How to do time study? 1

[patilml03]

Dear all,

I m an industrial engineer in a company where genset assembly is used to done and want to do "time study" on the assembly line. but problem is that I can't do video shoot to get the exact time of assembly because whenever I used to do video shoot, workers oppose it. please tell me other method to do time study from which I can get the exact time.

 

[tomwalz]

Total parts and total hours per day.

Observed operators always perform better and rarely like being observed.

See Hawthorne Effect in Wikipedia



Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.

 

[patilml03]

Thomas, Thanks for ur reply. Its fine that it is Hawthrone effect but not effordable to us. I have to reduce the work time so I have to calculate the current time consumed. please tell me how to do that....

 

[BillPSU]

If you cannot video the process then you will have to use the stop watch method which is just as intrusive as the video method. You will have to break the work up into elements which can be timed and time multiple occurrences and rate the person on skill and effort. You may also have to give a rating on the environment. You will have to then review the times recorded and throw out the outliers and then eventually you will come up with average times for each element. The total time of the elements and then you have apply your skill and effort ratings to normalize the time to a 'standard (100%) person' then after you have the standard time you will have to apply your companies PF&D allowance (Personal, Fatigue, and Delay) and you end up with the time standard.

Before you can do the timing you will need to talk with the manufacturing engineer if you have one. Determine what is the proper process and tooling to use to do the operation. Then you have to review with the operator and find out the steps in the process. Determine if the equipment being used the proper equipment. This is where the opposition will occur. People in general do not want someone looking over their shoulders. You will have to be careful in your attitude and presentation to the operator and open to his/her suggestions.

Good Luck,
Bill

 

[tomwalz]

The Hawthorne study seems to show that employees whose performnce is measured then improve their performance.

Peter drucker says that what gets measured gets improved.

Do you have a "star" employee? Great quality and great productivity. They are usually most willing to cooperate.

Have employees self monitor productivity. This helps. It is very difficult to monitor your own productivity but it does increase awareness.

What worked for me for a cash incentive based on perfect parts per hour. (The most comon defintion for 'genset' involves assembly of diesel generators so you may deal in hours per unit.) We were dealing with very small parts. First I set a standard of 600 per hour based on my own productivity. I then offered a raise to anyone who could match it. It took a while but eventually 1,000 perfect parts per hour was a common figure.

In my experience you have to set a series of steps with real rewards (cash bonus, pay raise, maybe time off)when they meet those steps. Eventually somebody or some team will decide to go for it. They will self monitor. Keep stressing quality. Once one team hqs done it then there will be a lull before the second team (or person) does it. Eventually it will become the standard.

I used a modifed piece rate based on certain size parts and translated that into an hourly wage.

Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

Good engineering starts with a Grainger Catalog.

 

[fhm42]

Does your facility have a video security system? If so, you could use that video to give you your time study information.

If that video doesn't cover the work area you need, then why not just place a camera somewhere that it can't be seen easily by the workers? Granted, it's a little sneaky, but if there's already video surveillance then it's not doing anything that they aren't already aware is happening.

Aside from that, you're pretty much on the good old-fashioned stopwatch method. Have fun.