Buyer's guide
Short answer: Choose by how your cycle times are measured. If an industrial engineer builds standards from predetermined times or stopwatch studies, look at AVIX, Proplanner or TiCon: Proplanner handles the largest mixed-model lines and constraint sets, and TiCon is the MTM Association's own software. If the times should come from video automatically, look at Retrocausal or LeanSuite. If your process plans already live in Siemens Teamcenter, Teamcenter Easy Plan balances inside them. LeanSuite turns one phone video of the line into a Yamazumi chart against takt with what-if scenarios, inside a lean platform; its Vision AI is priced separately.
Who wrote this: LeanSuite publishes this guide, and LeanSuite is one of the six products on it. It is listed first because it is our product; the others follow in alphabetical order, which is not a ranking. Every other product is described only from its own public pages, and each entry says where that product fits better than ours.
Last reviewed October 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
LeanSuite's whole platform next to each product, capability by capability. A question mark means the vendor does not publish it or we could not verify it, not that the product lacks it; the detailed table below has the specifics.
Swipe sideways to see every product.
| Capability | LeanSuite | AVIX | Proplanner | Retrocausal | Teamcenter Easy Plan | TiCon (MTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI | ||||||
| AI root cause analysis | Yes:RCA Agent | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI time and motion study from video | Partial:Vision AI, priced separately | Not published: Manual video analysis | Not published: Manual timing | Yes: Kaizen Copilot | Not published: Time analysis in the plan | Partial: From video with MTM experts |
| Video to SOP | Yes:SOP from one video | Not published | Not published | Partial: Work instructions from video | Not published | Not published |
| AI one-point lessons (OPLs) | Yes:OPL from before-and-after photos | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI drafts checklists and forms | Yes:Lean Creator AI drafts | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI sorts and triages ideas | Yes:Lean AI | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Continuous improvement | ||||||
| Any method: DMAIC, PDCA, A3, 8D or your own | Yes: Incl. your own | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Engineering and CapEx projects with stage-gates | Yes:Four stage-gates | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Non-manufacturing teams and projects | Yes: Any project type | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Ideas and suggestions with configurable approvals | Yes:Approvals per idea type | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Savings verified before they count | Yes:Finance signs off | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Share what worked across sites (yokoten) | Yes:Best Practice Management | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Frontline operations | ||||||
| Daily issue management with tier escalation | Yes:F-Tags, escalation | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Tiered meetings and huddle boards | Yes:Lean Studio | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Audits and checklists (5S, LPA, CILR), scheduled | Yes:Daily Standard Work scheduling | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Breakdown reporting and maintenance work orders | Yes:EWO; works alongside a CMMS | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Skills and training | ||||||
| Live skills matrix | Yes:Competency Management | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Job cover matrix: who can cover each job | Yes:Job Cover Matrix | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Training (LMS): courses, quizzes, learning plans | Yes:Trainings (LMS) | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| SOP and OPL sign-off per person | Yes:Signed on a tablet | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Data and platform | ||||||
| KPI dashboards | Yes:KPI Dashboards | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| SSO and a security certification | Yes:SOC 2 Type 1; Entra ID, Okta | Not published | Not published | Partial: ISO 27001; Azure AD, Okta | Not published | Not published |
| Operator sign-in with an employee ID, no email | Yes:Employee ID | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan or published prices | Yes:Free plan for ideas | Not published | Not published | Partial: AWS Marketplace listing | Not published: 30-day free trial; no prices | Not published: Contact MTM; no figures |
| Mobile app (iOS and Android) | Yes:iOS and Android | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Video-based time, motion and ergonomic studies | Partial:Priced separately | Yes: Analyst-driven video studies | Partial: Live or video timing, by hand | Yes: Time, balancing, ergonomics | Not published | Partial: Video needs MTM experts |
| Digital work instructions | Yes | Yes: Shop Floor Viewer in a browser | Not published | Not published | Yes: 2D, 3D and AR instructions | Not published |
Based on each vendor's public website, reviewed October 2026; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
Line balancing spreads the work elements of a line across stations and operators so that no station runs over takt time and idle time is as low as it can be. The tools differ most in five places.
Predetermined times (MTM, MOST, MODAPTS), a stopwatch, video timed by an analyst, or video timed by AI. This decides who can run a study and how long it takes.
A stacked bar per station or operator with the takt line drawn across it is the chart supervisors read. Check that takt updates when demand or the shift pattern changes.
Moving an element and seeing the balance redraw, then saving the scenario, lets you test a rebalance without stopping the line. Some tools also balance automatically.
Lines that build several models need the load weighted by the demand mix, and real rules: precedence, tooling, work zones, ergonomics or skills that keep an element at a station.
A balance only helps if it reaches the floor: updated work instructions, standard work, or an improvement project for the bottleneck station.
