An 8-associate production crew is deployed on an assembly line as shown below. Assume all associates are equally experienced and skilled and that the line flows continuously without stoppages: Section Associate Takt time (s) # of picks Responsibilities

Section	Associate	Takt time	No of picks	Responisbilities
1	A	6	0	Label and build box
	B	4	2	Pick ice packs
	C	7	6	Pick chilled ingredients
	D	4	2	Pick chilled ingredients
Box travels on automated conveyor to new section of line
2	E	8	5	Pick non-chilled ingredients
	F	5	3	Pick non-chilled ingredients
	G	3	3	Pick recipe cards
	H	2	0	Seal box

1. As deployed above, how many completed boxes can this crew assemble per hour? Which associate is currently the bottleneck? 2. Put yourself in the shoes of a Line Lead trying to maximize line speed. What changes would you consider to increase the hourly box throughout the line? What speed would these changes result in? 3. Now think of yourself as an Operational Excellence Analyst tasked with running this line as efficiently as possible. This line must assemble 3,800 boxes to ship out every 8 hours. Assuming each associate scheduled must work an 8 hour shift, how would you deploy an ideal crew? How many associates are required to hit the ship out time?