Operational transformation case study
Automotive production launch
from 4 to 74+ vehicles a week
Global paint protection film specialist
Throughput, cycle time and quality transformed in a new production operation inside a live car plant in the West Midlands.
18x
Weekly throughput
73%
Cycle time reduction
85%+
Rework reduction
80%+
First time audit pass
The challenge
Low output and heavy rework at launch
A global paint protection film specialist was launching a new production operation inside a car manufacturer’s flagship plant in the West Midlands, working directly within the live flow.
Early output was 4 vehicles a week. Parts often needed repeated attempts to get right and fewer than 1 in 10 vehicles passed the manufacturer’s audit first time.
Output had to grow in two undeveloped 20,000 sq ft warehouse spaces without holding up the line around them. The operation was led on site for 22 months, from launch to stable output.
What made it complex
- Output of 4 vehicles a week at launch
- Under 10% passing OEM audit first time
- A live OEM flow that could not be held up
- Undeveloped warehouse space to start from
What was delivered
Production line optimisation from launch to stable output
One operations lead across capacity, workflow, quality, people and reporting.
Capacity planning
Capacity planned against production demand, so staffing, training and space could grow in step as weekly output climbed.
Workflow and layout
Undeveloped warehouse space laid out as one flow through wash, preparation, installation, cure and OEM audit stages.
Lean and cycle time
Lean methods including Kanban and Kaizen applied at each stage, cutting cycle time by 73% and improving labour utilisation.
Process control
A full set of SOPs and quality checkpoints written from scratch, cutting rework by over 85% and lifting first time audit passes above 80%.
Workforce planning
Team grown from 6 to 15, with recruitment, onboarding and training frameworks set up to match production demand.
KPI reporting
Custom KPI and operational reporting used to find constraints, improve visibility and support production decisions.
The result
Output taken from 4 to 74+ vehicles a week on a single shift, while first time audit passes rose from under 10% to over 80%.
40,000 sq ft
Space converted
6 to 15
Team scaled
5
Production stages
Related services
Service used
Constraints in process, throughput and systems found on site, then fixed and stabilised without stopping the line.
Run alongside
New systems, processes and sites introduced with training and adoption planned in, so the change holds.
Where to start
An independent review with a written action plan showing the causes and what to fix, for a fixed £2,450.
Output falling short or rework too high?
Describe the operation and get a clear view of how it could be improved, from layout and process to the team running it.
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