Why it works
| Mechanism | - On a long job, every part needs the same trimming and packing, and the person waits until the next one drops.
- With the parts of two presses at one table, the person fills the wait at one press with work for the other.
- The counters count the parts, so nobody has to watch a box fill.
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| Math | - One person at each of three presses for about 2,500 hours per year is 7,500 operator hours.
- If one person handled two presses, at most half of those hours would be freed.
- We assume 25 percent: 1,875 hours, worth about $56,300 per year at $30 per hour.
- After about $900 per year of upkeep, about $55,400 is left.
- The chutes, belts and counters cost about $15,000, repaid in about 3.5 months.
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| Industry evidence | - Makers of part conveyors sell short belts with a counter that stops the belt at each full box.
- In this plant, payroll lists about 15 operators and material handlers per shift for 26 presses, so most presses already share a person.
- We found no published figure for the hours a shared table frees, so that share is our estimate.
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| Limitations | - No cash is saved unless the freed person takes over work now done on overtime.
- Payroll shows about 180 overtime hours per week, about 9,000 per year, and the 1,875 hours freed here are 21 percent of that.
- One person also checks the parts of two presses, so each part gets a shorter look.
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Illustrative sample. The plant, the walk and the footage are synthetic. Figures from our analysis are estimates made with AI, not guarantees.