Production Line Comparison Calculator

Calculation note: For each melanger batch, loading requires 1.5 staff hours and unloading requires 2 staff hours, giving 3.5 hours of manual labor. For production planning, one handling day is added to the entered grinding time. At 48 hours of grinding, this gives one batch every three days, or 10 batches per melanger per 30-day month. One operator can serve up to three melangers simultaneously, so the required operator count is rounded up for each group of three machines. Melanger staff hours equal completed batches × 3.5 hours plus 70 hours per month for other work; no fixed 8-hour staff day is assumed. The industrial line uses one operator per ball mill, 20 working days per month and an 8-hour shift. Each ball mill is limited to two batches per day. Actual line output is the lowest capacity of the pre-grinder, ball mills and conches. The conche is assumed to run one batch per machine overnight on each operating day. Electricity is calculated from nominal power and calculated operating hours; idle consumption is excluded. The entered electricity rate is shared by both lines. For reference, the EU average non-household price was €0.1837/kWh in the second half of 2025 (Eurostat). Equipment investment is calculated from entered quantities and editable unit prices. Cleaning, maintenance and technical downtime are not included.