When we bend tubing for customers, we want to make sure we send
them the right number of pieces they ordered—not more and not
less. Recently we curved 70mm OD pipe for John Deere equipment.
The pipe was stacked like a pyramid with 14 units at the bottom
and one at the top. Rather than count each piece
(1+2+3+4….+13+14 = ?), we used the formula, Sum = n(n+1)/2 The
bottom row of this bundle has 14 pieces, so n=14 . Sum =
14(14+1)/2 = 105 pieces Although this example alone does not
illustrate significant time savings, the question of counting
pieces in our factories is very important. All manufacturers
should be striving to eliminate waste in their factories. Many
times the act of counting does not really add value in the shop.
Cost can be added to our products without adding value.
Unnecessary moving of materials in the shop, storing material,
expediting jobs, searching for parts, taking goods out of one
container and putting them into another, and accumulating goods
into larger quantities—all may be seen as wa