where processing time is the time it takes to convert materials into a finished good. The
other activities and their times are viewed as wasteful, and the goal is to reduce those
times to zero. If this is accomplished, the value of MCE would be 1.0. As MCE improves
(moves toward 1.0), cycle time decreases. Furthermore, since the only way MCE
can improve is by decreasing waste, cost reduction must also follow.