Single piece flow - More Efficient & Faster

Single piece flow

The state that exists when products move through a manufacturing process one unit at a time, at a rate determined by the needs of the customer

• Allows to deliver a flow of products to customers with less delay
• Reduces resources required for storage & transport
• Less damage, deterioration, or obsolescence
• Promotes continuous improvement

- The opposite of one-piece flow is large-lot production

• Goods produced in large lots build delays into the process
• No item can move on to the next process until all item in lot have been processed
• The larger the lot, the longer the items sit & wait between steps

- One-piece flow is an ideal state

- Always not possible or desirable to process items just one at a time, important is to promote continuous flow of products, with the least amount of delay & waiting

Single piece flow - More Efficient & Faster

“Make one & pass one on.”