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Case Study

Elevating KPI Tracking and Operational Efficiency in Defense Manufacturing with iGEMBA

A U.S. defense manufacturer monitored KPIs on paper during Gemba walks, with little visibility across SDQC and no history for root cause analysis. iGEMBA replaced paper with live KPI dashboards, smart visualisation and tracked issue resolution.

Engagement at a glance
Client
U.S. defense manufacturer of weapon systems, missile parts and ammunition
Industry
Aerospace and defense
Solution
ITHENA Digital Shopfloor (iGEMBA)
Scope
Digital KPI dashboards, SDQC visibility, KPI history, issue tracking
Headline result
32% higher productivity
Opportunity for impact

Three numbers the defense shop floor moved.

Results after Gemba walks moved from paper to iGEMBA.

32%

Boost in overall productivity

Hours of paper-based KPI reporting disappeared from every week.

25%

Reduction in decision-making time

Live dashboards put SDQC performance in front of leaders during the walk.

29%

Increase in operational efficiency

Historical KPI access and tracked issues made root cause analysis routine.

About the client

Meet the organization and understand the context behind the transformation.

The client specializes in designing, developing, and manufacturing weapon systems, missile parts, and ammunition. To address challenges with delayed decision-making, limited visibility into performance metrics, and a lack of comprehensive root cause analysis, they implemented ITHENA’s iGEMBA solution. By transitioning to real-time KPI tracking, smart visualization tools, and automated alerts, the company significantly enhanced operational efficiency, boosted productivity, and reduced decision-making time, positioning them for continued success in a demanding industry.

In their words
I just posted an entire week of material to these programs for reporting in about 30 minutes. Used to take me 15+ hours all during the week. YAY!!!!

-Enloa, End User
Key challenges faced

Gemba walks slowed by paper.

KPI monitoring was manual, so trends went unseen and issues were found late.

  • Delayed decision-making and action due to time-consuming paper-based KPI monitoring during Gemba walks
  • Inability to identify trends and patterns for proactive management of shop floor incidents
  • Limited visibility into key performance indicators across SDQC
  • Unavailability of historical data to conduct thorough root cause analysis (RCA) and developing targeted corrective actions
Our solution

How ITHENA closed the gaps.

ITHENA’s Digital Shopfloor (iGEMBA) solution provided the client with:

Digital KPI Dashboard

Digitized dashboards enabled users to define organizational hierarchy and KPIs for a unified view of shop floor performance

Smart Visualization

Persona-based visualization of KPI formulas and color thresholds for clear performance insights

Historical KPI Access

Provided access to historical data of KPIs for easy comparison of current observations with past trends, enabling effective pattern analysis

Proactive Issue Resolution

Streamlined efficient task tracking and issue resolution related to KPI breaches

Persona-based Access

Secured platform with permissions tailored to user personas

Inside the console

SDQC breaches, caught on the walk.

An illustrative iGEMBA view: safety, delivery, quality and cost tracked live, with every breach turned into a tracked issue.

igemba.ithena.app/gemba/sdqc
giGEMBA Gemba walkSDQCIssuesHistory 3 OP
SDQC/Machining cell/This week
Safety, delivery, quality and cost, this week2 KPI breaches flagged
BREACH LIMIT MonThuSun
Delivery on timeQuality defect indexSafety observationsBreach, issue raised
Gemba walk data captured on tablets, no paper · 09:41:07
Since iGEMBA went liveLive
32%Overall productivity, up
25%Decision time, down
29%Operational efficiency, up
52Weeks of KPI history
Issues raised this month, by SDQC area
Quality17
Delivery12
Cost8
Safety5
People4
Proactive issue tracking3 open
Quality breach on cell 2, issue IS-418 opened14m
Trend: defects rising on second shift for 3 days35m
RCA closed for last week’s delivery miss1h
Persona view shared with plant leadership2h
Gemba walk completed, 9 KPIs reviewed3h

Illustrative view. Unit names, counts, shares and activity are examples; the headline results are the client's.

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