Mq-c2

MQ-C2-I
(6-2012)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

INSTRUCTIONS FOR
THE QUARTERLY SURVEY OF PLANT CAPACITY UTILIZATION

Page
General Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Item by Item Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Item 1 – Operational Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Item 2 – Value of Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Item 3 – Actual and Full Production Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Item 4 – Work Patterns for The Quarter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Item 5 – National Emergency Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

AUTHORITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY – Your
response is voluntary. By section 9 of Title 13,
United States Code, your report is confidential. It
may be seen only by persons sworn to uphold the
confidentiality of Census Bureau information, and
may be used only for statistical purposes. The law
also provides that copies of your report retained in
your files are immune from legal process. Response
is not required to any information collection form
unless it displays a valid approval number from the
Office of Management and Budget. This 8-digit
number appears in the upper right corner of the
form.

WHEN TO REPORT

PUBLIC REPORTING

INTERNET REPORTING – We encourage you to
complete this survey online at:
www.census.gov/econhelp/pcu. We have provided
your username and password on the front of the
form under the address label.

Complete the survey form and return it in the
enclosed return envelope by the date printed on the
top of the form. If you have misplaced the return
envelope, mail the completed form to:
U.S. Census Bureau
1201 East 10th Street
Jeffersonville, IN 47132-0001
You can also fax the form to:
1-800-447-4613
HOW TO REPORT

Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 2 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions,
searching existing data sources, gathering and
maintaining the data needed, and completing and
reviewing the collection of information. Send
comments regarding this burden estimate or any
other aspect of this collection of information,
including suggestions for reducing this burden, to:
Paperwork Project 0607-0175, U.S. Census Bureau,
4600 Silver Hill Road, AMSD-3K138, Washington, DC
20233. You may e-mail comments to
[email protected]; use "Paperwork Project
0607-0175" as the subject.

Answer all questions on the report form. Follow the
instructions for each item given on this sheet.
Report market value of production figures in
thousands of dollars. For example, if value of
production is 1,125,788 dollars, enter the figure as
follows:
Mil.

Thou.

1

126

WHO SHOULD REPORT?
NAME AND ADDRESS

This report covers the manufacturing plant or
publishing facility named in the address box of the
form. If your company operates more than one
location, REPORT ONLY FOR THOSE PLANTS
SELECTED FOR THIS SAMPLE SURVEY. A report
form and instruction sheet are enclosed for each
plant selected. If the location in the address box is
not a manufacturing plant or publishing facility,
indicate this in the remarks section.

Review the name and address of this plant printed in
the top right corner of the report form. Line out any
errors and make any necessary corrections or
additions in the address box.
Item 1 – OPERATIONAL STATUS
Report the status of operations at this plant at the
end of the quarter by marking the appropriate box.
If:

Since some of the information necessary to
complete this form may not be in your records,
CONSULT THE PLANT MANAGER on questions
regarding full production capability and emergency
production.

In Operation – Complete items 2 through 6.
Idle Plants – Complete items 2 through 6.
a. If this plant was temporarily idle during the entire
quarter report actual operations as zero where
appropriate.

WHAT TO REPORT?
This survey form primarily asks for 2 levels of
operating capability of this plant for the quarter :

b. If this plant was temporarily idle during only part
of the quarter report the actual operations for the
time the plant was in operation.

(1) the market value of actual goods produced;
(2) the value of products that could have been
produced if the plant was operating at full
capacity during the quarter.

For both cases, report full production capabilities
based on the plant’s peak quarterly production
during the year.

If prior quarter data are NOT printed on the form,
you do not need to enter data for that period.

MQ-C2-I (6-2012)

Permanently Ceased Operations – Indicate the
month and year when operations ceased at this
plant. If the plant was in operation at ANY time
during the quarter, complete items 2 through 6.
Report full production capabilities as if the plant
operated the entire quarter.
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the form. Do not include any printing that is
contracted out. If you do not perform any printing
activities, please indicate so in the remarks
section on the back of the form.

Item 1 – OPERATIONAL STATUS – Continued
Sold or Leased Plant – If this plant was sold or
leased to another company, indicate the month and
year this action took place, and the name and
address of the new owner.

Item 2b – FULL PRODUCTION CAPABILITY

a. If you still maintain records for this plant, complete
items 2 through 6.
b. If you do not have information about
this plant, complete item 6 only and return the form.
SPECIAL NOTE:
Seasonal Operations
a. If this plant is usually temporarily idle during the
quarter due to seasonal factors, report as instructed
for idle plants.
b. If this plant was not temporarily idle during the
quarter, but its operations vary substantially from
quarter to quarter, due to seasonal factors, complete
items 2 through 6, and report full production
capabilities based on the plant’s peak quarterly
production during the year.

