A French Tier-2 automotive supplier was losing €6.2M annually to rework, overprocessing, and waiting time. SNZ Sona's DMAIC intervention delivered €2.4M in verifiable savings within a single quarter.
38%
Cost Reduction
€2.4M
Annual Waste Eliminated
11
Weeks to Results
The Challenge
Our client — a 600-employee Tier-2 automotive components supplier near Lyon — had seen margins compress by 14% over three years. Internal process reviews consistently identified 'quality issues' as the root cause, but corrective actions never lasted beyond 6 months. When we arrived, 22% of production output required rework before shipping.
The true cost of this defect rate, including the hidden costs of waiting, transportation, and overprocessing, exceeded €6.2M per year. Yet the production floor was busy — operationally the plant looked active. The problem was systemic, embedded in processes, not people.
Leadership needed more than another quality review. They needed root causes identified, quantified, and permanently resolved — with a team that could execute quickly and leave the capability behind.
22% of production output required rework
Baseline defect rate at engagement start — before any intervention
Our Approach
Stakeholder interviews, process boundary mapping, 47 data points collected across 3 production lines. Project charter signed off with Operations Director and Production Manager jointly.
Current state Value Stream Map completed. Defect rate baselined at 22.3% across all shifts. Cpk analysis on 12 critical dimensions identified 4 statistically incapable processes. Gauge R&R study revealed 31% measurement system variation.
Root cause analysis via fishbone diagrams and 5-Why methodology. Primary cause identified: inconsistent fixture calibration across shifts. Secondary cause: shift handover knowledge gap allowing deviations to carry forward undetected into the next production run.
Fixture calibration SOP redesigned with photographic visual aids. Hourly interval checks introduced with documented sign-off. Power BI quality dashboard built to surface real-time deviations to shift supervisors. Shift supervisor training delivered across all three production lines.
Verified Results
Reduction in total production cost per unit
Verified against pre-engagement cost baseline across all three production lines
Defect rate improvement — 22.3% down to 4.1%
Measured using the same sampling methodology as the pre-engagement baseline
Annualised waste eliminated
Inclusive of rework reduction, scrap reduction, and waiting time elimination
Full implementation timeline
From engagement start to signed-off control plan and client handover
Sustained process regressions at 6-month review
Follow-up audit conducted at 6 months confirmed all controls remained active and effective
"SNZ Sona didn't just fix a defect problem — they rebuilt how our operations think about quality. The Power BI dashboards mean our supervisors catch deviations in real-time, not at end-of-shift. The savings speak for themselves, but the capability they left behind is what we value most."
Operations Director
Automotive Tier-2 Supplier, Lyon
Tools & Methods
Next Step
We begin every engagement with a free diagnostic call. In 45 minutes, we'll identify whether your operation has the same type of hidden waste — and quantify the opportunity before you commit.