+3K
Employees
Opex 4.0 Boosts OEE 10% and Reduces Losses in Engineered Foams
A leading engineered foams provider sought to integrate digitalization into its WCOM™ program while respecting individual plant needs. EFESO guided the company through a structured digital adoption approach, combining Industry 4.0 principles, advanced analytics, and close Operations-IT collaboration.
Industry: Chemicals
Service: Manufacturing
Service: Operational Excellence
Service: Operations Strategy and Transformation
Our Client
A global provider of engineered foams, operating 27 manufacturing plants in 19 countries with a workforce of 3,000 employees. The company generates over €800 million in annual revenue and serves diverse markets requiring specialized foam solutions.
€800M
Annual turnover
27
manufacturing plants worldwide
The Challenge
The client needed to integrate digitalization into the existing WCOM™ program without creating a parallel organization, ensuring real value was added at every operational level. Specific challenges included:
- Customized approach per plant: Each facility required tailored solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all system
- System transition management: Maintaining WCOM™ momentum while introducing digital tools and processes
- Alignment between Operations and IT: Ensuring collaboration to maximize digital adoption and efficiency gains
Real Results Achieved Together
EFESO’s structured digital and operational approach delivered measurable efficiency improvements and reduced operational losses across the global network.
+10%
OEE improvement through digital assistance
-5-10%
Losses via automated quality data processing and advanced analytics
Transformation Impact
- Established structured use case identification for all WCOM™ pillars
- Integrated Industry 4.0 principles with operations for optimized plant-specific digital adoption
- Fostered cross-functional collaboration between Operations and IT
- Accelerated digital tool adoption and process automation across multiple countries
Our Approach
EFESO supported in:
- Use Case identification per Pillar. It is essential to identify the right value adding use cases for every pillar to boost the overall performance
- Industry 4.0 pyramid and WCOM™. One of the key success factors was combining the industry 4.0 pyramid with the evaluation guide of the WCOM™ program
- Close collaboration between Operations and IT. Operations and IT need to work closer together to streamline prerequisites and pillar target pictures to combine forces
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- Achieve breakthrough performance by seamlessly integrating digitalization into your operational excellence program
- Stop struggling with parallel systems that create confusion instead of value
- Join leading manufacturers who have unlocked double-digit improvements through smart digital transformation
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