Read the definition and assumptions regarding full
production capability. Estimate your market value of
products that would have been produced if the plant
was operating at full capacity during the quarter. Use
one of the two methods suggested below or your
own computations.
Full Production Capability – The maximum level
of production that this establishment could
reasonably expect to attain under normal and
realistic operating conditions fully utilizing the
machinery and equipment in place. In estimating
market value at full production capability, consider
the following:
• Assume only the machinery and equipment in place
and ready to operate will be utilized. Do not include
facilities or equipment that would require extensive
reconditioning before they can be made operable.
• Assume normal downtime, maintenance, repair,
and cleanup. If full production requires additional
shifts or hours of operation, then appropriate
downtime should be considered in the estimate.

Item 2 – VALUE OF PRODUCTION
Item 2a – MARKET VALUE OF ACTUAL
PRODUCTION
Report the value of production based on estimated
sales price(s) of what was produced during the
quarter, not quarter sales. If production at this plant
consists of only interplant transfers, use method (2)
below to calculate market value of production.

• Assume number of shifts, hours of plant operations,
and overtime pay that can be sustained under
normal conditions and a realistic work schedule.
• Assume labor, materials, utilities, etc. are fully
available.

Three methods – to estimate market value of goods
produced during the quarter:

• Assume a product mix that was typical or
representative of your production during the quarter.
If your plant is subject to short-run variation assume
the same product mix as the actual production.
• Do not assume increased use of productive facilities
outside the plant for services (such as contracting
out subassembly work) in excess of the proportion
that would be normal during the quarter.

(1) Estimate the sales price(s) of item(s) produced,
then multiply the sales price(s) by the total
number of items produced during the quarter.
(2) Use book figures of actual production costs plus
an estimate of markup to cover overhead and
profit.
(3) Use quarter value of shipments f.o.b. (freight on
board) from the plant (including the value of
interplant transfers within a company, in addition
to direct costs of production, but excluding
resales and miscellaneous receipts) plus any
additions or subtractions to the finished stock of
inventories present before the current quarter
(excluding materials and supplies). [Value of
production = value of shipments + value of
ending inventory – value of beginning inventory].

SPECIAL NOTE:
Job shops and custom orders: For full production,
estimate the market value of work that you could
have accomplished under sustainable operating
conditions and if you had sufficient orders.
Publishing/printing plants: For full production,
report printing sales for this location as if it were
running at peak circulation.
Two Methods to estimate market value of
production when operating at full production
capability:
(1) If you have a reliable or accurate estimate of your
plant’s sustainable capacity utilization rate:
Divide your market value of production at actual
operations (item 2a) by your current rate of
capacity utilization (in decimal form). For
example, if your value of actual operations during
the quarter is $1,200,000 and your plant is
currently at 80% capacity, divide $1,200,000 by
0.80 for a full production capability of $1,500,000.

SPECIAL NOTE:
Do not include manufacturing contracted to others.
If you contract out all of your manufacturing, please
state this in the "Remarks" section, complete item 6,
and return the form.
Job shops and custom orders: For actual
production, report value of work done during the
current quarter.
Publishing/printing plants: For actual production,
report your printing sales only (NOT advertising
sales) for the location named in the address box of
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MQ-C2-I (6-2012)

Item 2b – FULL PRODUCTION CAPABILITY –
Continued
Capacity
Market value of
Actual Value of
= production at
/
Utilization
Production
Rate
Full Capacity
Your plant’s capacity utilization rate should be based
on a capacity output measure that your plant could
have sustained under normal, not emergency,
conditions.
(2) For each product, estimate the number of items
that could have been produced if operating at full
production, as defined by the assumptions given.
Multiply the number of items produced by its
sales price (or market value). For example, if you
can produce 25,000 items in the quarter, under
full production criteria, and the sales price
(market value) for each item is $4.50, then
multiply 25,000 times $4.50 for a full production
capability of $112,500.
Number of
Sales price
Market value of
x (Market
= production at
items
Value)
Full Capacity
produced
If producing more than one product, sum the
market values of production at full production
estimated for each product (assuming the same
product mix) for a total value of full production for
the plant.
Enter your estimate for value of full production in
item 2b.
Item 2c – CAPACITY UTILIZATION
(1) Divide your estimate for actual production (Item
2a) by full production (Item 2b) capability. Multiply
this number by 100. Enter this percentage in the
box.
(2) Is this a reasonable estimate of your
utilization rate for this quarter? Mark (X) yes
or no. If no, please review your full production
capability estimate. If yes, continue with the next
item.

