volume of working capital used.
Reducing the duration of funds turnover.
Reducing the area of warehouses where work in progress and raw materials are stored.
Improving the quality of operation of underlying assets.
Reducing the cost of goods.

Reducing the production cycle is necessary to save company resources. In the future, this will help increase profits: production costs decrease and sales increase.

Production cycle structure

Let's consider the components of the production cycle:

Execution period (time spent only on the work itself). It is divided into basic operations and auxiliary ones. The first includes procurement and assembly operations, the second - transport and control.
The period allocated for natural processes. Assumes rest periods due to natural reasons (for example, at night).
Breaks. These are interoperational periods, breaks between cycles. The breaks are also due to the seasonal nature of the work.

The set of actions is called the technological cycle. This cycle reflects the period during which employees directly or indirectly influence the object.

Breaks are divided into two types:

Rest periods determined by the company's work schedule. These are weekends, holidays, lunch breaks.
Rest periods related to technical conditions. For example, this may be waiting for the workplace to become free and the necessary parts to be assembled. Downtime can also be caused by the interdependence of unequal production operations or lack of electricity.

So, the production cycle is not only actions related to the production of goods, but also periods of planned and forced rest.

Formula for calculating the production cycle

The cycle value is set using this formula:

T p.c. = Ttechn + Tper + Test.proc.

The formula uses these values:

Tp.ts. – PC deadlines.
Ttechn – terms of the technological stage.
Tper - breaks.
Test.percent – periods of natural downtime.

When calculating the cycle duration, you need to take into account only those intervals that are not compensated by the period of technological actions. These include control measures, transportation of raw materials and products. Rest periods caused by organizational and technical problems (for example, delays in the supply of raw materials, problems with discipline at the enterprise) are not taken into account when determining the planned duration of the work cycle.

When determining the value of the cycle, the nuances of the movement of the object of labor through production actions are taken into account. Movement is divided into the following forms:

Consistent. Work with a new batch of homogeneous labor objects is initiated only after the previous batch has been processed.
Parallel. Submitting items for surgery is performed after the previous surgery has been processed. The considered form of movement causes a reduction in cycle indicators.
Parallel-sequential. The direction of objects to an operation is implemented during the execution of an adjacent operation. The procedure under consideration allows us to eliminate interruptions.

The time period of the cycle depends on the type of movement of labor objects.

What determines the value of the production cycle?

The tightness of the production cycle is determined by these factors:

Technological processes. The equipment of the enterprise with technical tools affects the duration of processing and assembly.
Organizational. They involve actions to organize work processes. These processes affect the duration of auxiliary actions and breaks.
Economic. They influence the values of mechanization, technical excellence and timing of processes, and the values of work in progress.

Cycle duration is the result of a whole host of factors present at the enterprise. Changing one of the factors contributes to both shortening and multiplying the cycle. That is, the timing of the production cycle can be changed. Various methods are used for this.

What is affected by the value of the production cycle?

The production cycle is an integral element of the movement of working capital. Its reduction causes an increase in the turnover rate. That is, a shortened cycle leads to an increase in the number of turnovers during the reporting year. The result of this is the accumulation of additional funds, which can be used to modernize and expand production. In addition, the scale of work in progress is reduced. This entails the accumulation of funds in material form. That is, material resources are released.

The duration of the cycle also determines. The latter refers to the maximum possible production of goods in the reporting period. How does this happen? The less time it takes to create one product, the more products can be produced. Consequently, power increases.

As the cycle compresses, the quality of labor productivity also increases. There is an increase in the volume of production of goods, which entails an increase in capacity. This entails a reduction in the share of labor of employees. The cost is reduced by reducing costs taking into account the increase in power.

How can you shorten the cycle?

You can compress a loop in these ways:

Purchase of more technically advanced equipment.
Implementation of continuous processes.
Increased depth of specialization.
Using scientific organization methods.
Application of robotics.
Improving labor discipline.
Reducing the number of breaks through legal means (for example, several shifts per day).
Modernization of the entire production.
Improving the quality of management.
Introduction of new methods of organizing work processes.

IMPORTANT! Reducing the production cycle is one of the key tasks of an enterprise manager. This allows you to improve a number of basic indicators at once. Reducing the PV involves drawing up a detailed plan. It makes sense to work on those factors whose change involves the least cost. Before executing the plan, you need to analyze all the factors affecting the production cycle.

The concept of a production cycle has a spatial and temporal framework. The production of a new product requires a certain period of time, and the scale of production capacity describes the space. The duration of the process is measured in days or calendar days. This time period includes all technological stages of product production. The priority task of any enterprise is to reduce the duration of the production cycle. This helps increase conversion, reduce energy costs and has a positive impact on the overall financial condition of the company.

As the speed of the production process increases, the number of cycles decreases. As a result, more units of product can be produced in the same period of time. Increased turnover leads to significant savings that can be used in priority areas. Funds are most often used to expand production and develop new products.

Production cycle capacity describes the amount of product that can be created in the shortest possible time. This parameter is affected by the cycle duration. The longer it takes to produce a unit of product, the lower the production capacity.

