The company faced a critical issue: an excessive amount of production waste, reaching approximately 15,000 kg per month.
This high volume required dedicated storage areas and frequent interventions from specialized disposal companies, given the specific handling requirements of PVC. The costs of waste management added monthly to the already high costs of unusable material due to processing errors.
The company’s troubled history in previous years had accentuated the difficulties in organisation, increased by the need to resume discontinued productions and the fragmented know-how. The rise in complexity of processes and flows had not been accompanied by an adequate organisation to monitor and manage them. As a result, operational divisions had been created in the management of operations, with each machine operator implementing his own setting system, often different from the others. Thus, there was a lack of standardisation of quality processes.
Strategies to Reduce Waste: the Data-driven Approach
A drastic intervention, although potentially effective, would have required significant time and could have met resistance to change. The key to success was guiding the transition by clearly communicating its rationale.
The chosen solution was the implementation of the Kaizen approach through a dedicated role: the Process Kaizen Leader (PKL).
Originating in Japan, Kaizen engineering focuses on continuous improvement through a set of practices aimed at continuous improvement through constant, small and specific changes. This methodology applies to various aspects of business operations, from process design to human resources management, based on the assumption that small improvements and optimisations are always possible.
Optimizing Processes through Data Analysis
Measure to understand, understand to improve.
The first step was data collection, a fundamental prerequisite for any targeted intervention.
A major challenge was the lack of precise knowledge regarding the number of linear meters produced and the amount of waste generated within a specific timeframe. Estimates were available, but there was no exact measurement.
By introducing simple tracking tools to monitor both conforming and non-conforming linear meters produced, the company was able to:
- Identify error types causing waste and their frequency, based on machine setup parameters.
- Gather technical data to help machine operators improve workflow organization.
The goal was never to assign blame but to find solutions.
Each professional—technician, designer, operator—possesses unique knowledge and skills that, when shared, contribute to an optimized quality process. This data-driven approach helped overcome resistance and hesitation, fostering a culture where employees saw their expertise valued rather than judged.
Quality Can Impact Costs Without Adding Value
The analysis of production and waste assessment processes revealed another critical issue: quality standards that unnecessarily increased costs. The company applied uniform quality criteria to all PVC components, regardless of their aesthetic importance.
For external parts, maintaining consistent color was crucial (e.g., avoiding that a milky white door matched an optic white door). However, for internal components, a slightly wider color tolerance would not affect the product’s perceived value.
For instance, slight color differences between the interior of a drawer in antique pine and one in natural oak had no impact on customer perception but significantly affected production costs. Discarding components with minor color variations led to unnecessary waste.
The Benefits of the Kaizen Approach
The application of Kaizen methodologies made it possible to work on constant improvement without a traumatic impact on business habits.
In particular, it was possible to identify areas of production where hidden waste and inefficiencies were occurring and to establish differentiated control criteria for different types of product. This made it possible to create a shared process for setting the machines, which avoided operational differences between the various shift managers and made it possible to standardise quality.
Another important aspect was the shift from a problem-fixing mentality (solving faults when they happen with buffer solutions) to a problem-solving mentality (solving faults permanently and setting up a policy to prevent faults), inspired by the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement.
Collecting data and analysing them with the input of production personnel has in fact made it possible to improve the efficiency of the machines. Continuous monitoring allows the implementation of a centralised data collection system, which can be consulted in real time, to keep quality, productivity and rejects under control at all times.
The Results of a Data-driven Approach
By prioritizing data-driven analysis and optimization strategies, the company achieved:
- 50% reduction in production waste
- 20% decrease of breakdown
- 20% increase in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
More importantly, the company underwent a fundamental shift in its work methodology, giving more and more importance to the sharing of methods that make it possible to search for a constant improvement in performance.
Faced with the evidence of numbers, operators could benefit from errors and develop other strategies, having the feedback of the results of the actions implemented in production through metric analysis. Also for maintenance, the measurement of failures and their diversification made it possible to establish preventive intervention times, thus reducing unexpected breakdown.
This structured approach fostered a long-term mindset centered on measurement, transforming process knowledge from subjective experience to objective data.
To control a process, you must first understand it. To understand it, you must measure it.
Roberto Rota, Consultant at ŌdeXa
