Utilisation hit 91%. The lead time tripled.

A modest rise in how busy a business keeps itself can multiply the wait a customer experiences, and the arithmetic behind it is unforgiving but knowable.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for Utilisation hit 91%. The lead time tripled.

A pattern that recurs across workshops, studios, clinics, professional services teams and installation crews: capacity utilisation climbs from the low eighties to the low nineties, output rises a little, and lead times blow out by a factor nobody can explain. The team is demonstrably working harder. The order book is fuller. Yet promised dates slip, expediting becomes routine, and customers who used to wait three weeks now wait nine. Nothing broke. No one left. No single job went wrong. The instinct is to look for a culprit: a slow supplier,…

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Important: General information only. Rialto Bridge articles describe patterns and considerations that may apply to a business; they are not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice, and they take no account of your particular circumstances. Consider your own situation and seek advice from a qualified professional before acting.

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