Bottlenecks in production

A production bottleneck is caused by a shortage of resources, such as technology or manpower. It limits production volume and inhibits other activities in the chain of closely related jobs. It can even lead to production stoppages and contribute to higher production costs. Bottlenecks often include activities that take the longest time and are assigned to the wrong number of employees.

Bottlenecks in production – other definitions

A bottleneck is also seen as the position with the lowest production capacity. This type of location restricts the flow of semi-finished products and materials, while creating efficiency limits for the entire production system. Since the bottleneck in manufacturing determines the efficiency of the entire production system, very often the work schedule of the system is based on it. The bottleneck can also cause problems with producing high quality products and increase the lead time of orders from customers.

Controlling – a tool for seeking critical points

Creating a production system that will maintain the fluidity of work while meeting technological standards requires knowledge of the performance of each of the positions. The positions with the weakest performance, will be the bottlenecks. In other words, it means that within the framework of top-down production planning, all bottlenecks must be located by searching for critical places. A useful and effective tool to help locate critical points is controlling. Controlling makes it possible to determine both the type and quantity of bottlenecks in production departments. Controlling can also make it possible to quickly find effective countermeasures, for sensitive places in a production system. Detailed location and identification of bottlenecks can also be helpful in determining a new, optimal production plan.

How to deal with bottlenecks in production processes?

When looking for bottlenecks in processes, it is important to remember that any change in the demand for a product or to correct a problem that has arisen in a particular part of the production system can cause the bottleneck to move to another location. That location may then become the new bottleneck to be removed.
However, if we find that there are no more bottlenecks or all of them have been effectively eliminated, then we can start working on improving the production process and increasing its efficiency. In this case it is also worth remembering not to create more bottlenecks in the whole process.
A good way to visualize the bottleneck problems is to use the Kanban system.