Optimization of production workflows through MTM analyses to increase efficiency
Pictured: MTM Analyses for improving production efficiency

MTM analyses in Production

Using MTM analysis, we break down complex workflows into objective, standardized time modules to streamline your production processes and precisely tap into hidden potential.

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MTM analyses with ebp-consulting

The MTM (Methods Time Measurement) basic method is a type of time study that uses predefined task elements. Complex work processes are broken down into standardized work steps and evaluated. The individual work steps and their time requirements have been determined in an industry-neutral, employee-independent, and objective manner. The time requirements for the individual work processes do not need to be recorded at an actual workstation but are already available in data tables during the planning phase. This allows workstations or even entire assembly systems to be evaluated early on and a determination made regarding the achievement of target costs. In principle, all work processes can be analyzed and planned, regardless of whether they involve mass production, custom manufacturing, or office activities.

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Logistics consulting in Stuttgart, Munich and Dortmund

Our services for MTM analyses in Production

Conducting MTM time studies

We conduct systematic MTM time studies in which complex manual work processes are methodically broken down into their basic movements and evaluated. This is crucial for replacing subjective estimates with an objective, scientifically sound database that is independent of employees’ individual daily performance. The added value lies in incorruptible transparency, which serves as a reliable foundation for any further process optimization and capacity planning.

Analyses of individual workstations or entire assembly lines

Our experts examine both the micro-motion sequences at specific stations and the complex interactions within interlinked assembly systems. Without this detailed analysis, hidden bottlenecks and local inefficiencies often go unnoticed and impair the entire production flow. Through these levels of analysis, we maximize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and ensure that local optimizations also have a positive impact on the entire system.

Objective and transparent identification of time blocks

We break down manual tasks into standardized time units (TMU values) based on internationally recognized standards that can be verified at any time. This standardization is essential for companies to create a “single source of truth” for costing and work planning across different departments. For production optimization, this means enormous planning reliability, as target manufacturing costs can be precisely determined as early as the concept phase.

Maximum leveling to ensure high efficiency

During leveling, we harmonize the workload across all stations to achieve even capacity utilization and perfect production timing. An uneven distribution inevitably leads to costly downtime at one end of the line and stress and quality risks at the other. The result is a smooth, waste-free production process with minimal lead times and optimal utilization of personnel resources.

Design of work processes

We redesign manual processes in assembly, order picking, and shipping from the ground up by directly integrating lean principles with the MTM methodology. This prevents inefficient workflows or search times from arising in the first place and becoming entrenched as the “standard” in production. The added value lies in highly efficient target processes that are designed from day one for maximum value creation and the lowest possible error rates.

Internal benchmarking

By applying uniform MTM standards, we enable direct performance comparisons between different locations, production lines, or shifts within your company. It is only through this comparability that performance gaps are revealed and the true best-practice solutions—which often lie hidden—are identified. For your organization, this means accelerated knowledge transfer and the ability to roll out highly efficient standards globally.

Design of an optimized human-machine interface

We analyze and optimize the interaction between workers and technical systems to ensure that automation and tools optimally support human movement patterns. Poor interface design leads to unnecessary manual steps, cognitive overload, and time losses at the value-adding station. Through MTM-based optimization, we increase process speed while simultaneously reducing the likelihood of errors when operating complex systems.

Development of specifications for equipment

Based on MTM motion studies, we define precise requirements for the procurement of shelving systems, fixtures, and handling equipment in a technical specification. This is important to avoid misguided investments in equipment that looks good in theory but slows down the process in real-world ergonomic applications. You are thus guaranteed that every hardware component you invest in is precisely tailored to your employees’ most efficient movement patterns.

 

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Advantages and benefits of using MTM Time Studies

Even in the early stages of a project, various planning scenarios—such as those for assembly workstations—can be evaluated and optimized, as standardized time modules from a database are used. The work environment does not yet need to be physically set up in the production hall at this stage.

Compliance with target manufacturing costs is ensured in the early planning phase. Wasteful elements in manual workflows are identified (Muda). New opportunities for optimization are identified to further reduce manufacturing costs, thereby increasing efficiency.

Identification of non-ergonomic, tiring work processes as part of a “workload analysis.” This also results in improved acceptance of the workstation among employees.

Optimization of production workflows through MTM analyses to increase efficiency
Pictured: MTM Analyses for improving production efficiency

Other key areas of focus in production planning consulting:

  • Production strategies

  • Production Planning & Scheduling

  • Production logistics planning

  • Lean Produc­tion

  • Assembly planning

  • Warehouse planning

  • Order picking planning

    In order picking planning, processes for assembling materials based on customer or production requirements are designed with the clear goal of minimizing travel times and maximizing picking rates. This requires an analysis of order structures, an ergonomic layout of the picking zones (shelf-back approach), and the selection of the appropriate picking technology. The MTM method serves as the key to determining objective standard times per pick, as it translates complex reaching, walking, and searching operations into standardized basic movements, thereby ensuring the cost-effectiveness of the picking strategy.

