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JPH (Jobs Per Hour)

JPH (Jobs Per Hour) is the throughput rate of an automated production line - how many completed units roll off in one hour of operation. It is the OEM's headline production target and the metric every line is sized, balanced, and quoted to hit.

JPH and cycle time are two sides of the same coin. If the OEM requires 55 JPH, the cycle time must be at most 60 / 55 = ~65.5 seconds, including all downtime and rework margin. In practice, integrators design to a tighter cycle (e.g., 32.4 seconds) to give themselves capacity headroom and absorb the inevitable variation in real-world operation.

The JPH target is usually visible in the title block of the plant layout PDF (e.g., '32.4 Seconds / 55 J.P.H.' on the Ford V801 OHAP Cargo Door layout). It drives every quoting decision - robot count, conveyor speed, fixture cycle, buffer sizing, and especially staffing because higher JPH typically reduces the number of human operators required.

Hitting JPH consistently is what the OEM pays for. A line that nominally achieves 55 JPH but actually averages 47 because of frequent stoppages is a financial penalty under most OEM contracts. Integrators design to a higher 'cyclical' JPH (e.g., 60) to ensure the contracted 'effective' JPH (55) is hit even with realistic uptime.

Typical JPH ranges by industry

  • Automotive BIW (door/body): 30–80 JPH
  • Powertrain assembly: 60–180 JPH
  • EV battery module: 20–60 JPH
  • Pharma / medical (single-piece): 1800–7200 PPH (parts per hour)
  • Packaging (filler/capper): 100–600 BPM (bottles per minute)

Related Guides

Cycle Time Takt Time Body-in-White (BIW) AI Quoting for BIW Lines

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the relationship between cycle time and JPH?
JPH = 3600 / cycle time (in seconds). A 32.4-second cycle produces ~111 JPH at 100% uptime, or ~55 JPH at 50% effective uptime once realistic downtime is factored in. The 'design cycle' is always tighter than the contracted JPH to provide headroom.
Why do integrators design to a tighter cycle than contracted JPH requires?
To absorb downtime: tool changes, rework loops, micro-stoppages, scheduled maintenance. A line designed at exactly the contracted JPH would fall short the moment any realistic operational variation is introduced.

See how Mavlon runs JPH balance and surfaces bottleneck stations at quote time.

Explore Production-Line Quoting