Lean Manufacturing & Operations worked example

Line Balance Efficiency with total work content of 630 sec: a worked example

Push total work content up to 630 sec and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use this calculator to quantify how evenly work is distributed across stations. A low balance efficiency signals idle time and improvement opportunity.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total work content (sum of all station times): 630 sec (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 250)
  • Number of workstations: 5 stations (unchanged)
  • Bottleneck station cycle time: 55 sec (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Line Balance Efficiency = Total Work Content / (Stations x Bottleneck Time) x 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,930 % for line balance efficiency (%), the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 126 value for raw ratio.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 55 x for conversion factor.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5 value for stations x bottleneck time.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where total work content sits at 250 sec and the headline result is 2,750 %, this scenario comes in 152% above the baseline at 6,930 %.
  • It divides total work content by (number of stations x bottleneck cycle time) and multiplies by 100 to score balance. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Line balance efficiency (%): 6,930 % (headline result)
  • Raw ratio: 126 value
  • Conversion factor: 55 x
  • Stations x Bottleneck time: 5 value

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Line Balance Efficiency calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.