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:

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