Back to the real world

This story is not untypical. Decisions to purchase stand alone machines, production lines and whole factories frequently get made with a lack of meaningful performance information.

Some companies (like ACME!) do not measure any of the key parameters of machine or plant performance...

...and of those that do, most fail to consider the "compound" effect of speed, quality and availability. But this is the critical piece of operational information for supporting decisions about investment!