TL;DR
- Only overtime, temp staff, unfilled positions and real headcount changes are cash-effective.
- Everything else is released capacity — valuable, but not money until it is sold.
- Print Profit Navigator reports released time and cash savings as separate figures on purpose.
The classic vendor slide multiplies 120 saved hours by €28 and shows €3,360 in monthly savings. If nobody leaves the payroll and no additional order is invoiced, the bank balance is unchanged.
The rule
Cash = Overtime_removed + Temp_hours_removed + Unfilled_positions + Headcount_reduction
- All other released hours are reported as capacity, valued at €0 in the cash case
| Scenario | Released hours | Cash effect |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime eliminated | Yes | Full hourly premium |
| Temporary staff not booked | Yes | Full agency rate |
| Open position not filled | Yes | Full loaded cost |
| Headcount reduced | Yes | Loaded cost minus severance |
| Operator reassigned to other work | Yes | €0 direct — value only if that work is sold |
| Operator idle | Yes | €0 |
Automation releasing 140 hours per month
- Overtime removed
- 38 h → €1,520
- Temp staff removed
- 24 h → €790
- Reassigned internally
- 78 h → €0 cash
- Reported cash saving
- €2,310, not €4,900
Interactive example
Loaded labour rate per productive hour
- Loaded rate
- € 26,71 / h
- Labour per garment
- € 0,245
- Annual loaded cost
- € 41.140
Same calculation kernel as the full calculators. For a decision-grade result, open the matching calculator.
Run the numbers in a calculator
Turn your own numbers into a bank-ready PDF report.
Create a reportRelated reading
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