"The importance of level-loading a production area cannot be overstated. There are many benefits to reducing batch sizes and creating a routine cadence in a production schedule. As batch sizes go down and change-over frequency goes up, the inefficiencies involved with change-overs come to light. This drives a reduction in changeover time, which can subsequently lead to further decrease batch sizes. Level-loading across shifts also has the ancillary benefit of ensuring proper training for all shifts on all products. Heijunka should be pursued with the ideal vision of single-piece-flow in all processes, even though this visoon can often not be fully realized due to practical constraints."