Time study is a work measurement technique consisting of careful time measurement of the task with a time measuring instrument such as a stopwatch. Measurements are adjusted for any observed variance from normal effort or pace and to allow adequate time for such items as foreign elements, unavoidable or machine delays, rest to overcome fatigue, and personal needs.

Predetermined Motion Time Systems (PMTS) are widely used in the industry to establish time standards and set production standards. Unlike time studies, in which an analyst uses a stopwatch and subjectively rates the operator’s effort to calculate a standard time, a PMTS requires that the analyst break apart the process into its component actions, assign time values to each action, and sum the times to calculate the total standard time. PMC’s expertise in MODAPTS, MTM, and MOST can aid labor cost control, cost estimation, existing methods improvement, training, planning and scheduling, balancing production lines, evaluation of alternatives, and often serve as the basis for incentive plans.

MODAPTS stands for Modular Arrangement of Predetermined Time Standards. Unlike the MTM and MOST standards, MODAPTS uses a MOD as its basic unit of measurement (1 MOD = 0.129 seconds). However, like Basic-MOST, MODAPTS uses a coding technique that consists of a letter and an integer number, where the integer numbers each represent MODS that can be easily added to determine a coded task’s time.

PMC’s staff includes multiple MODAPTS-certified industrial engineers with more than 15 years of time study and work measurement experience. Furthermore, PMC offers MODAPTS training, that prepares you for the Certification exam. The training is given by a Professional Certified MODAPTS Instructor through the IMA (International MODAPTS Association) at cost-effective rates.

Generally applied to study non-repetitive tasks with long cycle times, work sampling is a statistical technique for determining the proportions of time spent by subjects (e.g. workers, machines) in various defined categories of activity. It has the following uses:

• To determine total time devoted to various activities.
• To determine machine/manpower utilization.
• To determine allowances.

For over 30 years, PMC has offered reliable and accurate work measurement services as part of its productivity improvement solutions. Starting with the automotive manufacturing industry, PMC has expanded its work measurement services to many other markets and provided this service in conjunction with its lean and six sigma services.