The decision
Leadership needed an operating basis for the production ramp and the associated equipment and staffing choices. A useful answer required understanding how individual process steps competed for shared resources throughout the production cycle.
What the assessment revealed
Review of the capacity workbook identified a calculation that understated autoclave utilization by applying batch size twice. Correcting the calculation changed the view of the shared equipment constraint. Screening the higher production rate also exposed limitations in assembly labor, testing, ventilation, curing and inspection.
The process review examined how a short material working window affected batch preparation and filling. Increasing batch size introduced additional process risk, while a material substitution would require evidence of equivalence and qualification. The assessment therefore considered preparation, filling, cure and equipment scheduling together.
What leadership received
The work produced a corrected capacity screen and a proposed combination of operating hours, staffing, ventilated work positions, batch loading and equipment cycles. It compared process alternatives and identified the observed-time studies and demonstrations needed to validate the proposed configuration.
Leadership had a more explicit basis for deciding which changes to investigate and fund. The higher production rate remained a planning target requiring validation through operating evidence.