Guide
How do you improve wrench time?
Quick answer
Improve wrench time by removing the causes of waiting: plan and kit jobs before they reach the floor, hold a ready backlog, coordinate parts, permits, and access ahead of time, and measure the top causes of waiting so they can be eliminated. Most lost wrench time is logistics, not effort.
Wrench time is the clearest measure of labour leak, and the causes are almost always waiting, for parts, permits, access, and decisions, rather than crews working slowly. Lifting it is the equivalent of adding crew without hiring.
Step by step
- Measure where the time goesUse work sampling to categorise how the shift is actually spent, separating hands-on work from waiting, travel, and admin.
- Plan and kit jobs before the floorPrepare parts, tools, and procedures so the crew arrives to a ready job rather than assembling it on the tools.
- Coordinate access and permits aheadLine up isolations, permits, and equipment access in advance so the crew is not waiting at the asset.
- Remove the top causes of waitingTackle the biggest waiting categories first, since a few causes usually account for most lost time.
Common pitfalls
- Assuming low wrench time means lazy crews rather than poor planning.
- Measuring once and not acting on the categories of waiting.
- Planning jobs on paper but not actually kitting the parts.
Frequently asked questions
How much can wrench time realistically improve?
Plants commonly start in the 25 to 35 percent range and reach 45 to 50 percent or more with disciplined planning and scheduling. Even a 10-point gain is a large effective increase in crew capacity.
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