Process Cycle Efficiency Calculator

How this is calculated

Process cycle efficiency, sometimes called flow efficiency, compares the time that actually transforms the product against the total time a job spends in the process, queues and all.

Keep both figures in the same unit; this tool uses minutes. Value-added time is only the work a customer would pay for, not setup, inspection, rework, or transport.

Reading the number

• Low single digits are normal. Typical discrete manufacturing plants run in roughly the 1 to 5 percent range before any focused lean work, because jobs spend most of their life waiting.
• Ten percent is a real improvement. Plants that have shrunk batches and pulled work through the line often reach the 5 to 15 percent range.
• World-class is roughly 25 percent. Even the best continuous-flow operations rarely sustain much beyond about 25 percent; treat that as a ceiling, not a target for month one.
• A low PCE is a map, not a verdict. It tells you the biggest gains are in the waiting, not in making operators or machines work faster.

To see where the non-value-added minutes live, break the job down with the manufacturing lead time calculator, connect lead time to inventory with the WIP and Little's Law calculator, or read the lean manufacturing guide.