Buyer guide · Production planning
Plan nonwoven bag
output per shift.
Turn a bags-per-minute figure into a useful schedule by accounting for the working shift, product changes and an explicit efficiency assumption.
Discuss your requirementsInteractive planning tool
Calculate a realistic shift estimate.
Use the calculator for one bag design and one bag-making stage. Set the planning rate from a suitable machine and product configuration, deduct planned breaks and setup time, then apply an explicit efficiency assumption.
Illustrative result
estimated saleable bags / shift
- Time after planned stops
- 390 min
- Gross output before efficiency
- 27,300 bags
- Shifts for the target order
- 5.23 shifts (6 whole)
70 bags/min × (480 − 30 − 60) min × 70% = 19,110 bags
This is a planning estimate, not a production guarantee. Partial shifts are rounded up when booking whole shifts.
Understand the calculation
Make every assumption visible.
Available minutes = shift hours × 60 − planned breaks − setup and changeover time. In the example, an eight-hour shift has 480 minutes. Deducting 30 minutes of breaks and 60 minutes of setup leaves 390 minutes.
At a planning rate of 70 bags/min, the gross estimate is 27,300 bags. Applying an assumed 70% efficiency gives 19,110 saleable bags. An order for 100,000 bags would therefore need approximately 5.23 shifts under those same assumptions, or six whole shifts if only full shifts can be scheduled.
Here, efficiency combines unexpected downtime, running below the selected rate and rejected bags. Do not also include the same losses in planned stops. Replace the example assumption with your measured production data when available.
Choose a suitable rate
Use rated speed as a reference.
| Machine | Feed / bag route | Rated speed |
|---|---|---|
| HL-58 | Roll-fed box bags | 70–100 bags/min |
| HL-58V | All-electric, roll-fed box bags | 70–100 bags/min |
| HL-68 | Sheet-fed box bags | 45–60 bags/min |
| A700 | Nonwoven vest bag machine with supported configurations | 20–120 bags/min |
Actual output depends on the bag dimensions, input material, selected configuration, tooling and operating conditions. Do not apply the top of a range to every bag design.
A typical HL-58 size changeover takes approximately 30–60 minutes, depending on the size difference. Use a project-specific allowance for your schedule; changing artwork, tooling or material can add other preparation tasks.
Production scheduling
Plan mixed orders one design at a time.
A daily total can hide the time needed to move between products. Group the order book by bag size, material, handle type and printed design. Estimate each group using its own rate and efficiency, then add the changeovers between groups.
- For each bag design, estimate running minutes as required saleable quantity ÷ (planning rate × efficiency expressed as a decimal, such as 0.70 for 70%).
- Add the setup and changeover time for the sequence of jobs.
- Add planned breaks and compare the total with available shift time.
- Check that printed rolls or prepared sheets will be available before each job starts.
Where orders use different rates or material structures, calculate them separately rather than multiplying one headline rate by the whole day.
Balance the complete process
Check the stages before and after bag making.
A bag-making line cannot process material that is still waiting to be printed, dried or cut. Include material preparation, printing, any sheet preparation, bag making, inspection and packing in the schedule.
Printing may be specified in metres per minute, so use the actual web layout and print repeat to convert it into a comparable bag-equivalent rate. Account for buffers between separate stages and the people needed for handling and packing.
Build an output plan around your actual bags.
Send your bag drawings, material, product mix, target quantities and shift pattern so we can discuss a suitable machine and realistic planning assumptions.