Lean Manufacturing & Operations worked example
Pitch Time with takt time per unit of 5 min/unit: a worked example
Push takt time per unit up to 5 min/unit and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use this calculator to determine your pitch interval, which is the time increment used to release and monitor small batches of work through the pacemaker process.
The inputs for this scenario
- Takt time per unit: 5 min/unit (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 2)
- Container pack-out quantity: 10 units/container (unchanged)
- Pitch adjustment factor: 1 x (unchanged)
Working through the calculation
- Applying the documented formula (Pitch = Takt Time x Pack-Out Quantity x Adjustment Factor) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
- At this operating point the engine returns 50 min for pitch time (minutes per container), the number this scenario is built around.
- At this operating point the engine returns 50 value for base product.
- At this operating point the engine returns 1 x for multiplier.
- At this operating point the engine returns 50 value for factor a x b.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where takt time per unit sits at 2 min/unit and the headline result is 20 min, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 50 min.
- It computes the pitch interval, the minutes to complete one container, by multiplying takt time per unit by the pack-out quantity and an adjustment factor. 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
- Pitch time (minutes per container): 50 min (headline result)
- Base product: 50 value
- Multiplier: 1 x
- Factor A x B: 50 value
Run it with your numbers
- Every input above is editable in the live Pitch Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.