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Industrial Engineering & Manufacturing vocabulary · Work Study and Time Measurement

Standard time

Meaning in industrial engineering & manufacturing, with examples

nounCommon term

In industrial engineering & manufacturing, standard time means: The time a trained worker working at a normal pace needs to do a task, including allowances for rest, personal needs and small delays.

In Turkish: standart zaman, standart süre

How it is used

Calculated in two steps: observed time × performance rating = normal time, then normal time × (1 + allowance). Standard times are used for costing, capacity planning, line balancing and incentive pay, so they are often discussed with unions.

Example sentences

  1. The standard time for this operation is 3.2 minutes, including a 12% allowance.

  2. We need to update the standard times now that the new jig is in use.

Common collocations

  • set a standard time
  • update standard times
  • standard time per unit
  • standard minute
  • time studyA work measurement method in which an analyst times a trained worker doing a task many times, usually with a stopwatch or video, to set a standard time.
  • allowanceExtra time added to the normal time of a task to cover rest, personal needs and unavoidable delays, usually given as a percentage.
  • performance ratingIn time study, the analyst's judgment of how fast a worker is working compared with a normal pace, used to turn observed time into normal time.
  • capacityThe maximum amount a machine, line or plant can produce in a given time, for example 1,200 units per shift.

More terms: Work Study and Time Measurement

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