Windows desktop, cloud, or inside a PLM such as Teamcenter; published price, trial or quote.
Lean manufacturing software whose Vision AI balances a line from video. Film the stations on a phone, tablet or fixed camera, upload the video and tag the line; the AI times each operator's elements and draws a Yamazumi chart for every station, split into value-added, semi-value-added and non-value-added time, with a takt line that recalculates when demand or the shift pattern changes. Drag an element to another operator or station and the balance redraws; each scenario is saved with the minutes and cost it saves. It handles mixed-model lines by the real demand mix, lets you lock elements to a station for safety, tooling or skill, and shows each operator's loading against takt. Findings become Kaizens in one click, and the same footage can feed time and motion, ergonomic and SMED studies. Vision AI is priced separately from the facility plan and is not part of the pilot.
Best for: Plants that want line balancing from a phone video, run by supervisors and CI leads as well as engineers, next to their daily lean and improvement work.
A Windows industrial engineering suite from Solme in Sweden. Times come from predetermined motion time systems such as MTM-UAS and MTM-SAM, stopwatch studies, or video that an analyst times in the software. AVIX Resource Balance balances work between workstations and operators, including multi-operator and man-machine work, with Yamazumi charts and a takt time and efficiency rate you set. It handles many product variants at once, building the work sequence with AND, OR and NOT logic, and Ergo Balance balances on time and REBA ergonomic load together. A change in a time study updates the line balances and work instructions linked to it, and an Execution Optimizer add-on simulates production and product mix. Pricing is not published: AVIX starts with a meeting and a pilot project of typically two to three days.
Best for: Industrial engineers who set standards with predetermined times or stopwatch studies and want balances and instructions that update together.
Assembly process planning software from Advantive that links time studies, line balancing, work instructions, engineering change and ERP routings. Times come from live or video-based observation timed by hand, or from MTM, MODAPTS and MOST. Its line balancing works across thousands of tasks and hundreds of models and options, with hard and soft constraints for precedence, resources, work zones, grouping, ergonomics, inspection and product orientation, and a Yamazumi of operator cycle times against takt; scenarios can be compared, and the landing page lists automatic line balancing. Work instructions are generated for every model and option, and routing updates go to ERP. Its product page now adds an AI assistant that answers questions from live Proplanner data. Pricing is not published.
Best for: High-mix assembly with hundreds of models and options that needs hard constraints and balances tied to engineering change and ERP routings.
AI software for manual assembly whose Kaizen Copilot runs time studies from a smartphone held in a fixed position or a webcam, with no manual measurement. Its line balancing works out the task distribution automatically, optimizes for takt time, available operators or production volume, builds precedence graphs that show bottlenecks, and produces Yamazumi and standard work combination charts with new station assignments; tasks can also be moved by drag and drop, and a demand planner models staffing up to 12 months ahead. AI converts process steps into MODAPTS, MTM or MOST codes, and work instructions come from the same video. It runs in the cloud on AWS. Its AWS Marketplace listing, sold by Retrocausal, shows $100,000 per workstation license for 12 months, with private offers available.
Best for: Teams that want AI time studies and automatic balancing from phone video, with predetermined time codes generated for them.
Web-based manufacturing planning from Siemens, built on Teamcenter, covering the manufacturing bill of materials, process plans, resources, line balancing and work instructions. Planners balance operations across lines and stations using takt time, cycle time and workload, compare station workloads against a target cycle or takt time and find bottlenecks; the bill of process holds precedence relationships, and variants and mixed-model assembly are managed in the same plan. Dynamic validation happens downstream in Process Simulate and Plant Simulation. Work instructions in 2D, 3D or AR are published to Electronic Work Instructions, and a Manufacturing Planning Agent takes conversational prompts. It comes as desktop, SaaS or cloud and requires Teamcenter. Pricing is not published; a 30-day free trial is offered.
Best for: Manufacturers whose BOM, process plans and engineering changes already live in Teamcenter.
Software from the MTM Association, the body behind the MTM predetermined time standards. TiCon builds MTM analyses (MTM-1, MTM-UAS, MTM-MEK and others) alongside stopped times, and TiCon Takt synchronizes assembly lines: work moves between workers and stations by drag and drop while workloads and line efficiency update. Automatic balancing comes from the partner solution TAKTIQ used with TiCon. EAWS ergonomics can be combined with TiCon Takt, and TiCon Work Instruction updates when the MTM analyses change. MTM's AI-supported time determination builds times from process descriptions, or from videos, which currently needs MTM experts. It runs on Windows, as SaaS or in a browser, and inside SAP and Siemens Teamcenter. Pricing is not published.
Best for: Companies that set their standards with MTM and need auditable predetermined times, including inside SAP or Teamcenter.
