Conveyors worked example

Conveyor Downtime Cost with good units lost during conveyor stop of 1,100 units: a worked example

Push good units lost during conveyor stop up to 1,100 units and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. a maintenance manager needs to justify fixing a recurring conveyor stop with cost impact data

The inputs for this scenario

  • Good units lost during conveyor stop: 1,100 units (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 420)
  • Contribution value per lost unit: 5.75 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Standing labor during stop: 680 $ (unchanged)
  • Overhead, scrap, or expedite adders: 350 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Conveyor downtime cost = lost units × contribution value + standing labor + overhead/scrap adders) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 7,355 $ / stop for conveyor downtime cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6.69 $ / unit for cost per lost unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,325 $ for lost contribution value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,030 $ for labor and overhead adders.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where good units lost during conveyor stop sits at 420 units and the headline result is 3,445 $ / stop, this scenario comes in 113% above the baseline at 7,355 $ / stop.
  • It adds the lost contribution value of unmade units to standing labor and overhead adders to give the total cost of one conveyor stop, plus a cost per lost unit. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Conveyor downtime cost: 7,355 $ / stop (headline result)
  • Cost per lost unit: 6.69 $ / unit
  • Lost contribution value: 6,325 $
  • Labor and overhead adders: 1,030 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Conveyor Downtime Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.