What is KOSU?

KOSU comes from a Japanese expression meaning work rate. KOSU is an indicator of the actual productivity of a given manufacturing cell. This indicator takes into account the number of units of a product produced and the number of people needed to produce them within a certain time period. The most commonly used unit of productivity in KOSU is the man-second.

To visualize the KOSU indicator, a productivity-over-time chart is usually used, where the settlement period is a clock hour. This makes it possible to take action pretty quickly if productivity drops. It is worth noting that this indicator should have a target, which we also put on the chart.

What is needed to calculate KOSU?

To calculate KOSU, you will need:

• Time available,
• The number of employees in a given manufacturing cell,
• The time of agreed breaks during work (for example, a 30-minute breakfast break),
• Information on the number of products produced in the time available (consider only good quality products).

Once you have agreed on the above values, you can proceed to calculate the index. To do this, substitute the data into the following formula.

KOSU calculation formula

In the certified KPI course on our platform, we discuss practical examples of calculating KOSU. Purchase the course to learn more about setting, calculating and managing KPIs in your company.

How to set the goal of KOSU?

1. Select the workstation / manufacturing cell / production line.
2. Select the product to be measured.
3. Determine the number of employees.
4. Take measurements using the time study method or use Gemba.

Benefits of using the KOSU indicator

• Reduced response time when a problem occurs, causing a drop in productivity.
• Improving the use of human resources – this rate allows you to verify whether adding an additional employee to a production slot improves productivity.
• The ability to have a real impact on costs by optimally matching resources to the production process.
• Ability to identify process muda. The visual form of the indicator reflects the occurrence of waste in the process.
• The visual presentation of the indicator along with the set goals has a motivating effect on employees. Employees subconsciously strive to ensure that the optimal “work rate” goal is maintained.
• Simple calculation formula. Every employee in the organization will easily be able to calculate the KOSU rate.