<P> Takt time is the average time between the start of production of one unit and the start of production of the next unit, when these production starts are set to match the rate of customer demand . For example, if a customer wants 10 units per week, then, given a 40 - hour work week and steady flow through the production line, the average time between production starts should be 4 hours, yielding 10 units produced per week . Note, a common misconception is that takt time is related to the time it takes to actually make the product . In the previous example, whether it takes 4 minutes or 4 years to produce the product, the takt time should be 4 hours (of course, the time it takes to produce the product will impact the magnitude of the number of units actually in production at any point in time). </P> <P> Takt time is a borrowing of the Japanese word takutotaimu (タクト タイム), which in turn was borrowed from the German word Taktzeit, meaning clock interval . The word was likely introduced to Japan by German engineers in the 1930s . </P> <P> Assuming a product is made one unit at a time at a constant rate during the net available work time, the takt time is the amount of time that must elapse between two consecutive unit completions in order to meet the demand . </P> <P> Takt time can be first determined with the formula: </P>

Actual time taken from start to finish to produce one unit of value