Lean Manufacturing & Operations worked example

Heijunka Leveling Pitch with available production time per shift of 230 min: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop available production time per shift to 230 min, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate the heijunka leveling pitch interval for mixed-model scheduling by dividing available time by the number of pitch increments per shift.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Available production time per shift: 230 min (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 450)
  • Number of pitch increments per shift: 30 increments (held at the documented default)
  • Time unit conversion factor: 1 x (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Heijunka Pitch = Available Time / Pitch Increments x Conversion.
  • Heijunka pitch interval (min) works out to 7.67 min at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Raw ratio works out to 7.67 value at these inputs.
  • Conversion factor works out to 1 x at these inputs.
  • Pitch increments per shift works out to 30 value at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where available production time per shift sits at 450 min and the headline result is 15 min, this scenario comes in 48.89% below the baseline at 7.67 min.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to available production time per shift, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. Pitch assumes a stable, leveled mix and a known number of increments; it does not account for unplanned downtime, so a pitch that looks healthy can still mask a process running below takt.

Results at a glance

  • Heijunka pitch interval (min): 7.67 min (headline result)
  • Raw ratio: 7.67 value
  • Conversion factor: 1 x
  • Pitch increments per shift: 30 value

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Heijunka Leveling Pitch calculator, set available production time per shift to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.