The queue at the finishing line
In a fictional Surat workshop, the production lead wants to buy another finishing line. On a visit, the analyst notices a stack of unfinished fabric waiting beside a quiet machine. The crew is waiting for dye-lot approval and spends part of each shift changing settings for short orders. The pile on the floor makes the machine look busy even when it is idle.
What the analyst checked
Break the shift into processing, changeover, waiting, maintenance and rework. Measure good output per hour at the step limiting shipments. If dye approval is the bottleneck, buying another finishing line adds installed capacity while approved fabric still arrives at the same pace.
The next decision
Test grouped production runs and faster approval on a representative mix of orders. Compare good output, late orders and rework before and after. Use that evidence to decide whether the remaining capacity gap justifies an investment.