Definition of lead time

lead time

see cycle time

continuous improvement

an ongoing process of enhancing employee task performance, level of product quality, and level of company service through eliminating nonvalue-added activities to reduce lead time, making products
(performing services) with zero defects, reducing
product costs on an ongoing basis, and simplifying products
and processes

manufacturing cycle efficiency (MCE)

a ratio resulting from dividing the actual production time by total lead time;
reflects the proportion of lead time that is value-added

order point

the level of inventory that triggers the placement
of an order for additional units; it is determined based
on usage, lead time, and safety stock

push system

the traditional production system in which
work centers may produce inventory that is not currently
needed because of lead time or economic production/
order requirements; it requires that excess inventory be
stored until needed

safety stock

a buffer level of inventory kept on hand by a company in the event of fluctuating usage or unusual delays in lead time

Advance material request

Very early orders for materials before the completion
of a product design, given the long lead times required to supply some items.

Break-even time

Related: Premium payback period.

Cash flow time-line

Line depicting the operating activities and cash flows for a firm over a particular period.

Just-in-time inventory systems

Systems that schedule materials/inventory to arrive exactly as they are
needed in the production process.

Lead

Payment of a financial obligation earlier than is expected or required.

Lead manager

The commercial or investment bank with the primary responsibility for organizing syndicated
bank credit or bond issue. The lead manager recruits additional lending or underwriting banks, negotiates
terms of the issue with the issuer, and assesses market conditions.

Leading economic indicators

Economic series that tend to rise or fall in advance of the rest of the economy.

Market timer

A money manager who assumes he or she can forecast when the stock market will go up and down.

Real time

A real time stock or bond quote is one that states a security's most recent offer to sell or bid (buy).
A delayed quote shows the same bid and ask prices 15 minutes and sometimes 20 minutes after a trade takes place.

Time decay

Related: theta.

Time deposit

Interest-bearing deposit at a savings institution that has a specific maturity.
Related: certificate of deposit.

Time draft

Demand for payment at a stated future date.

Time premium

Also called time value, the amount by which the option price exceeds its intrinsic value. The
value of an option beyond its current exercise value representing the optionholder's control until expiration,
the risk of the underlying asset, and the riskless return.

Time until expiration

The time remaining until a financial contract expires. Also called time to maturity.

Time to maturity

The time remaining until a financial contract expires. Also called time until expiration.

Time value of an option

The portion of an option's premium that is based on the amount of time remaining
until the expiration date of the option contract, and that the underlying components that determine the value of
the option may change during that time. time value is generally equal to the difference between the premium
and the intrinsic value. Related: in-the-money.

Time value of money

The idea that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future, because the dollar
received today can earn interest up until the time the future dollar is received.

Time-weighted rate of return

Related: Geometric mean return.

Times-interest-earned ratio

Earnings before interest and tax, divided by interest payments.

Turnaround time

time available or needed to effect a turnaround.

times interest earned

A ratio that tests the ability of a business to make
interest payments on its debt, which is calculated by dividing annual
earnings before interest and income tax by the interest expense for the
year. There is no particular rule for this ratio, such as 3 or 4 times, but
obviously the ratio should be higher than 1.

Times Interest Earned Ratio

A measure of how well a company is able to meet its interest
payments based on the cash generated by its operations. It is
calculated by dividing the earnings before interest and taxes by the
total interest charges incurred by the firm.

cost leadership strategy

a plan to achieve the position in a
competitive environment of being the low cost producer of
a product or provider of a service; it provides one method
of avoiding competition

cycle time

the time between the placement of an order to
the time the goods arrive for usage or are produced by
the company; it is equal to value-added time plus nonvalue-
added time

employee time sheet

a source document that indicates, for each employee, what jobs were worked on during the day and for what amount of time

idle time

the amount of time spent in storing inventory or
waiting at a production operation for processing

inspection time

the time taken to perform quality control activities

just-in-time (JIT)

a philosophy about when to do something;
the when is “as needed” and the something is a production,
purchasing, or delivery activity

just-in-time manufacturing system

a production system that attempts to acquire components and produce inventory only as needed, to minimize product defects, and to
reduce lead/setup times for acquisition and production

just-in-time training

a system that maps the skill sets employees
need and delivers the training they need just as they need it

processing time

the actual time consumed performing the
functions necessary to manufacture a product

service time

the actual time consumed performing the functions
necessary to provide a service

timeline

representation of the amounts and timing of all
cash inflows and outflows; it is used in analyzing cash flow
from a capital project

transfer time

the time consumed by moving products or
components from one place to another

Just-in-time manufacturing

The term for several manufacturing innovations that
result in a “pull” method of production, in which each manufacturing workstation
creates just enough product for the immediate needs of the next workstation in the
production process.

Leading Indicator

A variable that reaches a turning point (a peak or a trough) before the economy reaches a turning point.

Time Deposit

See term deposit.

Overtime

A pay premium of 50 percent of the regular rate of pay that is earned
by employees on all hours worked beyond 40 hours in a standard work week

Timecard

A document or electronic record on which an employee records his or
her hours worked during a payroll period.

Time Clock

A device used to stamp an employee’s incoming or outgoing time
on either a paper document or an electronic record.

Just-in-time (JIT)

A cluster of manufacturing, design, and delivery practices designed to
continually reduce all types of waste, thereby improving production efficiency.

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