Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Tooling Maintenance Cost at 61% on-schedule pm compliance: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop on-schedule pm compliance to 61%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate the recurring cost of keeping tooling, dies and molds in service through scheduled preventive maintenance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Scheduled PM events: 24 events (held at the documented default)
  • Labor & parts per PM event: 180 $/event (held at the documented default)
  • On-schedule PM compliance: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Consumables retainer: 600 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total maintenance cost = PM events x cost per event x compliance% + consumables retainer.
  • Total tooling maintenance cost works out to 3,235 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Tooling maintenance cost per unit works out to 135 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable tooling maintenance cost works out to 2,635 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed tooling maintenance cost adder works out to 600 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where on-schedule pm compliance sits at 85% and the headline result is 4,272 $, this scenario comes in 24.27% below the baseline at 3,235 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to on-schedule pm compliance, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. Applying compliance percentage lowers the modeled spend but not the risk; PMs skipped to hit a lower cost still accrue as latent wear and future breakdowns the formula doesn't capture.

Results at a glance

  • Total tooling maintenance cost: 3,235 $ (headline result)
  • Tooling maintenance cost per unit: 135 $ / piece
  • Variable tooling maintenance cost: 2,635 $
  • Fixed tooling maintenance cost adder: 600 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tooling Maintenance Cost calculator, set on-schedule pm compliance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.