What are bottlenecks in production and how to eliminate them with test engineering?

In a production line, efficiency is defined by the slowest step. Identifying and eliminating the bottleneck is essential for quality growth.

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⚙️ Main causes of bottlenecks

• Functional test (FT) time longer than Takt Time
• Delays in diagnosis and retesting of DUTs
• Test jig with low reliability or high connection time
• Manual operations without automation or inefficient interface
• Problems with part supply or result release
• Lack of line balancing (Line Balancing)

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🔍 How to identify bottlenecks

• Monitoring cycle time per station
• Analysis of accumulated WIP (Work in Progress)
• Indicators of idle time in subsequent stations
• Dashboards with real-time status of the line
• Low FPY and high volume of DUTs in retest

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🔧 How AJOLLY Testing helps eliminate bottlenecks

AJOLLY Testing designs test solutions focused on eliminating bottlenecks, optimizing cycle time and line flow:

Applied solutions:

• Benches with parallel tests to reduce queue time
• Jigs with quick and reliable connection (with automatic detection)
• TestStand + LabVIEW with full automation and intelligent conditional execution
• Cycle time, WIP, and FPY dashboards integrated with MES
• Station balancing based on Takt Time and historical data analysis
• Implementation of modular tests for different product models

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✅ Benefits of eliminating bottlenecks

Problem Solved	Direct Result
Slow or unstable station	Reduction of overall line cycle time
Accumulation of DUTs	Continuous, predictable, and traceable flow
Time-consuming test	Parallel tests and automation of repetitive steps
Manual diagnosis	Data-driven analysis with assisted interface
Inefficient jig	Less maintenance, greater reliability, and longevity

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A bottleneck is not just a slowdown — it is a symptom of where to invest in continuous improvement with technology, data, and test intelligence.