Machines that are switched on but not working, and people walking the floor looking for things,
are the two quietest costs in most factories. Pick one and size it up.
Your machines
Five questions. Nothing you need to go and look up.
12
Sets how many hours each machine is scheduled per week.
Most people don't, and that is the point. If you are unsure, pick the honest option — measured UK SME averages sit near 50–60%.
Your quoting rate, not your margin. UK general 3-axis machining sits around £55–85; assembly, packaging and moulding are lower. We discount this below, because you never bank the full charge-out rate.
Percentage points of utilisation recovered. Published SME case studies range from modest single digits to well over twenty points.
This matters more than any other answer, and it is where most ROI calculators quietly cheat. A recovered hour is only worth money if something fills it.
Your assets and people
Searching time plus the assets that quietly disappear.
Operators, pickers, drivers, setters — anyone who has to find something before they can start.
30
Rather than guessing hours, pick how often it happens. We assume roughly six minutes per search.
Fully loaded, including employer NI and pension. The 2026/27 National Living Wage is £12.71, which lands near £15 once on-costs are added.
Stillages, dollies, cages, tote boxes, tooling, WIP carriers. Most SME sites we look at fall between 300 and 500.
400
Shrinkage on returnable transit items is commonly quoted in the mid single digits per year.
