MES, MOM & Shop-Floor Data Systems worked example

Shop-Floor Terminal Utilization at 86% target utilization rate: a worked example

Push target utilization rate up to 86% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use when deciding whether to add or consolidate shop-floor terminals. High utilization means operators queue at terminals; low utilization means you may be over-provisioned.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Terminal active usage per shift: 1,680 min (unchanged)
  • Total available terminal-minutes per shift: 2,400 min (unchanged)
  • Target utilization rate: 86 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 75)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Terminal utilization = (active usage minutes / available minutes) x 100) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 70 % for terminal utilization rate, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 16 points for gap to target utilization.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,680 value for active terminal-minutes.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,400 value for available terminal-minutes.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target utilization rate sits at 75% and the headline result is 70 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 70 %.
  • It computes the percentage of available terminal time that was actively used in a shift and the point gap between that and your target utilization. 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

  • Terminal utilization rate: 70 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target utilization: 16 points
  • Active terminal-minutes: 1,680 value
  • Available terminal-minutes: 2,400 value

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Shop-Floor Terminal Utilization calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.