Two factories answered the capacity question in the same week. One sent a floor plan, a machine list and photographs; the other named the line, the shift pattern, the units per shift for the configuration and the months already committed. Only the second answer could be checked against a delivery date, and only the second could be reviewed later.
Factory capacity: the four questions that produce an answer
Which line and how fast for this product, how many shifts in which months, what is already committed, and what happens if a larger customer arrives.
The four are ordered because each narrows the previous one: the line rate for the configuration gives a daily figure, the shifts and months give availability, the committed months show what is left, and the last question establishes how firm the answer is.
A capacity answer is only useful with a date attached, because the loading changes continuously. An answer given six weeks ago describes a different schedule from one given this morning.
Question 1: which line, and how fast for this product?
A line rate is specific to the product, not to the factory.
Ask which line the order would run on and how many units per shift it produces for this configuration, including the test and aging time. A factory with three lines and a general throughput figure has not answered the question, because the rate depends on the test plan, the assembly content and the rack capacity. The output of this question is a daily figure that can be compared against the order quantity.
Question 2: how many shifts, in which months?
Availability is a calendar, not a rate.
A line running one shift in a quiet month and two in a busy one has different availability in each. Ask which shifts are planned for the months the order needs, and whether those shifts are already staffed. Peak season in this category is well known to the factories, which is why an order placed for a peak month can carry a longer slot than the same order placed two months earlier.
Question 3: what is already committed?
The remaining capacity is what matters, not the total.
Ask how much of the line is committed in the target months and to what kind of work. A line that is 80 per cent committed to a single long-running product has a different flexibility from one that is 80 per cent committed to short runs. The useful answer names the months and the share, with the date it was given, so it can be restated before the order is placed.
Question 4: what happens if a larger customer arrives?
The question that establishes how firm the answer is.
Most factories will prioritise a larger or longer-standing customer, and knowing that in advance is useful rather than cynical. Ask what would happen, what notice they would give, and whether a slot can be confirmed in writing. Where the answer is honest, the response is a confirmed booking with a date and a buffer; where it is evasive, the answer is a schedule assumption rather than a commitment.
| Question | What it produces | Weak answer | How it is checked later |
|---|---|---|---|
| Which line | A daily figure for the configuration | A factory-wide throughput | Against the production record |
| Shifts and months | Availability in the target months | Current staffing only | Against the booking confirmation |
| Committed work | The remaining share of the line | Total capacity quoted | Restated before the order |
| Priorities | How firm the commitment is | An assurance | A written booking with a date |
Reading a machine list as a capacity answer
It describes capability, which is a different question.
A machine list answers whether the factory can build the product at all. Capacity answers whether it can build it in the months you need, on a line whose loading is known. The two are both useful and they are not interchangeable, which is why a supplier who replies to a capacity question with equipment specifications has answered the easier question.
Peak season and the buffer question
Two decisions follow from the capacity answer.
Where the target month is already loaded, the options are to move the order earlier, to accept a later slot, or to split the quantity across two slots. Where the answer is firm, the buffer belongs before the fixed dates: the material order, the certification submission and the freight booking. A programme that plans its buffer after the capacity answer has made a decision with the information in hand rather than an assumption.
FAQ
How often should capacity be re-checked?
Before each order, and again at the point where the slot has to be confirmed. Loading changes weekly, so an answer is a snapshot with a date rather than a permanent figure. Re-check it before each order and again when the slot is confirmed, because loading changes weekly and an answer is a snapshot with a date rather than a permanent figure.
Is a larger factory automatically better placed for a large order?
Not necessarily. What matters is the loading on the line that would build your product and whether the schedule can hold your dates. A smaller factory with an uncommitted line can be more reliable than a larger one that is fully booked. Ask about the loading on the line that would build the product and whether the schedule can hold the dates, because a smaller factory with an uncommitted line can be more reliable.
What should a capacity commitment look like?
A named line, a week, a shift pattern, the units per shift and the date the commitment was given. Anything less is a description of the factory rather than of the schedule. Ask for the named line, the week, the shift pattern, the units per shift and the date the commitment was given, because anything less describes the factory rather than the schedule.
Should we split the order across two slots?
Where the launch can absorb a staged delivery, splitting protects the date and reduces the exposure to a single production run. It adds a second packing and shipping step, which belongs in the landed cost model. Splitting protects the date where the launch can absorb a staged delivery, and it adds a second packing and shipping step that belongs in the landed cost model.
Next step
Send the configuration, the quantity and the target months to Wecent Group through the contact page. The reply names the line, the units per shift for the configuration, the shifts planned for the target months and the share already committed, with the date of the answer. Related reading: our charger factory, OEM and ODM charger manufacturing and charger manufacturing services. External references: ICC Incoterms rules, International Trade Centre Trade Map, IEC standards, BSI ISO 9001 quality management, UL standards and certification and TUV testing services.
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