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Water spider route plan (mizusumashi)
A water spider, or mizusumashi, is a material handler who runs a fixed route at fixed times: picks parts at the supermarket, delivers them to each station, collects empty containers and kanban, and is back before the next trip. This template plans that route. Page 1 lists the stops in order with the arrival time, what is delivered and collected, time at the stop and travel to the next, then the route time against the route cycle and the cart load per trip. Page 2 is a trip log for a shift, a space to sketch the route, the rules of the route and a worked example. The Excel version works out trips per shift, containers per trip and cart spaces for each part, time at each stop from the containers it gets, arrival and departure minutes, route time against the cycle with a check, and a trip log with lateness, route minutes, missed stops and shortages.
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Fields for route, water spider, shift, route cycle and trips per shift, a table of stops in route order with arrival time, parts delivered, what is collected, time at stop and travel to the next, and boxes for the route timing and the cart load per trip.Route cycle and tripsStops in orderArrival timesDeliver and collectRoute time against cycleCart loadTrip logRoute rules
When to use it
When to use a water spider route plan
- When setting up a water spider for a line or a cell for the first time.
- When operators leave their stations to fetch parts or take away empties.
- When the route keeps running late or stations run short between trips.
- When demand, the product mix or the line layout changes.
How to fill it in
- 1
Set the route cycle
Pick how often the route runs, for example every 20 minutes. Many plants set it as a multiple of the pitch. Trips per shift = available minutes ÷ route cycle, rounded down.
- 2
List the stops in order
Supermarket first, then each station in the order you will walk or drive past it. Note one-way aisles and crossings.
- 3
Work out what each trip carries
For each part, containers per shift = demand ÷ quantity per container, and per trip = containers per shift ÷ trips. Round up to size the cart.
- 4
Time the route
Walk it with a stopwatch: picking at the supermarket, time at each stop, travel between stops and back. Add them up.
- 5
Check it fits with time to spare
Route time ÷ route cycle should leave a margin for a problem at a station or a busier trip. If it does not fit, cut stops or lengthen the cycle.
- 6
Run it and log every trip
Planned and actual departure, return, stops missed and shortages found. A route that is often late needs a new plan, not a faster water spider.
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: a 20-minute route feeding four stations and the end of an assembly line, 440 available minutes, 22 trips a shift (illustrative).
The example's 20-minute route, second by second
- Supermarket: 285 s
- Stops: 310 s
- Travel: 425 s
- Spare: 180 s
Of the 1,200-second cycle: 285 seconds at the supermarket, 310 at the stops, 425 travelling, 180 spare.
- Per trip: 1 container of brackets, 2 of harnesses, 2.5 of covers on average (2 on some trips, 3 on others) and 1 bundle of cartons, 6.5 containers in all.
- Supermarket: 90 s + 6.5 × 30 s = 285 s. Stops: 50 + 70 + 80 + 50 s, plus 60 s at the end of the line to collect finished goods kanban: 310 s.
- Travel: 110 s to the first station, 40 + 40 + 40 + 55 s between stops and 140 s back: 425 s.
- Route time = 285 + 310 + 425 = 1,020 s = 17.0 minutes, 85% of the 20-minute cycle, with 3 minutes spare. The cart needs 1 + 2 + 3 + 1 = 7 container spaces.
The route fits with 3 minutes spare a trip. The trip log in the first week showed the 10:00 trip late most days, behind a forklift unloading at the same crossing, so the forklift run moved to 10:30.
Common mistakes
Delivering what looks low
The kanban collected on the last trip decide what comes on the next. Topping up by eye brings back the overstock the route was meant to remove.
A route with no spare time
A route planned at 100% of the cycle runs late the first time a station has a problem, and every station after it waits.
Adding jobs to the water spider
Each extra task makes the route late. Change the plan first, then the job.
Fixing shortages on the next trip
A shortage found on the route goes to the team leader straight away. Waiting 20 minutes can stop the line.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
LeanSuite runs a plant's daily lean routines in one platform: anyone on the floor raises a problem by scanning a machine's QR code and adding a photo, rules route it to the right owner with a due date set by priority, and it can be escalated from tier to tier.
See it in a 45-minute demoIn the lean glossary
Guides
Put it on the wall
FAQ
Water spider route plan (mizusumashi): common questions
A material handler, also called a mizusumashi, who runs a fixed route at fixed times delivering parts to the line and collecting empties and kanban, so operators can stay at their stations.
Set the route cycle, list the stops in order, work out the containers per trip for each part, time the route on the floor and check it fits inside the cycle with time to spare.
Less than the route cycle, with a margin. A route of 17 minutes on a 20-minute cycle leaves 3 minutes a trip for a problem at a station or a busier trip.
Both are fixed routes at fixed times. A water spider usually feeds stations inside a plant from a supermarket; a milk run often means a truck collecting from several suppliers, though plants use the term for internal routes too.
