Rolled Throughput Yield
Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY) is the probability that a unit will pass through an entire multi-step process right the first time, without defect, rework, or scrap. It is calculated by multiplying the first-pass yield of each process step, exposing compounding quality losses. In manufacturing, warehousing, and raw material tracking, RTY reveals the hidden factory of rework and measures true defect-free flow.
On a shop floor, RTY is applied step-by-step across routing operations such as receiving, kitting, machining, assembly, inspection, pack-out, and shipping. Each station's first-pass yield reflects the share of units that pass without rework, and the overall RTY is the product of those step yields. This exposes the hidden factory of rework: a line can look acceptable at individual stations while the end-to-end chance of a defect-free unit is much lower because small losses compound across steps. In warehousing, RTY tracks receiving, put-away, slotting, picking, packing, and staging to measure how often an order flows without corrections, relabeling, mispicks, or repacks. For raw material tracking, it quantifies how often lot identification, quantity verification, sampling, and system posting occur without exception handling. The weakest step drives most end-to-end loss, so RTY identifies where process capability, training, fixture control, label accuracy, or inspection design causes the most cumulative waste.
How is RTY different from first-pass yield (FPY) at a single station?
FPY measures defect-free passage through one step; RTY multiplies the FPYs of all steps to estimate the probability of defect-free passage through the full process.
Why does RTY usually fall faster than individual step yields suggest?
Because the metric is multiplicative, even modest losses compound across stages; for example, several high-yield steps can still produce a materially lower end-to-end probability when combined.
What makes RTY especially useful in inventory and warehouse control?
It highlights how often material flows through all control points without exceptions, so it is useful for diagnosing issues such as relabeling, recounts, mispicks, repacks, and posting corrections that consume labor and delay inventory availability.