A process consists of five machines producing a metal part. The parts move in sequence from Machine 1 to Machine 5. Processing at Machine 1 takes 10 seconds then the parts move to Machine 2 where processing takes 15 seconds. In Machine 3, the processing takes 12 seconds and in Machine 4, the processing takes 20 seconds. The parts finally move to Machine 5 where processing takes 18 seconds. Which machine in this process is the bottleneck machine?

Question

A process consists of five machines producing a metal part. The parts move in sequence from Machine 1 to Machine 5. Processing at Machine 1 takes 10 seconds then the parts move to Machine 2 where processing takes 15 seconds. In Machine 3, the processing takes 12 seconds and in Machine 4, the processing takes 20 seconds. The parts finally move to Machine 5 where processing takes 18 seconds.  Which machine in this process is the bottleneck machine?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To identify the bottleneck in a sequential flow, we compare the processing times at each machine, since the bottleneck is the station that takes the longest to process a part and thus limits the overall throughput.
Option: Machine 1
- Processing time at Machine 1 is 10 seconds. This is relatively short compared to other machines, so Machine 1 is unlikely to be the bottleneck because it does not impose the maximum delay on the flow.
Option: Machine 2
- Processing time at Machine 2 is 15 seconds. While longer than Machine 1, this duration is still less than the longest observed time among all machines, so this machine does not cap the process rate.
Option: Machine 3
- Processing time at Machine 3 is 12 seconds. This is not the largest time among the machines, so it would not typically set the overall pace of production when others process longer.
Option: Machine 4
- Processing time at Machine 4 is 20 seconds, which is the highest processing time among all five machines. When one station has the greatest dwell time, it tends to be the bottleneck, as it slows the downstream flow more than any other station.
Option: Machine 5
- Processing time at Machine 5 is 18 seconds. Although substantial, it is still shorter than the 20-second duration at Machine 4, so it does not impose the slowest step in the sequence.
In summary, the comparison shows a monotonic ranking of processing times: 10, 15, 12, 20, 18 seconds. The largest value is 20 seconds at Machine 4, which means this station dictates the slowest part of the overall process and thus acts as the bottleneck in the sequence.

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