Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials worked example

Kitting Labor Load at 23% setup and shortage allowance: a worked example

What does the result look like when setup and shortage allowance reaches 23%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. planning composite material kitting labor

The inputs for this scenario

  • Composite kit line items to pull: 180 kit lines (unchanged)
  • Kit lines completed per hour: 24 kit lines / hr (unchanged)
  • Setup and shortage allowance: 23 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 20)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base kitting labor load = composite kit line items รท kitting completion pace) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9.23 hr for estimated kitting labor load, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 7.5 hr for base kitting labor load.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 23 % for kitting setup and shortage allowance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 24 kit lines / hr for kitting completion pace.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where setup and shortage allowance sits at 20% and the headline result is 9 hr, this scenario comes in 2.5% above the baseline at 9.23 hr.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when setup and shortage allowance is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes a steady picking pace across all line items; freezer-out-time limits on prepreg, expired shelf-life pulls, or a heavy mix of large core panels versus small fasteners can make a single average pace misleading.

Results at a glance

  • estimated kitting labor load: 9.23 hr (headline result)
  • base kitting labor load: 7.5 hr
  • kitting setup and shortage allowance: 23 %
  • kitting completion pace: 24 kit lines / hr

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Kitting Labor Load calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.