Furniture, Fixtures & Interior Products worked example

Assembly Station Balance with assembled units in the run of 550 units: a worked example

What does the result look like when assembled units in the run reaches 550 units? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when labor content, station loading, material handling, fixtures, fasteners, and overhead determine whether a table, chair, cabinet, display, or casegood assembly cell is balanced.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Assembled units in the run: 550 units (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 220)
  • Variable station cost per unit: 11.4 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Station setup and fixture cost: 380 $ (unchanged)
  • Labor imbalance and overhead adder: 260 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total assembly station cost = assembled units in the run × variable station cost per unit + station setup and fixture cost + labor imbalance and overhead adder) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,910 $ for total assembly station cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12.56 $ / piece for cost per assembled unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6,270 $ for variable station cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 640 $ for station setup and fixture cost plus labor imbalance and overhead adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where assembled units in the run sits at 220 units and the headline result is 3,148 $, this scenario comes in 120% above the baseline at 6,910 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when assembled units in the run is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. The labor imbalance adder is an estimate of the cost of idle and waiting time; it's only as good as your line-balance study, so a rough adder gives a rough per-unit cost.

Results at a glance

  • Total assembly station cost: 6,910 $ (headline result)
  • Cost per assembled unit: 12.56 $ / piece
  • Variable station cost per unit: 6,270 $
  • Station setup and fixture cost plus Labor imbalance and overhead adder: 640 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.