How do you calculate line-side replenishment savings?

Multiply your annual replenishment deliveries by the savings per delivery, then by the percentage of deliveries automation actually captures, and add any fixed process gains. With 12,500 deliveries at $2.40 each, a 75% capture rate, and $4,500 fixed value, captured savings are $22,500 and net savings reach $27,000.

What counts as savings per replenishment delivery?

It is the fully loaded cost a manual trip incurs that automation removes: operator wallclock time, forklift or cart operating cost, and indirect labor for staging. In the worked example $2.40 per delivery reflects the labor minutes plus equipment cost of one manual milk-run leg.

Why is the effective per-delivery rate lower than the input rate?

Because only a share of deliveries is automated. The calculator divides total captured savings by all deliveries to show a blended effective rate. Here $22,500 across 12,500 deliveries is $2.16 per delivery, even though each automated trip saves $2.40.

What is a good capture rate for AMR replenishment?

Mature deployments routinely automate 70-90% of standardized line-side routes; the remaining trips are odd-sized loads, manual exceptions, or hot expedites. The 75% default is a sensible first-year target before you optimize route mix.

Does this include the cost of the robots?

No. This calculator returns gross savings only. To get net ROI or payback, subtract the AMR fleet cost, the per-robot license fees from the AMR License Cost Calculator, charging infrastructure, and integration from this number.

How do I count deliveries per year?

Multiply deliveries per shift by shifts per day by operating days per year. A line needing 50 line-side feeds per shift across two shifts and 250 days is 25,000 deliveries; count only the routes a robot can realistically run.

AMR, AGV & Intralogistics Automation calculator

Line-Side Replenishment Savings Calculator

Line-side replenishment savings quantifies the dollars an AMR, tugger train, or AGV fleet returns by taking over the repetitive milk-runs that feed parts to assembly stations. Continuous-improvement engineers and intralogistics project leads use it to justify a fleet purchase, size a pilot, and set realistic payback expectations before capital is committed. It matters because line-side delivery is one of the most labor-intensive, least value-added activities on a plant floor, and even a small per-trip saving multiplies into six figures across a year of deliveries. The model separates the variable savings you capture per automated trip from the fixed, one-time process gains a project unlocks.

What this calculator does

Estimate savings from automated line-side replenishment moves, savings per delivery, automation capture share, and fixed route setup cost.
a plant operations team needs to value automated or standardized line-side replenishment
It computes net annual savings by multiplying replenishment deliveries by per-delivery savings and the share captured by automation, then adding any fixed process-improvement value.

Formula used

Captured replenishment savings = line-side replenishment deliveries × savings per delivery × deliveries captured by automation
Net line-side replenishment savings = captured replenishment savings + fixed replenishment improvement value

Inputs explained

Line-side replenishment deliveries:
Savings per replenishment delivery:
Deliveries captured by automation:
Fixed replenishment improvement value:

How to use the result

Use it during the business-case stage of an AMR or AGV intralogistics project, or when re-justifying an existing fleet against actual capture rates.
It assumes a stable per-delivery savings figure; if your routes vary wildly in distance or your operators are partially redeployed rather than removed, blend a weighted average before entering the rate.

Current U.S. benchmarks

On-highway diesel averages $4.58 per gallon this week (EIA), trending down over recent periods. Truck tonnage is up 3.4% year over year (ATA via FRED).

Common questions

How do you calculate line-side replenishment savings? Multiply your annual replenishment deliveries by the savings per delivery, then by the percentage of deliveries automation actually captures, and add any fixed process gains. With 12,500 deliveries at $2.40 each, a 75% capture rate, and $4,500 fixed value, captured savings are $22,500 and net savings reach $27,000.
What counts as savings per replenishment delivery? It is the fully loaded cost a manual trip incurs that automation removes: operator wallclock time, forklift or cart operating cost, and indirect labor for staging. In the worked example $2.40 per delivery reflects the labor minutes plus equipment cost of one manual milk-run leg.
Why is the effective per-delivery rate lower than the input rate? Because only a share of deliveries is automated. The calculator divides total captured savings by all deliveries to show a blended effective rate. Here $22,500 across 12,500 deliveries is $2.16 per delivery, even though each automated trip saves $2.40.
What is a good capture rate for AMR replenishment? Mature deployments routinely automate 70-90% of standardized line-side routes; the remaining trips are odd-sized loads, manual exceptions, or hot expedites. The 75% default is a sensible first-year target before you optimize route mix.
Does this include the cost of the robots? No. This calculator returns gross savings only. To get net ROI or payback, subtract the AMR fleet cost, the per-robot license fees from the AMR License Cost Calculator, charging infrastructure, and integration from this number.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.