Production Stuck at 50

[Trukk78]

Very often, when running 2-to-1 products like Logs > Lumber > Tools, the tool factory will only produce 50. If I look at the factory details it says "deliver more lumber", but if I look at the lumber mill it says "ship more lumber", yet I've empty trains running between them! I also have excess capacity on both the logs and delivery to commerical zones sides of the supply chain. I never have this problem with 1-to-1 products like grain > food. Any ideas as it's no annoying!

[philmo]

Under the tab for the factory what does it show as the potential for tools?

[SlimNasty™]

You'll need to produce machines and ship as well in order for that factory to work to it's potential.

[Trukk78]

@Philmo: About 900 tools. @SlimNasty: Yes that would be the excess capacity (ie trains/trucks running bascially empty because the factory isn't getting lumber to produce tools).

[Vimpster]

I think you may have misunderstood what Slim is saying. The tool/machine factory will not increase past 50 production unless you are producing and shipping both tools and machines. They both need to be near the production limit for the factory to upgrade.

[Trukk78]

@Vimpster: The base limit is 100 units, so I could see not getting more than 100 if that were the case, but not 50. Also, with other factories (ex farms) I can ship only one product and it will upgrade to meet demand.

[canophone]

Base limit for machines factory is 100, but split 50:50 between machines and tools. Needs both to increase production level.

[maj.solo]

I never got the machine factory to produce more then 50 if you only supply timber or only steel. It is when you make it able to make machines that production goes up. The tools thing is just a side show.

The machine factory simply want to make machines :) and then some tools on the side.

[chrisasnyder]

The tools machine factories are difficult for a few reasons. As mentioned ealier you have to have demand for both tools and machines. You must keep the demand for them the same since the factory will only output at the lowest demand of the two. The products go to different zones in a city, so the delivery chain must reach everywhere. This factory can consume a lot of resources. Suppling lumber and steel for example, has a consumption of 2 planks. At half the maximum demand for tools/machines, a lumber to plank chain will be running at maximum output satisfy the demand. A setup failure in the wood chain, will cause the whole thing to stop.

What this means is even at low output for the tools machines factory, the supply of planks will be high. As a result the entire system will be more sensitive to the failure of the plank chain, more so than what a player will see with other industries. This will be even more difficult in early game years, because the transport systems simply arn't strong enough for a factory running at high output.

It is an intentionally challening and unstable factory.

[Trukk78]

Thank you for the replies and information! Now I have a path forward!