Productivity increase through cycle time reduction
Bottleneck Cycle Time Reduction Boosts Productivity by 30%
A leading global manufacturer of automotive components partnered with EFESO to address a production bottleneck within its new electric vehicle battery cooling systems line. Through a data-driven, cross-functional approach, EFESO helped the client reduce cycle time, boost productivity by 30%, and set the foundation for a potential 60% volume increase with minor product design modifications.
Our Client
The client is a multinational manufacturer of automotive components, recognized for its technical expertise and strong industrial footprint. The company recently expanded its portfolio with a new business line dedicated to electric vehicle battery cooling systems, rapidly gaining significant market share in this emerging segment.
“We can postpone investments for 2 years coping with the demand in the meanwhile.
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The Challenge
The client’s new product line for the electric vehicle market faced a severe production bottleneck at the press stage.
Despite numerous attempts to improve performance, the issue persisted due to:
- Process not in basic conditions: Established “habits” were treated as fixed rules, resulting in unnecessary steps and extended cycle time.
- Incomplete understanding of failure modes: Root causes were only partially identified, preventing sustainable improvements.
- Limited link between product and process design: Potential design adjustments that could enable higher productivity were not explored.
Real Results Achieved Together
The collaboration delivered measurable performance gains and created a solid foundation for further scalability.
Potential volume increase pending customer approval of minor product design modifications
Transformation Impact
- Eliminated inefficiencies and optimized bottleneck performance.
- Strengthened cross-functional collaboration between R&D, Quality, Maintenance, and Production.
- Established experimental methodologies that generated new process knowledge.
- Built readiness for substantial volume growth with minimal design changes.
Our Approach
EFESO’s approach combined rigorous technical analysis with strong cross-functional collaboration:
- Correlating Product and Process
• Linked product design characteristics to process performance.
• Identified unnecessary phases that increased cycle time. - Restoring Basic Process Conditions
• Conducted in-depth analysis of process parameters and variability.
• Re-established process standards and eliminated inefficiencies. - Cross-Functional Problem Solving
• Facilitated hands-on collaboration between R&D, Quality, Maintenance, and Production teams.
• Designed and executed targeted experiments to generate factual knowledge and validate improvement hypotheses.
Ready to Unlock Hidden Capacity in Your Production Line?
- Eliminate bottlenecks and boost productivity without major capital investment
- Stop accepting “that’s how we’ve always done it” as the reason for underperformance
- Join manufacturers who’ve transformed constraints into competitive advantages