Weighing, Dosing & Loss-in-Weight Feeding worked example

Microingredient Usage with micro-ingredient feeder system investment of 12,500 $: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop micro-ingredient feeder system investment to 12,500 $, then walk the calculation through step by step. Microingredient Usage frames the business case for a precision micro-ingredient dosing system as a payback period.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Micro-ingredient feeder system investment: 12,500 $ (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 25,000)
  • Annual give-away savings from precise dosing: 18,000 $ / yr (held at the documented default)
  • Annual calibration and support cost: 2,500 $ / yr (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Net annual savings = annual savings - annual support.
  • Payback period works out to 0.81 yr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Net annual savings works out to 15,500 $ / yr at these inputs.
  • Investment works out to 12,500 $ at these inputs.
  • Five year net works out to 65,000 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where micro-ingredient feeder system investment sits at 25,000 $ and the headline result is 1.61 yr, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 0.81 yr.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to micro-ingredient feeder system investment, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. Simple payback ignores the time value of money and assumes savings hold flat; it does not discount cash flows or model ingredient price changes.

Results at a glance

  • Payback period: 0.81 yr (headline result)
  • Net annual savings: 15,500 $ / yr
  • Investment: 12,500 $
  • Five year net: 65,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Microingredient Usage calculator, set micro-ingredient feeder system investment to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.