Lean Manufacturing & Operations worked example

Bottleneck Output Capacity with net available production time of 230 min: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop net available production time to 230 min, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate maximum output capacity from the bottleneck station using available run time, bottleneck cycle time, and an efficiency factor.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Net available production time: 230 min (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 450)
  • Bottleneck cycle time: 1.5 min (held at the documented default)
  • Efficiency factor: 0.9 decimal (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Bottleneck Output = (Available Time / Bottleneck Cycle Time) x Efficiency.
  • Effective output after efficiency loss works out to 1.38 units / shift at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Raw throughput works out to 153 units / shift at these inputs.
  • Line efficiency factor works out to 0.9 % at these inputs.
  • Net available production time works out to 1.5 hr at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where net available production time sits at 450 min and the headline result is 2.7 units / shift, this scenario comes in 48.89% below the baseline at 1.38 units / shift.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to net available production time, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes the named station truly is the constraint and that efficiency is steady; if the bottleneck shifts or downtime is lumpy, actual output will diverge from the smooth estimate.

Results at a glance

  • Effective output after efficiency loss: 1.38 units / shift (headline result)
  • Raw throughput: 153 units / shift
  • Line efficiency factor: 0.9 %
  • Net available production time: 1.5 hr

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Bottleneck Output Capacity calculator, set net available production time to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.