The PQPR Matrix: Routing Production by Volume & Variety

The PQPR matrix (Product Quantity Process Routing) is a production planning tool that groups products by their routing similarity and production volume. It is the analytical foundation for deciding how to organize production cells, set standard times, and design the floor layout.

What it answers: Which products are similar enough to be produced in a dedicated cell? Which share enough process steps that a common standard time applies? How should the floor be organized around actual product flow?

PQPR Analysis — Example

📊 Process Routing Matrix — 5 Products

{"".join(f'{"".join(f'' for x in steps)}' for p,v,steps,cell,cc in [ ("HRNS-AL-6061","450","✓✓✓——✓","Assembly Cell A","var(--acc)"), ("HRNS-BX-4000","380","✓✓✓——✓","Assembly Cell A","var(--acc)"), ("CTRL-PNL-12A","200","——✓——✓","Assembly Cell A","var(--acc)"), ("BKT-304SS-07","320","——— G G —","Machining Cell B","var(--grn)"), ("MTR-MNT-PL-4C","180","——— G G —","Machining Cell B","var(--grn)"), ])}

Product	Vol/mo	Wiring	Crimp	Final Assy	Mach	Drill	Hipot	Cell
{p}	{v}	{"✓" if x in ("✓","G") else "—"}	{cell}

Products sharing similar process routes group into dedicated cells — reducing transportation, simplifying scheduling, and enabling takt-based standard times per cell.

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PQPR and TaktClock setup: The cell structure from your PQPR analysis maps directly to TaktClock's Area → Process → Subprocess hierarchy. Each cell becomes an Area. Each process column in the matrix becomes a Process. Subprocesses are the individual steps within each process. Standard hours are then set per product type within each subprocess — giving you the granular takt targets TaktClock needs.

❓ Knowledge Check

In the PQPR matrix above, why would it be inefficient to put HRNS-AL-6061 and BKT-304SS-07 in the same production cell?

✓ Correct! The PQPR matrix shows that HRNS-AL-6061 uses Wiring, Crimp, Final Assembly, and Hipot while BKT-304SS-07 uses Machining and Drilling. No shared process steps means no efficiency gain from combining them — and significant waste from transporting parts between unrelated operations in a shared cell.

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