Eliminating Paper Enables Improved Business Performance and Cultural Transformation
Company Size
200-1,000
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- Hertzler Systems GainSeeker Suite
- iPads
Tech Stack
- GainSeeker Suite
- iPads
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Customer Satisfaction
- Digital Expertise
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Consumer Goods
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Predictive Maintenance
- Process Control & Optimization
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Smoker Craft is a boat manufacturing company that faced significant challenges in managing and analyzing data due to their reliance on a paper-based system. The company had enormous amounts of data stored in filing cabinets and off-site locations, making it difficult to access and analyze in a timely manner. The legacy system provided no controls or standards, leading to inconsistent evaluations and data collection. Inspectors had to climb over boats to perform inspections, and any attempt to use the data required many hours of compiling, retyping, and sorting. This often resulted in solving the wrong problems due to the inability to see the big picture. The company operated using old data or handwritten notes, leading to cynicism, conflict, and apathy among employees.
The Challenge
Like many manufacturers, boat maker Smoker Craft had enormous amounts of data stored on paper, making it nearly impossible to access and analyze in a timely manner. The legacy paper system provided no controls or standards, leading to inconsistent evaluations and data collection. Inspectors had to climb over boats to perform inspections, and any attempt to use the data required many hours of compiling, retyping, and sorting. This often resulted in solving the wrong problems due to the inability to see the big picture. The company operated using old data or handwritten notes, leading to cynicism, conflict, and apathy among employees.
The Solution
Smoker Craft replaced their paper-based inspection process with iPads powered by Hertzler Systems GainSeeker Suite. The new system was custom configured to imitate the best parts of the paper-based system while providing intuitive and precise data collection. Inspectors can still climb over the boats to conduct their inspections, but now they tap iPad screens to log defect information. The system guides them through the inspection process, ensuring standard processes and operational definitions are followed. This makes the data more reliable and easier to train new inspectors. The new system also allows for rapid analysis and improved confidence in the data. Frey can now use GainSeeker’s powerful drill-down feature on Pareto charts to quickly identify the main areas requiring rework. The inspection process has become faster, and the data is now in a form that makes analyzing it very simple. Frey meets with his inspectors weekly to review the data in GainSeeker, ensuring they are focused on the correct areas.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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