OEE & Factory Performance worked example

Machine Utilization at 98% target utilization: a worked example in oee & factory performance

What does the result look like when target utilization reaches 98%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it to judge whether a machine is a bottleneck or has spare capacity in OEE & Factory Performance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Productive (run) hours: 320 hr (unchanged)
  • Scheduled hours: 400 hr (unchanged)
  • Target utilization: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Machine utilization = productive run hours ÷ scheduled hours) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 80 % for machine utilization, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 18 points for gap to target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 320 value for productive (run) hours.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 400 value for scheduled hours.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target utilization sits at 85% and the headline result is 80 %, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 80 %.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when target utilization is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. Utilization says nothing about whether the running hours produced good parts at rated speed — a machine can be 95% utilized while making scrap, so pair it with yield and performance metrics before drawing conclusions.

Results at a glance

  • Machine utilization: 80 % (headline result)
  • Gap to target: 18 points
  • Productive (run) hours: 320 value
  • Scheduled hours: 400 value

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.