How much you can make.
WHAT CAPACITY MEANS
Output achievable in a period, given equipment, people and hours.
WHAT LIMITS IT
The slowest step.
WHY THAT MATTERS
Adding capacity anywhere except the constraint changes nothing.
WHAT TO IDENTIFY
The bottleneck: the step where work accumulates.
HOW TO FIND IT
Look for where material waits.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Maximise its utilisation before investing anywhere else.
HOW
Ensure it never waits for material, people or setup Move work off it that could be done elsewhere Reduce its downtime Reduce defects that consume its time
WHY DEFECTS AT THE BOTTLENECK MATTER MOST
Time lost there is lost to the whole factory.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Actual output per hour, measured.
WHY MEASURED
Rated capacity from equipment specifications is never achieved.
WHAT TO CALCULATE
Available hours, less downtime, setup and breaks.
WHAT THAT PRODUCES
Realistic capacity.
WHAT TO PLAN AGAINST
That figure, not the theoretical one.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT SHIFTS
Whether additional shifts are viable.
WHAT THAT PROVIDES
More output from the same equipment.
WHAT IT COSTS
Labour, supervision and higher maintenance.
WHY IT MATTERS FINANCIALLY
It spreads fixed costs across more units, which is the largest lever available.
WHAT TO TRACK
Output against capacity Downtime by cause
