Executive Summary
CircuitWorks Electronics, a high-mix, low-volume contract manufacturer, frequently struggled with the transition from New Product Introduction (NPI) to full-scale production. With over 15 product changeovers a month, their industrial engineering team was drowning in manual time-study math. By implementing Taktimize, CircuitWorks digitized their assembly planning, reducing changeover planning time by 90% and increasing daily throughput by 14%.
The Challenge
In a high-mix manufacturing environment, flexibility is everything. However, CircuitWorks was relying on legacy methods to adapt their production lines to new products:
- Slow NPI Transitions: Whenever a new circuit board assembly was introduced, engineers spent up to 6 hours re-calculating task times, observing operators, and adjusting Excel models to figure out station assignments.
- Suboptimal Yield: Because planning took so long, engineers often settled for a "good enough" line balance just to get production running. This resulted in hidden bottlenecks that strangled daily yield.
- Data Silos: Time-study videos and data were scattered across local hard drives. If a senior engineer was absent, the rest of the team struggled to replicate their line balancing logic.
The Solution: Taktimize
CircuitWorks deployed Taktimize's Digital Time Study and Optimizer tools to create a seamless, end-to-end digital workflow.
Key Features Utilized:
- Cloud-Based Time Studies: Engineers uploaded assembly videos directly into Taktimize. Using the built-in video analysis tool, they accurately mapped timestamps to assembly tasks with a few clicks, instantly creating a centralized database of standard times.
- Instant Re-Balancing: When production volume targets changed, engineers simply updated the "Target Cycle Time" in Taktimize. The AI instantly generated new station assignments and printed out standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the operators.
- Scenario Comparison: Taktimize allowed CircuitWorks to compare different layout scenarios (e.g., 5 operators vs. 6 operators) to determine the most cost-effective staffing model before the shift even began.
The Results
Taktimize transformed CircuitWorks' engineering department from a reactive support team into a proactive driver of profitability:
| Metric | Before Taktimize | After Taktimize | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Balance New Line | 4 - 6 Hours | 15 Minutes | 95% Faster |
| Avg. Daily Throughput | 1,200 units | 1,368 units | + 14% Yield |
| Idle Time per Operator | 18% | 4% | Highly Optimized |
Financial & Operational Impact
- Throughput Increase: Optimized cycle times and reduced bottlenecks led to a direct 14% increase in daily production volume.
- Engineering Time Saved: Industrial engineers regained approximately 40 hours per month previously spent on manual video review and spreadsheet data entry.
Final ROI
Process digitization paid for itself in less than two weeks
"We used to dread product changeovers. Now, I just upload the new task list, click 'Run Optimization', and print the station assignments for the shift leads. Taktimize handles the puzzle so we don't have to."
— Operations Manager, CircuitWorks Electronics
Conclusion
In fast-paced, high-mix environments, speed and agility dictate success. CircuitWorks proved that by replacing manual spreadsheets with Taktimize's intelligent optimization, manufacturers can unlock hidden capacity and drastically reduce the friction of new product introductions.