Packaging Automation & End-of-Line Systems worked example

Case Packing Labor Cost at 92% share packed manually: a worked example

What does the result look like when share packed manually reaches 92%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when you are comparing manual case packing labor against an automated case packer.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Cases packed: 100 cases (unchanged)
  • Labor cost per case: 45 $ / case (unchanged)
  • Share packed manually: 92 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 80)
  • Fixed supervision and setup cost: 250 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Variable packing labor cost = cases packed × labor cost per case × share packed manually) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,390 $ for total case packing labor cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 43.9 $ / case for labor cost per case.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,140 $ for variable packing labor cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 250 $ for fixed supervision and setup cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share packed manually sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 $, this scenario comes in 14.03% above the baseline at 4,390 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when share packed manually is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes one blended manual labor rate per case; mixed crew skill, learning curves, and case-size differences can move the real per-case rate, so validate against time studies.

Results at a glance

  • Total case packing labor cost: 4,390 $ (headline result)
  • Labor cost per case: 43.9 $ / case
  • Variable packing labor cost: 4,140 $
  • Fixed supervision and setup cost: 250 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.