Pitch is takt time × the quantity in one container: how often the line uses up a container. Setting the route cycle to a multiple of the pitch lets each trip bring a whole number of containers.
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- RCM worksheet (failure mode and task selection)Failure modes classed as hidden, safety, operational or non-operational, then a task chosen for each: condition-based, discard, failure-finding, redesign or run to failure.
- Error-proofing verification log (daily master-sample check)Each poka-yoke device proved every day or week with a known-bad sample, with missed checks counted and the hours and parts at risk worked out when one fails.
- Training matrix template with expiry datesPeople by required trainings with expiry dates, OK, due, expired and missing flags, compliance by person and area, cover per training and a renewal list.
- Defect catalogue template with boundary samplesEvery defect with a definition, a class and the reason for it, measured accept and reject limits by zone, boundary samples, a defect log with DPU and Pareto, and an inspector agreement check.
- I-MR chart template (individuals and moving range)Up to 100 single readings with moving ranges, limits from a baseline, five run-rule flags, both charts, a second phase and a reaction log.
- Kaizen event preparation checklistEverything that has to be ready before a kaizen event and done after it: 44 items with owners and due dates from 6 weeks before day 1 to 30 days after, five go or no-go gates and a day-by-day agenda.
- Attribute control chart template (p, np, c and u charts)p, np, c and u charts in one workbook: a chart selector, a sample size check, limits for each subgroup, signal flags and four worked examples.
- Critical spare parts list and stocking levelsAssets ranked by consequence, each part classed and given a stocking policy, and min and max worked out from usage and lead time, with the downtime each stock-out would cost.
- HACCP plan template: hazard analysis and CCP worksheetThe Codex 12 steps in one workbook: team and product, process steps checked on site, hazard analysis with the CCP decision tree, the CCP table with completeness checks, an allergen matrix and a verification schedule.
- Forklift operator training and evaluation recordPer-operator training and evaluation record, a register with three-year due dates and refresher triggers, and a weighted practical evaluation scoresheet.
- REBA worksheet (Rapid Entire Body Assessment)Score up to six postures with REBA: body-part drop-downs, Tables A, B and C as lookups, final score and action level, and a before and after comparison.
- Mock recall template: traceability exercise worksheetTrace a finished lot back to every input lot and forward to every first customer, reconcile the quantities against a tolerance and time it against your target.
- ISO 9001 internal audit checklist (production area)46 audit questions for the production floor in 11 processes, each with its ISO 9001:2015 clause, what evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus five defined grades, a findings log, a finding report and a summary by clause.
- ISO 45001 internal audit checklist44 audit questions for the plant floor in 16 safety topics, each with its ISO 45001:2018 clause, the evidence to look for and the sample to take, plus 12 worker interview prompts, a findings log and a summary by clause.
- Food plant GMP inspection checklist (21 CFR 117 subpart B)55 checks in the order of 21 CFR 117 subpart B, each citing its paragraph and saying what to look at, with a grade, finding, owner and due date; results by section and grade, a walk route and a bakery example.
- Master sanitation schedule with pre-op verificationA master list of cleaning tasks by area and equipment with frequency, chemical, lockout, who and next due date, a weekly on-time count, and the pre-operational verification log with a release step.
- Overhead crane inspection checklist: frequent and periodic34 crane checks tied to OSHA 1910.179: an operator's pre-shift card, frequent and periodic inspections with signed records, a deficiency and tag-out log, and a register of next due dates.
- Measurement uncertainty budget templateA GUM uncertainty budget: Type A and B rows, divisors by distribution, sensitivity coefficients, uc, νeff, k from the t-table, U, TUR and a guard band check.
- Maintenance job plan templateOne job planned on one sheet: steps and craft hours, parts checked against stock, tools, lockout and permits, documents, a ready check for the schedule, and technician feedback.
- Video time study filming checklistA pre-shoot checklist and shot log for filming a time study on video: camera, light, people, settings, power and review.
- OSHA compliance calendar (general industry)37 recurring federal OSHA duties with the paragraph, interval, owner, next due date and an overdue flag, plus a 12-month view and counts by owner.
- Energy use and EnPI trackerMonthly electricity, gas and fuel in one unit, a 12-month regression baseline, expected against actual energy for each month, an EnPI ratio, the running saving and the tests that say whether the model can be trusted.
- Pugh matrix templateCompare up to 8 concepts with a datum as better, same or worse on up to 12 criteria, flag must-haves, and carry the strongest into a second round.
- Machine guarding inspection sheetA machine register with due dates and a status per machine, 21 checks tied to OSHA 1910.212, .219 and .147, a guard opening check against Table O-10, and an action log.
- Condition monitoring route sheetA route of measuring points with baselines, alert and alarm limits, a check interval from the P-F interval, readings with rising and overdue flags, and an exceptions list worst first.
- Fire extinguisher inspection logOne row for every portable extinguisher: hydro test interval from OSHA Table L-1, annual and 6-year due dates, a 12-month check grid and open issues.
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.