Fixture, Gauge & Workholding Management worked example

Workholding Payback with workholding system investment of 120,000 $: a worked example

Push workholding system investment up to 120,000 $ and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when justifying vises, pallets, tombstones, soft jaws, zero-point plates, hydraulic clamps, vacuum fixtures, or modular workholding.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Workholding system investment: 120,000 $ (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 48,000)
  • Annual savings from new workholding: 26,500 $ / yr (unchanged)
  • Annual workholding support cost: 5,200 $ / yr (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Net annual workholding payback savings = annual workholding savings - annual workholding support cost) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5.63 yr for workholding payback payback period, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 21,300 $ / yr for net annual workholding payback savings.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 120,000 $ for workholding system investment.
  • At this operating point the engine returns -13,500 $ for five-year net workholding payback value.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where workholding system investment sits at 48,000 $ and the headline result is 2.25 yr, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 5.63 yr.
  • It subtracts annual support cost from annual savings to get net savings, divides the investment by that net to get the payback period in years, and projects a five-year net value. 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

  • Workholding Payback payback period: 5.63 yr (headline result)
  • Net annual workholding payback savings: 21,300 $ / yr
  • Workholding system investment: 120,000 $
  • Five-year net workholding payback value: -13,500 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.