Machine Vision & Industrial Inspection AI worked example

Inspection Escape Cost at 81% inspection attribution share: a worked example

What does the result look like when inspection attribution share reaches 81%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when quantifying the hidden cost of inspection gaps before proposing a vision system upgrade or new inspection station, and you need to attach a dollar value to the current escape rate.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Escaped defects reaching customers per month: 18 defects / month (unchanged)
  • Fully loaded cost per escaped defect: 95 $ / defect (unchanged)
  • Inspection attribution share: 81 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 70)
  • Fixed monthly investigation and CAPA cost: 1,400 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Variable escape cost = escaped defects x cost per defect x inspection attribution share) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,785 $ for total monthly inspection escape cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 155 $ / piece for escape cost per escaped defect.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,385 $ for variable inspection escape cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,400 $ for fixed monthly investigation cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where inspection attribution share sits at 70% and the headline result is 2,597 $, this scenario comes in 7.24% above the baseline at 2,785 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when inspection attribution share is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It uses a single average cost per escaped defect and one attribution share, so a few catastrophic escapes (recalls, safety events) can dwarf the modeled figure.

Results at a glance

  • Total monthly inspection escape cost: 2,785 $ (headline result)
  • Escape cost per escaped defect: 155 $ / piece
  • Variable inspection escape cost: 1,385 $
  • Fixed monthly investigation cost: 1,400 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.