10 minutes
10 minutes
• Batch & Queue Processing (big batches)
Lead
 Time:
30+ minutes for total order
21+ minutes for first piece
10 minutes
Process
A
Process
B
Process
C
12 min. for total order
3 min. for first part
B
Process
A
C
• Continuous Flow Processing (small batches)
Process
Process
Impact of Batch Size Reduction
Say:  In this example the lead time for first piece of with the batch process is 21 minutes. That 21 minutes is reduced to just 3 minutes if the batch size is reduced from 10 to 1.   You will also notice that the large batch size results in lots of WIP.  Look at the piles of WIP between operations A, B, and C in the 10 piece batch example.  Does it remind you of our company Buzz  Electronics?
Ask:   Large batch size also impact quality. How?
   It allows defects to pile up between operations, without being discovered by the next process (internal customer).  By contrast in a small batch operations, problems are likely to be discovered much more quickly.