Example implementations described herein estimate parameters for equipment that cannot be sensed directly, including determining if such equipment is running or stopping. Example implementations determine the standard throughput per equipment and product, based on history of equipment production data, extract previous and next equipment of robotic arms on the line by using physical topology information of robot arms and equipment, senses and determines throughput of associated robot arms and compares the robot arm throughput with the standard throughputs of the previous and next equipment, which help determine whether the previous/next equipment have stopped.

Example implementations described herein estimate parameters for equipment that cannot be sensed directly, including determining if such equipment is running or stopping. Example implementations determine the standard throughput per equipment and product, based on history of equipment production data, extract previous and next equipment of robotic arms on the line by using physical topology information of robot arms and equipment, senses and determines throughput of associated robot arms and compares the robot arm throughput with the standard throughputs of the previous and next equipment, which help determine whether the previous/next equipment have stopped.

Apparatuses and methods for operating at least two tools in a first and at least a second processing area, wherein in each processing area a number of machining locations is assigned to the tool by which first components carried by a component web are conveyed along a track through the first and the at least second processing area, wherein the total number of tools in the apparatus is less than the number of machining locations in each processing area, wherein the track comprises a number of partial paths corresponding to the number of machining locations, wherein the tool of each processing area is adapted such as to couple respective second components to respective first components at each associated machining location in its processing area, and wherein the apparatus comprises a control unit adapted to operate in response to a conveying movement of the component web along the track.