Why use contribution instead of sales value?

Unmade or unsold cases can avoid variable costs. Contribution measures sales less those avoidable costs, which better matches the lost economic benefit.

What if all demand is recovered?

Lost contribution becomes zero. Entered expedite and overtime costs still remain as the cost of recovery.

Does this identify the bottleneck station?

No. Identify the production constraint separately, then use this tool to examine the financial effect of delayed output.

Can overtime be counted twice?

Yes, if it is already in the per-case contribution basis. Enter only incremental recovery labor that has not been included elsewhere.

Packaging Automation & End-of-Line Systems calculator

End-Of-Line Bottleneck Cost Calculator

Estimate financial exposure when delayed cases cannot all be recovered. Enter the unrecovered demand share, contribution per case and separate expedite and overtime costs.

What this calculator does

Estimate lost contribution and incremental recovery costs associated with delayed packaging output.

Formula used

Unrecovered cases = delayed cases × unrecovered share ÷ 100
Lost contribution = unrecovered cases × contribution per case
Recovery cost = incremental expedite + incremental overtime
Financial exposure = lost contribution + recovery cost

Inputs explained

Delayed Cases: Whole cases whose planned completion was delayed.
Unrecovered Demand Share: Delayed cases expected to remain unsold after recovery efforts.
Contribution per Case: Selling price less avoidable variable cost for each lost sale.
Incremental Expedite Cost: Additional transport or handling cost incurred to recover demand.
Incremental Overtime Cost: Additional overtime cost outside the entered per-case contribution basis.

How to use the result

Best suited to delayed output financial review, recovery effort comparison.
Does not locate a bottleneck or predict lost demand. Expected unrecovered cases can be fractional.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 280.569 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 6.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The producer price index for paper (not a paperboard or container index) stands at 282.266 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 10% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.

Common questions

Why use contribution instead of sales value? Unmade or unsold cases can avoid variable costs. Contribution measures sales less those avoidable costs, which better matches the lost economic benefit.
What if all demand is recovered? Lost contribution becomes zero. Entered expedite and overtime costs still remain as the cost of recovery.
Does this identify the bottleneck station? No. Identify the production constraint separately, then use this tool to examine the financial effect of delayed output.
Can overtime be counted twice? Yes, if it is already in the per-case contribution basis. Enter only incremental recovery labor that has not been included elsewhere.

Last reviewed 2026-10-12.