Course Overview

Introduction Productivity – Focused Capacity Planning & Line Optimization

In today’s operations, low productivity is rarely caused by lack of demand—it is caused by poor visibility of capacity, imbalance across processes, and hidden losses in flow. This Capacity Planning program equips participants with practical methods to calculate true capacity, identify constraints, balance lines, and optimize productivity using real data.

The Capacity Planning course emphasizes hands-on capacity analysis, line balancing, and bottleneck optimization, enabling participants to translate planning into measurable productivity gains.

Learning Methodology (Workshop-Based)

• Interactive concepts & discussions
• Real-life manufacturing / service examples
• Group exercises & simulations
• Capacity and line balancing calculations
• Case studies (shopfloor-focused)
• Action plan development

Target Audience for Capacity Planning

• Production & Operations Managers
• Industrial / Process Engineers
• Supervisors & Line Leaders
• Planning & Scheduling Teams
• Continuous Improvement / Lean Teams

Course Objectives

By the end of this Capacity Planning program, participants will be able to:

• Understand the link between capacity planning, line balance, and productivity
• Calculate true available capacity vs theoretical capacity
• Identify productivity losses caused by bottlenecks and imbalance
• Apply line optimization techniques to improve flow and output
• Use capacity data to support better production decisions
• Develop a practical capacity improvement action plan

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

• Build a basic capacity model for their process or line
• Identify constraints and non-value-added capacity losses
• Perform line balancing calculations
• Improve productivity without additional manpower or equipment
• Align capacity with customer demand and takt time
• Present a clear productivity improvement roadmap

Course Content

DAY 1: Establishing Capacity Visibility & Productivity Baseline

Module 1: Productivity & Capacity – The Strategic Connection

• Shift mindset from output chasing to capacity intelligence
• What productivity really means (Output vs Effort vs Flow)
• Why productivity problems are capacity problems
• Common myths in capacity planning
• Relationship between demand, takt time, and capacity
• Productivity losses hidden in planning assumptions
• Identify productivity symptoms vs true capacity issues in operations

Module 2: Understanding Capacity – Theory vs Reality

• Reveal the gap between planned and actual capacity
• Types of capacity:
  • Installed capacity
  • Available capacity
  • Effective capacity
  • Utilized capacity
• Planned vs unplanned losses
• Impact of downtime, changeover, quality, and absenteeism
• OEE as a capacity input (not just a KPI)
• Calculate effective capacity using a sample production line

Module 3: Capacity Calculation for Productivity Improvement

• Enable participants to compute true line capacity
• Capacity calculation formulas
• Cycle time vs takt time
• Manpower-based vs machine-based capacity
• Shift pattern and calendar impact
• Identifying capacity constraints using data

Module 4: Identifying Bottlenecks & Productivity Losses

• Make constraints visible
• What is a bottleneck (and what is not)
• Signs of hidden bottlenecks
• Work-in-process (WIP) as a bottleneck signal
• Constraint vs non-constraint process behavior
• Impact of imbalance on productivity
• Bottleneck identification using process flow data

DAY 2: Line Optimization & Capacity-Driven Productivity Gains

Module 5: Line Balancing for Productivity

• Improve output without adding resources
• Principles of line balancing
• Balancing vs leveling
• Task distribution and workload variation
• Balancing manpower-intensive lines
• Impact of balance loss on productivity

Module 6: Line Optimization Techniques

• Convert analysis into improvement actions
• Bottleneck exploitation techniques
• Non-bottleneck optimization (avoid overproduction)
• Changeover reduction impact on capacity
• Man-machine separation
• Parallelization and task redesign
• Simple layout improvements for flow

Module 7: Capacity Planning for Demand Variability

• Sustain productivity under changing demand
• Capacity buffers vs inventory buffers
• Flexible manpower planning
• Skill matrix and multi-skilling impact
• Scenario planning for demand changes
• Short-term vs medium-term capacity decisions

Module 8: Productivity Improvement Action Plan

• Translating analysis into action
• Prioritizing productivity improvement initiatives
• KPI alignment (Output, Utilization, Flow)
• Roles & responsibilities
• Monitoring and review cadence