From each vendor's public pages, read October 9, 2026. "Not published" means we could not find it publicly, not that the product lacks it.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Capability | LeanSuite | AVIX | Proplanner | Retrocausal | Teamcenter Easy Plan | TiCon (MTM) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting the times | ||||||
| Main focus | AI line balancing from video, inside a lean platform | Desktop IE suite: time studies, balancing, instructions | Assembly process planning tied to ECOs and ERP | AI time studies and balancing from phone video | Manufacturing planning on Teamcenter | MTM analyses and line synchronization |
| How cycle times get in | AI times each element from one video | MTM-UAS, MTM-SAM, stopwatch, or video timed by an analyst | Observed live or from video by hand; MTM, MODAPTS, MOST | AI from a fixed phone or webcam; AI MTM, MODAPTS, MOST codes | Time analysis in the plan; MTM's TiCon integrates | MTM building blocks, stopped times; AI from video with MTM experts |
| Takt time | Takt line on every chart; recalculates with demand | Takt time and efficiency rate set per balance | No operator over takt; drift chart flags overruns | Optimizes for takt, operators or volume | Target cycle or takt; takt roll-down (2606) | Line efficiency updates as work moves |
| Balancing | ||||||
| Yamazumi and operator loading | Yamazumi per station by value-added class; operator loading | Yamazumi charts; multi-operator and man-machine | Yamazumi of operator cycle times by product | Yamazumi and SWCT charts | Station workloads compared; bottlenecks flagged | Workloads per worker and station |
| What-if and automatic balancing | Drag elements, save scenarios with minutes and cost saved | Simulate new balances and volumes; simulation add-on | Scenario comparison; automatic balancing | Automatic task distribution; drag and drop | Validation downstream in Process Simulate | Drag and drop; automatic through partner TAKTIQ |
| Mixed-model lines | Weighted by the real demand mix | Many variants; AND, OR, NOT sequence logic | Hundreds of models and options | Products sharing a line, by month | Variants and mixed-model assembly | Not published |
| Constraints | Lock elements for safety, tooling or skill | Work sequence logic; REBA ergonomic balancing | Precedence, zones, resources, ergonomics and more | Precedence graphs | Precedence in the bill of process | EAWS ergonomics alongside |
| After the balance | Findings become Kaizens in one click | Work instructions update with the times | Instructions per model; ERP routing updates | Work instructions from the same video | 2D, 3D, AR work instructions | Work instructions update with MTM analyses |
| Buying | ||||||
| How it runs | Cloud; web, iOS and Android | Windows desktop, alone or with a server | Not published | Cloud on AWS, in a browser | Desktop, SaaS or cloud; needs Teamcenter | Windows, SaaS, browser, SAP, Teamcenter |
| Pricing | Vision AI quoted separately from the facility plan | Not published; meeting, then a 2 to 3 day pilot | Not published | AWS listing: $100,000 per workstation a year | Not published; 30-day free trial | Not published |
This part is about our own product, so read it as LeanSuite's pitch; the entries above describe every other tool from its own pages. Each point links to the LeanSuite page that shows it.
Time and motion, digital work instructions, line balancing with a Yamazumi chart, value stream mapping, ergonomics (REBA and RULA) and SMED all run on the same footage, with no re-shoots. The same video can also draft an SOP or a maintenance procedure.
AI video analysisRecord the process on a phone, tablet or fixed camera. Standard 1080p smartphone footage works, with no camera crew or special hardware, single uploads can run up to 4 hours, and longer studies are stitched together from segments.
Time and motion studyEvery figure links back to the video frame it came from. An engineer corrects anything the AI got wrong and certifies the study, and a certified study becomes the reference for later studies of the same process.
How a video time study worksA finding from a study becomes a Kaizen in one click, in the same platform that runs daily issues, audits, tiered meetings, skills and improvement projects.
From video to KaizenTry LeanSuite in your browser with sample data, or start with the free calculator and template if one line a year is all you balance.
“Great user-friendly software!”
Elena M.Global Head of Marelli Manufacturing System Automotive, Marelli“The Project Tracking System generates significant savings while ensuring seamless delivery... The Global Kaizen Power Pitch completely transformed our ability to share best practices.”
Ramsey AljahmiSr. Director of NAR Operations Excellence, Whirlpool CorporationNext step, if you want one
For line balancing, the demo takes one video of a line to a Yamazumi against takt and a saved rebalance scenario.
Bring one process you want to fix, and how you run it today. We show the same job in LeanSuite and answer your questions.
Want to run LeanSuite on your own lines instead? The 90-day pilot is $3,000 per facility, set up by our team, with the first module live in under a week. Vision AI is not part of the pilot and is priced separately.
FAQ
Last reviewed October 2026. Based on each vendor's public information; tell us if something has changed at info@theleansuite.com.
A 45-minute demo: bring the process you want to fix, and we will show how LeanSuite handles it and what a 90-day pilot would cover.