An increase in the production capacity of an enterprise leads to a significant reduction in the share of the workforce. This allows you to save some money and improve the quality of work. The main task of a company producing any product is complete automation of all technological stages of production. The increased capacity of the enterprise means a reduction in production costs, which has a positive effect on the cost of the product for the end consumer. This can be explained by a decrease in the share of specialist labor. With a shorter production cycle, the number of breaks required for workers decreases. As is known, pauses in production negatively affect the capacity of the enterprise. During the break, production is idle, and the duration of the production cycle only increases. It is advisable to strive to reduce such pauses.

1. Improving the technological equipment of the enterprise, which is achieved as a result of the introduction of advanced developments, the search for alternative energy sources, etc. Improving the technical base helps improve the quality of labor, reduces the time of direct employment of specialists, and with it the production cycle itself. An effective method for improving technological equipment is to differentiate the product into individual elements and create separate production units for each element. This principle is used in all enterprises, regardless of the type of product produced.

2. The principle of parallel production. The essence of this method lies in the compatibility of some production stages. As a result, it is possible to create more products in one unit of time, which leads to a reduction in the duration of the production cycle.

3. Optimization of resource flows and reduction of the distance between individual production links. If the company is automated, the time for moving elements of the product being developed between workshops is significantly reduced. As a result, transportation costs are reduced. This has a positive effect on the production cycle. Modern enterprises are striving to increase conversion and are introducing all kinds of electric transport vehicles and laying in-production transmission lines.

To improve market positions and increase competitiveness, industrial enterprises are guided by the basic principles of production organization, which include:

Optimizing the load on production units;
- parallelism;
- continuity;
- resource saving;
- environmental friendliness.

Recycling of resources is an effective method for reducing production cycles

The efficiency of any enterprise is characterized not only by the volume of products produced, but also by the competent use of resources. Many successful companies occupy a worthy position in the market only through competent processing of production waste, while the quality of the products may remain mediocre. Proper use of resources allows you to increase the number of products created.

Modern enterprises use advanced resource saving methods, which can be divided into two large groups:

The use of cheap polymer composite materials that replace outdated and expensive analogues. Thus, plastic windows replaced wooden ones, LCD panels replaced CRT monitors. In this case, cheap but more effective materials are used. As a result, direct financial costs for production are reduced, which has a positive effect on the cost of the product.

Search and use of alternative energy sources. Electricity in this case remains the oldest and most effective source of cheap and environmentally friendly energy.

The production cycle includes the development of products belonging to a certain price category. An effective way to maintain a company's position in the market is to modernize or improve already developed products at the expense of creating unique products. This is clearly observed in the IT sector and the mobile industry, which is developing especially intensively. Every year, manufacturers release improved models of their devices, adding the prefixes “S”, “2”, etc. to the name.

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A production cycle is a complete sequence of production operations that result in the transformation of raw materials into finished products.
The production cycle occurs in space and time, so it can be characterized by two parameters: the length of the production cycle and the duration of the production cycle.
The length of the production cycle is the distance the product moves from the very first to the last workplace. It can be measured in meters, but it is more logical to measure the length of the production cycle in square meters, since the production cycle is not a line, but an area on which jobs and equipment are located.
The duration of the production cycle is the time interval between the first and last production operations performed on one product. It is measured in days, hours, minutes, seconds.
The duration of the production cycle includes three stages: the time of technological processing of the product (working period); production technological maintenance time; work breaks.
The total duration of the TC production cycle can be determined as follows:
(35)
where Tr is the time of technological processing of the product, h; T is the time of technological maintenance of production, h; Тп - time of breaks in work, hours.
The time of technological processing of a product (working period) is the period of time during which a direct impact on the object of labor is carried out by the worker himself or by machines under his control, as well as the time of natural (taking place without the participation of humans or equipment) technological processes.
Production technological maintenance time includes product quality control, equipment setup and repair, workplace cleaning, and transportation of workpieces and products.
The time of breaks in work is the time during which there is no impact on the subject of work and there are no changes in its quality characteristics, but the product is not yet finished and the production process has not yet been completed. This time includes regulated and unregulated breaks. In turn, regulated breaks are divided into interoperational (intra-shift) and inter-shift.
Interoperative breaks include:

batch breaks that occur when processing parts in batches, when the part lies during the processing of other parts of the same batch;
waiting interruptions resulting from non-synchronization of successive operations;
interruptions in picking that occur as a result of products sitting due to the unavailability of other parts included in the set (unit, mechanism, machine).

Intershift breaks occur due to downtime between shifts, as well as on weekends and holidays.
Unregulated breaks are caused by downtime not provided for by operating modes (lack of raw materials, equipment breakdowns, accidents, absenteeism, etc.).
The length of the production cycle significantly depends on the nature of the movement of objects of labor during the production process. The following types of movement of objects of labor are distinguished:

the sequential movement of processed products assumes that when they are manufactured in batches, the subsequent technological operation begins only after the completion of the previous technological operation on all parts of the batch. The total duration of the production cycle for this type of movement is maximum due to the significant amount of batch breaks. This type of movement is typical for single and small-scale production;
The parallel-sequential movement of objects of labor assumes that subsequent operations begin before the entire batch of products is processed in the previous operation. With parallel-sequential movement, the duration of the production cycle is reduced compared to sequential movement;
Parallel-direct movement of objects of labor occurs in the case when the product, regardless of the readiness of the batch, is immediately transferred to the next technological operation. This type of movement provides the shortest production cycle time, but can be implemented in conditions of mass or large-scale production.