I work in a factory and we make small disposable products that are produced by the millions in a shift. In my department I run three machines that help shape part of the product before it reaches completion. Management has set production goals for us to achieve and they push us hard to reach those but we regularly fall short, leaving us with more pressure and stress. The current goal is 175,000 parts made in an 8-hour shift.
So, during a time when my machines are running well with no problems, I was bored and decided to do some math. I took all three of my machines and timed them. I then collected the total product they made in a given time to give me a good estimate of their production capacity. I did this several times just to be sure I had the numbers right. Here's what I got.
Each machine runs about 100 pieces per minute.
That's 6000 and hour per machine.
In an 8-hour shift, that's 48,000 parts.
So, multiply this by 3 and you get a grand total of 144,000 parts.
Now to beat the dead horse:
This is the theorhetical maximum, and it's theorhetical because my position is to not only run machines but perform maintenance when things go wrong (which they do all the time). The theorhetical maximum assumes that at the start of the shift, every machine turns on and runs the entire 8 hours without any need for maintenance. This includes when I go to breaks and when I clean machines at the end of the day (which requires me to turn them off and end production).
In short, management simply picked a number out of a hat and are now crossing their fingers and wishing really, really hard before blowing out the candles on their birthday cake that they'll reach their goal. They have a goal and litetally have no way of obtaining it because they're too stupid to take the time to determine if it's even realistic… and that's apparently our falt.
TL;DR: Highest paid people at company are too big-brained to understand basic math.