INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS BY PRODUCTION LEVELLING.

The main purpose of this article is to present an author's methodology of production levelling and to show the impact of levelling on the time during which the product passes through the process and on staff performance. The article presents the analysis of literature concerning the method of improving the production process, especially taking production levelling into consideration. The authors focussed on the definition and methodologies of production levelling. A diagram of interrelations showing determinants and efficiency measures of production levelling as well as an author's production levelling methodology have been presented. An example of the implementation of production levelling in one of the departments of a company manufacturing surgical instruments has also been shown. Analysis of the current state, stages of implementation and end effects have been presented. Attention was focussed on the time during which the product passes through the process and on staff performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]