Capacity Analysis

To determine the true capacity of a process or a site, a holistic analysis needs to be conducted. This therefore needs to integrate all Technical, Logistical & Operational elements (and their interconnectivities) within the boundaries of the process or facility into a single capacity analysis. Through this the effect of upstream and downstream elements can be understood and incorporated within the modelling. This integrated model allows for a true bottleneck analysis of the process or site to be conducted.

When referring to a process, the true capacity of the current process can be accurately determined, and this can be used to derive two key outputs:

  • The theoretical maximum capacity of the process, if all non-value adding steps are removed.
  • The optimal configuration of my process that will yield the desired output capacity with the least cost.


When related to a site, apart from determining the true capacity of the site, two secondary key concepts are to determine the maximum capacity a site can achieve based on site specific constraints and its sensitivity to change.

  • The sites maximum capacity is obtained by further progressing the models developed for the site’s current capacity. This is often done together with a Site Expansion Plan to ensure alignment. Typical constraints limiting the ultimate capacity of a site tend to be: available space; traffic (both internal and external to the site); legislative; water supply; or effluent discharge.
  • The sensitivity of the site to change could be due to anything from: the introduction of new products; evolving product portfolios; or due to stricter standards (legislative or internally developed). The effects of these can be assessed by changing model inputs.

Typical capacity analysis dimensions include the following aspects:

  • The true output of a manufacturing facility
  • Service throughput capacity
  • Packaging and/or
  • Production capacity
  • Warehouse capacity
  • Distribution Centre /Depot capacity
  • Raw Material Storage capacity
  • Staging or Parking capacity
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