Calculate the minimum number of robots needed to complete a daily workload within a defined operating window. The model combines task demand, average cycle time, productive utilization, and operating hours, then rounds the requirement up and reports capacity per unit, total installed capacity, and spare capacity.
The result is the minimum whole fleet that has enough modeled daily capacity. Spare capacity is the difference between installed capacity and the required task count.
This is a throughput-sizing model. It does not simulate traffic conflicts, dispatch rules, queue peaks, charging schedules, or station bottlenecks.
A workload of 720 daily tasks, 18 minutes per task, 78% productive utilization, and a 10-hour window gives 468.0 productive minutes and 26 whole tasks per unit. The minimum fleet is 28 robots.
No. Productive utilization should be the share of the operating window available for completing tasks after charging, waiting, maintenance, and other losses.
A unit must finish a task for it to count toward daily capacity, so partial final tasks are excluded.
The result is a modeled minimum. Add operational reserve separately when uptime targets, maintenance coverage, or demand variability require it.
Use a workload-weighted average cycle time or calculate each task class separately when their routes and handling times differ substantially.
No. Validate the result with layout or fleet simulation when shared aisles, intersections, queues, or station limits could reduce throughput.
| Variable | Planning role |
|---|---|
| Daily tasks | Required completed moves or jobs |
| Cycle time | Average minutes for one complete task |
| Utilization | Share of scheduled time spent productively |
| Operating window | Hours available to the robot fleet each day |