Example of an MTM analysis: A structured approach

To illustrate the methodological approach, let’s consider the example of manually assembling a complex subassembly at a designated workstation. Using this specific use case, the following step-by-step process demonstrates how our experts precisely structure the assembly process from initial assessment to final optimization:

  1. Process analysis: In process analysis, a complex manual work process is systematically broken down into its basic movements—such as grasping, carrying, joining, or releasing—in order to make the process fully transparent at the micro-movement level.
  2. Time­assignment: Each isolated basic movement is then assigned an exact time value (in Time Measurement Units, or TMU) based on objective, standardized table values from the MTM database, which precisely accounts for specific influencing factors such as distance, weight, or required accuracy.
  3. Plausibility check: The modeled movement sequences and associated times undergo a rigorous plausibility check by our experts to ensure that the planned sequences are logically structured, physically feasible, and absolutely realistic in practice.
  4. Calculate total time: By summing all the rated building blocks, the objective total time for a complete work cycle is determined, which serves as an unbiased, employee-independent basis for your staffing, layout, and capacity planning.
  5. Analysis and Assessment: Based on the collected data, a thorough evaluation is conducted to specifically identify waste (muda) and physical strain peaks, with the aim of making the workplace more ergonomic and maximizing cost-effectiveness through targeted process adjustments.
  6. Documentation and Implementation: Finally, the optimized target processes and improvement measures are clearly documented and made available as standardized work instructions for direct, sustainable implementation right on the shop floor.

As your experienced consulting partner, ebp-consulting doesn’t stop at theoretical analyses, but actively supports you with practical guidance in implementing the derived measures directly on the shop floor. Together, we transform the collected time data into sustainably efficient, ergonomic work processes that measurably reduce your production costs and strengthen your competitiveness.

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Fragen und Antworten zur MTM-Analyse

What does the term MTM stand for in MTM analysis?

In the context of MTM analysis, MTM stands for “Methods-Time Measurement.” It is a standardized work study method in which complex manual processes are broken down into their basic movements and evaluated using predetermined, objective time values.

What is the difference between REFA and MTM?

While REFA is primarily based on determining standard times through actual time measurements using a stopwatch at existing workstations, MTM uses predetermined, objective time values for basic movements drawn from a standardized database. As a result, the MTM methodology is ideally suited for the early planning phase to efficiently, ergonomically, and cost-effectively schedule high-cycle series production or new assembly lines even before their physical creation. REFA, on the other hand, demonstrates its strengths in optimizing ongoing, high-variety manufacturing processes or manual tasks where individual influencing factors, setup operations, and specific distribution times must be measured directly on the shop floor.

What workflows can be analyzed using MTM?

The MTM method can be applied with a high degree of flexibility to virtually all manual processes, ranging from high-cycle assembly work in automotive mass production to complex, highly varied individual assembly in custom machine manufacturing. But even beyond the traditional workbench, supporting processes—such as picking and packing operations in production logistics or recurring routine administrative tasks in the office—can be recorded and evaluated in detail. Regardless of the specific application, breaking tasks down into standardized micro-movements always enables an objective evaluation and ergonomic optimization of workflows, even if the corresponding workstations do not yet physically exist in an early planning phase.

What are the key components of the MTM analysis?

The first key aspect of MTM analysis is the detailed motion analysis, in which complex, manual work processes are systematically broken down into standardized basic movements—such as grasping or joining—to achieve absolute transparency at the micro-motion level. In the subsequent step of time allocation and determination, these isolated movements are assigned an objective, employee-independent time value based on standardized databases, which is then summed up after a critical plausibility check to calculate the exact total time of the work cycle. Building on this, a thorough analysis and assessment is conducted, in which our experts use the collected data to specifically uncover waste (Muda), identify unergonomic stress peaks, and optimize the process in terms of cost-effectiveness and ergonomics. The process concludes with structured documentation, in which the derived improvement measures are formalized as standardized work instructions to sustainably embed the optimized target processes directly on the shop floor.

Does the workplace have to physically exist in order to conduct an MTM analysis?

No, the workstation does not need to be physically set up in the hall at this stage. The time requirements for each work process do not need to be recorded at an actual workstation; instead, they are already available in data tables during the planning phase.

How does MTM affect the working conditions of the workforce?

The use of MTM time studies helps identify non-ergonomic, physically taxing work processes as part of a “workload analysis.” This also leads to greater employee satisfaction with the workplace.

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