during the quarter. Do not consider maintenance,
administrative, or support operations as additional
shifts. Do not consider overtime hours as additional
shifts. If the plant did not operate a second or third
shift, do not complete the corresponding columns.
Complete ALL items for each shift reported.
a. Days per week-in-operation – For each shift,
report the typical number of days per week-inoperation for the quarter. If your plant has
departments or assembly lines that operate varied
number of days within a shift, report days per
week-in-operation for the department operating the
greatest number of days per week for that shift. For
example, if one production line operates 7 days per
week during the first shift and a second production
line operates 5 days per week during the first shift,
report that the first shift operates 7 days per week.
b. Plant hours per week-in-operation – For each
shift, report the typical number of hours the plant
was in operation during a single week. If your
plant has departments or assembly lines that
operate at varied periods of time within a shift,
report hours per week-in-operation for the
production department operating the greatest
number of hours per week for that shift. Do not
report the number of person hours worked (see
below).
c. Weeks-in-operation in the quarter – For each
shift, report the total number of weeks the plant
operated during the quarter. NOTE: The quarter
covers 13 weeks.
d. Number of production workers (including
temporary workers) – For each shift, report the
number of production workers at this establishment,
including both permanent (payroll) and temporary
employees who were paid during the second week
of the second month of the quarter. Include all
persons on paid sick leave, paid holidays, paid
vacation during this pay period.

Item 3 – ACTUAL AND FULL PRODUCTION
COMPARISONS

NOTE: Include workers (up through the
line-supervisor level) engaged in fabricating,
processing, assembling, inspecting, receiving,
packing, warehousing, shipping (but not delivering),
maintenance, repair, janitorial, guard services,
product development, auxiliary production for
plant’s own use (e.g., power plant), record keeping,
and other closely associated services. Include truck
drivers delivering ready-mixed concrete.

Item 3a – FULL PRODUCTION CAPABILITY:
CURRENT QUARTER VS. PREVIOUS
QUARTER
If the value of full production for the current quarter
differs from the previous quarter, mark (X) the
primary reasons for the change.
Item 3b – ACTUAL OPERATIONS VS. FULL
PRODUCTION CAPABILITY
Compare the actual value of production to the
estimated value of full production in the quarter.
Mark (X) reasons why your actual operations were
less than the estimated value of full production
capability, if appropriate.

Exclude nonproduction personnel, including those
engaged in supervision above line-supervisor level,
sales, sales delivery (truck drivers and helpers),
advertising, credit, collection, installation and
servicing of own product, clerical and routine office
functions, executive, purchasing, finance, legal,
personnel (including cafeteria, etc.), professional
and technical.

Item 4 – WORK PATTERNS FOR THE QUARTER
Actual Operations – Report work patterns for the
following characteristics covering each production
shift of actual operations during the quarter. Report
based on the average number of shifts per day

MQ-C2-I (6-2012)

Page 4

Item 5 – NATIONAL EMERGENCY PRODUCTION

SPECIAL NOTE

Read the definition and assumptions regarding
national emergency production. Estimate your value
of production under national emergency conditions
for the quarter. Use your own computations or
methods similar to those described for estimating
full production capability.

Jobs shops and custom orders: For national
emergency production, estimate the market value of
work that could have been done if you received
additional orders assuming maximum number of
employees working multiple shifts that the facility
can accommodate.
Publishing/printing plants: For national
emergency production, report value of printing if
operating machinery as close to 168 hours/week as
possible.

SPECIAL NOTE: Your value of production at national
emergency levels should be greater than or equal
to your value of full production capability. If it is less
than your full production capability, please review
your computations.

Item 5b – Select a time period that would have been
reasonable to increase output to emergency
production level. Include time to hire and train labor
force.

Item 5a – National Emergency Production – The
maximum level of production that this plant could
expect to attain and sustain for one year or more
under national emergency conditions.
National emergency conditions are situations, such
as a military mobilization or natural disaster, which
are likely to create widespread excess demand
requiring additional work shifts.
For example, military mobilization may require
increased production of food, clothing, building
supplies, and conversion of plants to produce
alternative products in addition to traditional defense
hardware. Devastation from natural disasters, such
as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or fire, may
require increased production of similar goods as
well as increased production to compensate for
plants damaged or destroyed.

If you have any questions concerning the
definitions or instructions, please contact the
Special Studies Branch of the Manufacturing and
Construction Division on 1-800-201-4647 option
5or visit our help site at
www.census.gov/econhelp/pcu.

In estimating national emergency production,
consider the following:
• Assume full use of all machinery and equipment in
place (including machinery and equipment that
would require extensive reconditioning before they
could be made operable).
• Assume minimal downtime and multi-work shift
operations.
• Assume plant production as close to 168 hours per
week as possible, including extra shifts (e.g.,
operating 7 days per week, 24 hours per day less
minimal downtime).
• Assume overtime pay, availability of labor,
materials, utilities, etc., are fully available to
you and your suppliers.
• Assume you can sell all your output.
• Assume your product mix can change.
• Assume increased use of productive facilities outside
the plant for services (such as contracting out
subassembly work) in excess of the proportion that
would be normal during the quarter.

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MQ-C2-I (6-2012)