Update: I recently made some changes to this article. Most assumed that I was in favor of always slowing down to increase throughput, but it’s actually only advisable if you can increase efficiency by a significant amount (10-20%). All the changes are in the last paragraph. Can you increase efficiency and throughput by slowing down? [...]

Getting the best performance out of an automated packaging line is a difficult task. It is made up of a series of independent machines that each perform a different function such as filling, labeling, packing, etc. The machines are linked together by an overall control system that records the states of each machine (ie. waiting, [...]