Can I value every stopped hour as lost sales?

No. Use avoidable downtime cost or the contribution from additional output you can actually sell. Gross sales would overstate the benefit.

What if the backup tool never enters production?

Count only evidenced benefits such as avoided expedite charges or scheduled changeover savings. This model does not invent a probability or value for a future breakdown.

Should upkeep include maintenance on both tools?

Enter the extra cost caused by owning the second tool, including its preservation, inspection and maintenance. Costs unchanged on the primary tool are excluded.

Why does a longer program improve the return?

More years of net avoided costs accumulate against the same duplicate build investment. The result covers the selected program, rather than one year.

Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics calculator

Duplicate Tooling ROI Calculator

Compare a backup tool’s lifetime cash benefit with its purchase cost. Enter avoided downtime costs, extra upkeep, remaining program years and your required return.

What this calculator does

Compare the duplicate tooling investment with its net cash benefit over your remaining production program.

Formula used

Annual net savings = annual gross savings − annual upkeep
Cumulative net savings = annual net savings × project years
Project net benefit = cumulative net savings − initial investment
Project cash ROI = project net benefit ÷ initial investment × 100
ROI headroom = project cash ROI − required project cash ROI

Inputs explained

Duplicate Tooling Investment: Installed design and build investment from the approved tool quote.
Annual Avoided Downtime Cost: Annual cash cost avoided versus the documented baseline process.
Annual Second-Tool Upkeep: Annual incremental maintenance and support attributable to this investment.
Remaining Project Life: Remaining production program duration from your approved business case.
Required Project Cash ROI: Your approval threshold over the same entered project life.

How to use the result

Best suited to backup tool capital Request, bottleneck cost recovery.
Discounting, financing, tax, depreciation and resale value are excluded. This project cash return is not an annualized return or accounting rate of return.

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 U.S. has 14,378 furniture and related products establishments employing about 355,594 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Can I value every stopped hour as lost sales? No. Use avoidable downtime cost or the contribution from additional output you can actually sell. Gross sales would overstate the benefit.
What if the backup tool never enters production? Count only evidenced benefits such as avoided expedite charges or scheduled changeover savings. This model does not invent a probability or value for a future breakdown.
Should upkeep include maintenance on both tools? Enter the extra cost caused by owning the second tool, including its preservation, inspection and maintenance. Costs unchanged on the primary tool are excluded.
Why does a longer program improve the return? More years of net avoided costs accumulate against the same duplicate build investment. The result covers the selected program, rather than one year.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.