CPIM Practice Exam 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

After adding equipment and workers to a constraint work center, it is likely that the next slowest work center may become the constraint. This is because, when capacity is increased at the existing bottleneck, it can alleviate pressure at that specific point in the production process. However, if other work centers are not similarly optimized, they may struggle to keep up with the enhanced output of the now-strengthened work center. This shift can lead to a situation where the bottleneck moves to the next slowest work center in the process, as it may now be the limiting factor for the overall production workflow.

The concept reflects the dynamics of constraints within a production system. While improving one area can bring immediate benefits, it often highlights inefficiencies elsewhere in the system. Addressing these newly identified constraints is essential to achieving a balanced and effective production flow.