Barber Capacity and Flow Rate Calculation

Understanding Capacity, Flow Rate, Utilization, and Cycle Time in Barber Service

A barber takes 10 minutes to serve one customer. Let's calculate the capacity of the barber and analyze the flow rate, utilization, and cycle time based on a demand of 2 customers per hour.

Capacity of the Barber

The capacity of the barber can be calculated by dividing the total time available in an hour by the time taken to serve one customer. In this case, the capacity is expressed as 6 customers per hour (60 minutes / 10 minutes per customer).

Flow Rate

Flow rate is the rate at which customers can be served within a specific period. In this scenario, the flow rate is 2 customers per hour based on the demand for the barber's service.

Utilization

Utilization is the ratio of the actual flow rate to the maximum capacity. The utilization of the barber's capacity is 33% (2 customers per hour / 6 customers per hour).

Cycle Time

The cycle time is the average time it takes to serve one customer. With a demand of 2 customers per hour, the cycle time is 19.8 minutes per customer (utilization of 33% / 60 minutes per hour).

What is Flow rate?

Flow rate is the flow that is available for a specified period of time, the flow for a production or customer is determined as per the demand of the service or product. In the scenario, the flow rate is 2 customers per hour. However, the capacity of the barber is 6 customers per hour as (60 minutes / 10 minutes per customer). Utilization is 33% as (flow / Capacity) (2 / 6). This represents that only 33% of the capacity of the barber is utilized. The cycle time is 19.80 minutes per customer if the demand is 2 per hour.