Production time is the amount of time spent on producing a certain quantity of output. It can be calculated by dividing the total output by the production rate, which is the number of units produced per unit of time. For example, if a factory produces 100 widgets per hour, then the production time for 500 widgets is 500 / 100 = 5 hours.
However, production time may not be the same as the actual working time, because there may be breaks or interruptions during the workday. For example, if the factory workers have a 30-minute lunch break and two 15-minute coffee breaks, then the actual working time is 8 hours – 30 minutes – 15 minutes – 15 minutes = 7 hours. Therefore, the production time should be adjusted to account for the breaks.
One way to do this is to subtract the total break time from the working time, and then divide the output by the adjusted production rate. For example, if the factory works from 9 am to 5 pm, then the working time is 8 hours. The total break time is 30 minutes + 15 minutes + 15 minutes = 1 hour. The adjusted production rate is 100 widgets / 7 hours = 14.29 widgets per hour. The production time for 500 widgets is 500 / 14.29 = 35 hours.
Another way to do this is to multiply the output by the ratio of the working time to the total time, and then divide by the production rate. For example, if the factory works from 9 am to 5 pm, then the total time is 8 hours. The working time is 7 hours. The ratio of the working time to the total time is 7 / 8 = 0.875. The output multiplied by the ratio is 500 x 0.875 = 437.5 widgets. The production time for 500 widgets is 437.5 / 100 = 4.375 hours.
Excel Formula
To calculate the production time in Excel, we can use either of the two methods described above. The formula for the first method is:
=output/(production_rate*(working_time-break_time))
The formula for the second method is:
=output*(working_time/total_time)/production_rate
Example
Let’s say we want to calculate the production time for 1000 T-shirts in a garment factory. The factory works from 8 am to 6 pm, with a one-hour lunch break and two 10-minute tea breaks. The production rate is 50 T-shirts per hour. We can use either of the two formulas to get the production time.
Using the first formula, we have:
=1000/(50*(10-1-0.333))
=1000/(50*8.667)
=2.304 hours
Using the second formula, we have:
=1000*(9/10)/50
=900/50
=18 hours
Excel Table
We can also use an Excel table to display the input and output values for the production time calculation. Here is an example table:
| Output | Production Rate | Working Time | Break Time | Total Time | Production Time (Method 1) | Production Time (Method 2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | 50 | 10 | 1.333 | 10 | 2.304 | 18 |
Other Approaches
There may be other ways to calculate the production time in Excel, depending on the specific situation and assumptions. For example, we can use the NETWORKDAYS function to exclude weekends and holidays from the working days, or we can use the WORKDAY function to get the end date of the production based on the start date and the production time. We can also use the TIME function to convert the production time from hours to hours, minutes, and seconds. These are some of the possible extensions that can be explored further.
