Interactive Cost Calculator

What Does Drift Cost Your Operation?

Enter your production parameters. Randomize drift onset to see how unpredictable the exposure is when you're only inspecting at the end of the line.

Parts / run
Material cost ($)
Op. hourly rate ($/hr)
Cycle time (min/part)
Drift onset 20%
500
Parts / run
$18
Material / part
$19.83
Labor / part
$37.83
Total part cost
Part 100
Drift onset
$18,917
Total run value
In-Process
Lab-Only
Day 1 Start 🔬 Found — End of Day 2
✓ In-Process Detection
Drift flagged at part 100. Process halted before part is out of spec.
Parts 1–100 — Conforming 100 parts
Parts scrapped 0 — process halted in time
Correction downtime (~30 min) ~$43
Parts 101–500 — Corrected, conforming 400 parts
Reinspection / rework None
CAPA scope Process parameter — contained
Customer impact None — delivery unaffected
Total Loss
$43
✗ Lab-Only Detection
Drift discovered at end-of-batch inspection, Day 2.
Parts 1–99 — Conforming 99 parts
Nonconforming parts (400)
Scrapped (~70%) — material + labor lost 281 × $37.83 = $10,631
Rebuild cost — replacement parts required 281 × $37.83 = $10,631
Rework additional labor (~30%) 120 × $19.83 = $2,380
Reinspection labor (401 parts @ 15 min) ~$851
CAPA documentation + investigation ~$340
Customer delivery delay / expedite ~$500
Total Loss
~$14,702
Cost of Inaction
$14,659
additional loss from delayed detection on this run
341×
more expensive to detect in the lab than at the machine
401
parts at risk vs. 0 scrapped — same drift, different detection point
0
customer impact when caught in-process
* Material cost = raw material per part. Operation hourly rate = combined machine + labor rate. Scrap: 70% of nonconforming parts — full material and labor cost lost. Rework: 30% of nonconforming parts — additional labor only (material stays in part), calculated at full labor cost per part. Reinspection at 15 min/part. CAPA at 4 hrs. Expedite capped at $5,000. Customer delivery penalties, registrar findings, and corrective action surcharges not included.