Why Would a Company Invest in Time Study Analysis?

serentusun
14 hours ago
4 min read

What Is a Time Study and How Is It Done?

Time study is one of the foundational tools for manufacturing and industrial engineering. At its core, it’s about answering one simple question: how long does a task really take? But getting to that answer can be complex. Some companies still use stopwatches and Excel sheets, manually timing a few cycles per task. Others take video footage and analyze it manually. A part of manufacturers use Predetermined motion time system (PMTS) like MTM. And some follow a hybrid approach.

Regardless of method, the goal is the same: to measure and determine the actual duration of a task to understand, optimize, and standardize it.

Why Is Knowing Task Duration So Important?

Because it's the cornerstone of everything else in production.

Cycle time data directly influences planning, capacity, workforce allocation, productivity, quote preparation, and ultimately, profitability. Without reliable timing data, decisions are based on assumptions. Uncertainty creeps into every level of the operation, and the root causes of inefficiencies stay hidden.

As the famous saying goes:

If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. - Peter F. Drucker

Why Don’t Companies Do Time Studies Effectively?

Traditional time studies are slow, manual, and resource-intensive.

To truly understand how long a task takes in the real world - not on paper - you need to observe dozens, sometimes hundreds of cycles. That means hours of filming and even more hours of watching, timing, and documenting. For engineers juggling daily firefighting tasks, this becomes a repetitive chore. It’s vital, but not scalable.

What Happens When You Do It Right?

When time studies are done at scale, analyzing hundreds of cycles per task, they do more than give you an average time.

They reveal:

Where there is hidden waste: unnecessary motion, delays, or idle time
Real productivity benchmarks that help drive meaningful improvements
Where operators struggle to maintain the standard work & cycle time
Ergonomic issues that slow down operators or increase injury risk

How Does This Translate to Financial Gains?

In manufacturing, every second counts.

A single minute of avoidable downtime or process delay, repeated over thousands of cycles, can cost thousands/millions of dollars per year.

When a company makes even small improvements in how work is done, like reducing wasted time or speeding up a process slightly, it can lead to significant financial gains (like producing more products, using less labor, or reducing downtime). Even a 2 % cycle time improvement can mean 2 % increase in production rate and sales.

The tools used to identify and make these improvements (such as time study software or AI-based analysis platforms) often cost much less than the value they help create.

Example:

If a digital time study tool costs $25,000 per year, but helps the factory produce $ 250,000 worth of products due to process improvements, the company earns 10 times more than what it spent, making the investment highly worthwhile.

Save Engineering Time, Too

Manual time studies also drain valuable engineering time. With Khenda’s platform, up to 95% of the time spent on manual data gathering can be reclaimed. That means engineers spend less time on manual analysis and more time solving actual problems, designing better processes, and contributing to the bottom line.

Standardizing Work & Managing Change

Digital tools also enable faster and more reliable standard work creation. Engineers can:

Identify inconsistencies across shifts or operators
Train teams with updated, visual instructions
Implement improvements faster when launching new products or line changes

The result? A more flexible, scalable production environment, and a direct path to higher profit margins.

Scalability: From One Line to Every Factory

One of the biggest limitations of manual time study is scalability. Even if one engineer does a great analysis on one station, repeating that across other lines or plants is nearly impossible.

With Khenda’s AI-based Continuous Improvement(CI) Platform - enabling companies to automate their time studies via AI video analysis - every analysis becomes a reusable asset. The methodology is embedded in the software. Similar stations across the company can be analyzed the same way, without starting from scratch.

This unlocks enterprise-wide process improvement at a pace manual methods can never match.

Moreover, for companies operating multiple factories across different countries or regions, maintaining visibility and balance in productivity across sites is a major challenge. Digitalization enables centralized oversight, allowing leadership to measure, compare, and optimize performance across all locations, delivering true enterprise-level management and improvement capabilities.

No Heavy Hardware Required

Lastly, traditional digital systems often come with a catch: expensive infrastructure.

In contrast, Khenda’s CI platform works with video from any device: Smartphones, GoPros, tablets. That means no need to install dedicated cameras or modify your machines. Everything is processed in the cloud, making it affordable, scalable, and ready to use from day 1.

Real Results and Insights from Leading Manufacturers

In real deployments, Khenda’s customers have reported:

ISAIC: %15 Line Efficiency Improvement, %80 Time Savings on Manual Analysis

B-Plas Plastic Omnium: Up to 36% improvement per station.

Nobel Automotive: %7 Increased Overall Production Efficiency, 1:13 ROI , 8 % Labor Cost Reduction

Bottom line

Time study isn’t just about measuring work. It’s about unlocking the full potential of your production lines. When powered by AI and video analytics, it becomes one of the highest-ROI investments a manufacturing company can make.

14-day free trial of Khenda's Continuous Improvement Platform: Register or Request a Demo Meeting

Learn more about real-time production monitoring: Vision MES

FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)

Is a time study only done with a stopwatch?

While stopwatches are a traditional method, time studies can also be done using video analysis, MTM systems, or AI-powered tools like Khenda's Continuous Improvement Platform.

Why are traditional time studies ineffective?

They’re slow, manual, and limited. Engineers can only measure a few cycles, making the data unreliable and hard to scale across factories.

How does Khenda improve the time study process?

Khenda uses AI to automatically analyze videos, extract cycle times, and highlight inefficiencies, saving up to 95% of engineers' time.

What Is the ROI of Khenda's Continuous Improvement Platform?

Customers have seen an ROI of 1:10 or higher. That means for every $1 spent, they get $10+ in value through increased efficiency, reduced labor costs, and higher production capacity.

Does Khenda require heavy hardware or a complex setup?

No. You can use any smartphone or camera, temporarily fixed in a place. Videos are uploaded to the cloud and analyzed automatically, no special equipment or installation required