Turn demand into a line basis
Capacity planning converts the sales requirement into one reference container rate, product flow, batch schedule and sustainable pack rate before equipment speeds are compared.
Answer first
Begin with the required sellable volume by SKU and shift. Convert the reference container rate into liters per hour, then check whether preparation, thermal or carbonation systems, container supply, filling, post-fill treatment and packing can sustain that same condition after planned stops and changeovers.
From requirement to decision
Planning example only: one 8-hour shift, 500 mL bottles, 40,000 saleable bottles required. Assume 80% combined realization of scheduled-time theoretical output, including all stops, speed losses and rejects. This is an assumed planning factor, not an Allot Tech performance guarantee.
| Step | Calculation | What it tells the buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Required reference rate | 40,000 ÷ (8 × 0.80) = 6,250 bottles/hour | The arithmetic planning requirement before selecting equipment or agreeing reserve capacity. |
| Liquid entering bottles at that rate | 6,250 × 0.5 = 3,125 litres/hour | Preparation and transfer must support the filling demand; calculate product losses, recirculation and usable batch cycles separately. |
| 12-bottle secondary packs | 6,250 ÷ 12 ÷ 60 ≈ 8.68 packs/minute | Equivalent instantaneous pack demand, not a recommended packer rating. Validate sustainable speed, accumulation and changeovers. |
| Saleable daily volume | 40,000 × 0.5 = 20,000 litres/day | Finished-product demand. Ingredient, processing and packaging losses are additional requirements. |
| Check an offered 6,000 BPH line | 6,000 × 8 × 0.80 = 38,400 saleable bottles/day | A shortfall of 1,600 bottles under these assumptions. Change the demonstrated running basis, scheduled time or selected line capacity. |
The calculator below separates planned stops, a running factor and good-pack yield. To reproduce this combined-factor example, enter 6,250 BPH, 500 mL, 480 scheduled minutes, 0 separate stop minutes, 80% running factor and 100% separate yield. For real planning, replace these with separately supported values and do not include the same loss in two fields.
Illustration: 24,000 bottles at a demonstrated saleable running rate of 6,000/hour require 4 hours. Another 12,000 bottles at 4,000/hour require 3 hours. Add a separate 45-minute changeover: 7 hours 45 minutes, leaving 15 minutes in an 8-hour shift. Rates already including running rejects and speed loss must not be discounted again; any cleaning, startup or stop time outside those rates still needs its own allowance.
Request the preparation cycle, bottle feed, filler, closure and packing rates on each actual SKU. A 1.5 L bottle at 6,250 BPH needs 9,375 L/hour entering bottles, three times the 500 mL demand. Bottle handling and downstream capacity may also change: do not carry one SKU rating across the whole range.
Discuss your own project with Mr Kcal at Allot Tech. The email link opens a blank project brief for you to edit; nothing is sent automatically.
Saleable shift-output calculator
Use one reference beverage and package. The worksheet subtracts planned non-production time, applies a planning running factor and then applies good-pack yield.
Example values are loaded for orientation. Replace them with your project inputs before emailing the result.
Nominal product flow5,000 L/h
Net scheduled time420 min
Saleable packs / shift58,905
Saleable volume / shift29,452.5 L
Planning formula: rate × (scheduled minutes − planned stops) ÷ 60 × running factor × good-pack yield. This is not an OEE prediction or performance guarantee; preparation, filling and packing must sustain the same reference condition.
Change at least one example input to enable the project email.
01 / Reference SKU
Ten thousand containers per hour represents different product flow at 250 mL, 500 mL and 1.5 L. Filling condition and pack pattern can also change the achievable basis.
02 / Upstream supply
Tank volume or heat-exchanger nameplate flow is not enough. Charging, mixing, holding, transfer, CIP and recipe changes determine what reaches the filler.
03 / Sellable output
Cooling, warming, labeling, coding, case packing and material replenishment can become the sustainable constraint even when the filler reaches its reference speed.
Capacity evidence chain
| Section | Capacity basis | Common hidden loss |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Usable L/h or batch schedule | Charging, holding, transfer and CIP time |
| Container supply | Accepted containers/h | Loading, blowing or inspection interruptions |
| Filling + closure | Reference product, package and inlet condition | Foam, temperature drift and closure interruptions |
| Post-fill | Required residence and exit condition | Cooling or warming bottleneck |
| Packing | Finished packs/min at the selected pattern | Material replenishment and cycle stops |
Evidence boundary
Evidence labels keep a reference architecture separate from a final design or commercial promise.
The catalog supplies reference process and packaging modules, not an unqualified universal line output.
Capacity is reconciled across product flow, container rate, batch cycle and sustainable packing.
Guaranteed performance requires the signed reference product, package, utilities and acceptance procedure.
Buyer questions
These are planning answers. Final process and equipment choices require a confirmed project brief.
BPH counts containers. Product flow equals containers per hour multiplied by container volume; both must be stated because process systems are commonly sized by product flow.
No. Each module has different cycle behavior and design allowance, but the connected line must sustain the agreed output at the same reference condition.
Accumulation can absorb short disturbances. It cannot replace an undersized mixer, chiller, heater, filler or packer.
Catalog reference The supplied 2026 catalog supports the named CSD and juice/tea equipment chains and is the source for the redrawn functional routes.
Engineering principle Interface explanations show why product, process, package, utilities and line balance must be reviewed together.
Project confirmation The routes are not a final process design, P&ID, validated cycle, quotation, availability statement or performance guarantee. Signed project documents define the final scope.