Packaging Automation & End-of-Line Systems worked example

End-of-Line Labor Savings at 12% setup, staging, and break allowance: a worked example

Push setup, staging, and break allowance up to 12% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when you need an honest manual labor time to compare against an automated end of line option.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Units to handle at end of line: 120 units (unchanged)
  • Manual handling rate: 12 units / min (unchanged)
  • Setup, staging, and break allowance: 12 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 10)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base end of line labor time = units to handle at end of line รท manual handling rate) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 11.2 hr for planned end of line labor time, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10 hr for base end of line labor time.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 % for setup and break allowance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 12 pieces / min for manual handling rate.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where setup, staging, and break allowance sits at 10% and the headline result is 11 hr, this scenario comes in 1.82% above the baseline at 11.2 hr.
  • It converts units to handle and a manual handling rate into base labor hours, then inflates them by a setup, staging and break allowance to give planned labor time. 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

  • Planned end of line labor time: 11.2 hr (headline result)
  • Base end of line labor time: 10 hr
  • Setup and break allowance: 12 %
  • Manual handling rate: 12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live End-of-Line Labor Savings calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.