Conveyors worked example
Conveyor Queue Time at 12% queue release delay allowance: a worked example
This scenario runs the conveyor queue time calculation on the strong side: 12% queue release delay allowance, with every other input held at its documented default. a material-flow engineer needs to estimate how long WIP waits before the downstream process consumes it
The inputs for this scenario
- Queued WIP on conveyor: 240 units (unchanged)
- Downstream consumption rate: 18 units / min (unchanged)
- Queue release delay allowance: 12 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 10)
Working through the calculation
- Applying the documented formula (Base queue time = queued WIP รท downstream consumption rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
- At this operating point the engine returns 14.93 min for adjusted conveyor queue time, the number this scenario is built around.
- At this operating point the engine returns 13.33 min for base queue time.
- At this operating point the engine returns 12 % for release delay allowance.
- At this operating point the engine returns 18 units / min for downstream consumption rate.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where queue release delay allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 14.67 min, this scenario comes in 1.82% above the baseline at 14.93 min.
- Use it when sizing accumulation buffers or checking that WIP dwell time stays within shelf-life or cure-window limits. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.
Results at a glance
- Adjusted conveyor queue time: 14.93 min (headline result)
- Base queue time: 13.33 min
- Release delay allowance: 12 %
- Downstream consumption rate: 18 units / min
Run it with your numbers
- Every input above is editable in the live Conveyor Queue Time calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.