Conveyors worked example

Starved/Blocked Time at 3.6% maximum acceptable flow-loss time: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop maximum acceptable flow-loss time to 3.6%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate the percentage of observed line time lost because equipment was starved for product or blocked downstream.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Starved or blocked minutes: 48 min (held at the documented default)
  • Total observed line minutes: 480 min (held at the documented default)
  • Maximum acceptable flow-loss time: 3.6 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 5)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Starved/blocked time = starved or blocked minutes ÷ total observed minutes × 100.
  • Starved/blocked time works out to 10 % flow loss at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Flow-loss gap to target works out to -6.4 points at these inputs.
  • Starved or blocked minutes works out to 48 min at these inputs.
  • Observed line minutes works out to 480 min at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where maximum acceptable flow-loss time sits at 5% and the headline result is 10 % flow loss, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 10 % flow loss.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to maximum acceptable flow-loss time, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It treats all starved/blocked minutes equally and won't tell you which station caused the loss — pair it with per-station state logging to locate the root constraint.

Results at a glance

  • Starved/blocked time: 10 % flow loss (headline result)
  • Flow-loss gap to target: -6.4 points
  • Starved or blocked minutes: 48 min
  • Observed line minutes: 480 min

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Starved/Blocked Time calculator, set maximum acceptable flow-loss time to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.