Question 1

What is a packaging line bottleneck?

Accepted Answer

The bottleneck is the machine with the lowest effective throughput in your line. Because every case has to pass through it, the whole line can only produce as fast as that one machine. Speeding up any other machine will not increase output until the bottleneck is fixed.

Question 2

Why does the calculator use downtime-adjusted speed instead of rated speed?

Accepted Answer

A machine rated at 120 cases per minute that is down 15% of the time only delivers about 102 cases per minute of real capacity. Comparing nameplate ratings alone often points to the wrong machine. Adjusting for downtime finds the constraint that actually limits your output.

Question 3

How do I find the rated speed and downtime for my machines?

Accepted Answer

Rated speed is on the machine's nameplate or spec sheet, or you can time it over a few minutes of steady running. For downtime, use your line reporting if you have it. If not, a supervisor's estimate of how often the machine is stopped during a shift is a good starting point.

Question 4

What does the utilization percentage mean?

Accepted Answer

Utilization shows how much of a machine's capacity the bottleneck lets it use. A wrapper running at 60% utilization is idle or waiting 40% of the time because an upstream machine cannot feed it faster. Low utilization on expensive equipment usually means the money for the next upgrade belongs at the bottleneck instead.

Question 5

How accurate is the dollar impact estimate?

Accepted Answer

It is a planning estimate, not a quote. It multiplies the extra cases per minute by your annual operating hours and your margin per case. The result is as accurate as the numbers you enter, so it works best with a conservative margin figure. For a firm business case, email yourself the results and our team can help validate them on your actual line.