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A short class with Sarah and her students. The other ways are under More.
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Today, we will explore how truck and loader cycle times influence productivity. We have a truck cycle time of 39.5 minutes and a loader cycle time of 5.5 minutes. Can anyone tell me what these cycle times represent?
Do they represent how long it takes for a truck to make a round trip and how long the loader takes to load the truck?
Exactly! The truck cycle time is the total time for a truck to complete a loading and unloading operation. Now, if we divide these cycle times, we can calculate the balance number of trucks needed. What might that be?
Shouldn’t it be around 7 trucks since 39.5 divided by 5.5 gives us something close to that?
Correct! The balance number we get is approximately 7.18. It's crucial to consider if we should round this number down or up to maximize productivity. Great job!
Now let’s discuss what happens as we change the number of trucks. If we calculate productivity with 5, 6, or 7 trucks, how would that look?
We would multiply the number of trucks by the individual truck productivity of 12.53-meter cube per hour.
Right! So, with 5 trucks, that would be 5 multiplied by 12.53, giving us about 62.65-meter cube per hour.
Exactly! As you increase the number of trucks, productivity increases until we reach the balance number of 7. What do you think happens then?
After that point, additional trucks don’t increase productivity because the loader limits it.
Correct! Beyond the balance point, we see diminishing returns, as the loader’s capacity caps productivity at 90-meter cube per hour.
Let's transition to unit production costs. Can anyone explain how we calculate the total cost using different truck numbers?
We take the number of trucks multiplied by the truck hourly cost plus the loader cost!
Exactly! For instance, if we have 5 trucks at a cost of 1650 per hour, plus one loader at 2700, what’s the total?
That would be 5 times 1650 plus 2700, which equals 10950!
Good! Now, what happens to our unit production cost as we calculate this for 6 and 7 trucks?
As costs increase and productivity rises, the unit cost initially drops.
Exactly! But what is key about those costs if we exceed 7 trucks?
The unit production cost increases because productivity cannot increase beyond the loader's limit!
Correct! The lesson here is to find a balance for economy and efficiency!
Finally, let’s talk about decision-making. If our balance number is 7.18, how do we decide whether to use 7 or 8 trucks?
Maybe we should use 7 since it lowers our unit cost to 162.47 compared to 176.67 with 8 trucks!
Exactly! What else could be a benefit of going with 7 trucks instead of 8?
It gives the loader break time and reduces wear and tear!
Excellent! So, always consider the economics and operational efficiency when making such decisions. Can anyone summarize what we’ve learned today?
We learned how to analyze truck and loader efficiency, calculate costs, and make informed decisions about the number of trucks to use!
To move with no duck, balance trucks not to cluck.
Imagine a farmer with 7 trucks balancing their weight while a loader scoops grain – past 7, they only wait, losing gain.
T for Truck cycle, L for Loader cycle, B for Balance number, U for Unit cost.
T-L-B-U: Truck Loader Balance Unit for remembering cycle time and costs.
Term
Truck Cycle Time
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Term
Loader Cycle Time
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Term
Balance Number
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Term
Unit Production Cost
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The total time for a truck to complete a loading and unloading operation.
The time taken by a loader to load a truck.
The optimal number of trucks that maximizes productivity without redundancy.
The cost associated with producing one unit of output.
This section discusses the balance number of trucks per loader necessary for optimizing production costs.
The section explores the calculation of the balance number of trucks required for one loader based on cycle times and how varied numbers of trucks affect productivity and unit production costs, emphasizing the significance of economics in decision-making regarding the optimal number of trucks.
In this section, we calculate the balance number of trucks for a single loader, focusing on how cycle times affect productivity. The truck cycle time is estimated at 39.5 and the loader cycle time is 5.5, resulting in a calculated balance number of around 7.18 trucks. The section emphasizes that business decisions must consider not only productivity but also the unit production cost associated with various combinations of trucks and loaders. It highlights a detailed analysis of unit costs as the number of trucks varies from 5 to 9, pointing out that when the number of trucks exceeds the balance number, productivity is limited by the loader, not the number of trucks. Therefore, increasing the number of trucks beyond this point leads to unnecessary costs and increased unit production costs.