Executive Summary
*Names of companies and individuals have been sanitized to protect their privacy*
Facing critical quality issues that threatened a key client relationship, Impruver´s manufacturing customer launched a targeted continuous improvement initiative to resolve recurring die-cut registration defects. By implementing a cross-functional root cause analysis and deploying strategic countermeasures, including tooling redesigns and visual management systems, the team successfully reduced defect rates by 50%. This project not only saved costs but also restored customer confidence, securing a partnership for future high-volume projects.
Introduction
“Global Manufacturing Company (GMC)” is a key legacy account of Impruver’s customer, known for providing unique products with non-standard specification label needs. As a local partner with growing annual volumes, GMC represents a significant business opportunity. However, they were hesitant to consolidate their volume with our customer due to recurring concerns regarding quality and delivery reliability. To secure this expanding business, our customer needed to demonstrate a definitive improvement in quality control and process capability.
The Problem
The primary challenge was a consistent “Bad Registration” defect occurring during the die-cut process, which led to missed On-Time Shipments (OTS) and eroded customer confidence.
Data analysis revealed:
- High Defect Rate: The die-cut registration defect rate sat at 4.72%.
- Financial Impact: In the 2024-2025 period, internal reruns cost the company $60,110 (6.74% of revenue from the customer), while credits issued for defective products totaled $16,129.
- Root Causes: A cross-functional 5-Why analysis identified that non-standard registration tolerances, coupled with a lack of specific operator training and an inability to detect out-of-spec products during the run, were the key drivers of the defects.
GMC made it clear: without measurable quality improvements, they would not entrust our customer with their upcoming increased volume.
The Solution
Our customer initiated a structured “Plan-Do-Check-Act” (PDCA) project to attack the problem at its root. The cross-functional team, including Quality, Production, and Pre-Press, implemented a multi-faceted strategy:
- Engineering Redesigns: The team worked with GMC to redesign lot code sizes and locations, increasing registration tolerance on the products.
- Tooling Innovation: Impruver´s customer designed custom tools with built-in perforations to eliminate registration drift during the cutting process.
- Visual Management: A “checkerboard” pattern was implemented in the bleed area of the labels, serving as an immediate visual indicator for operators if the registration drifted out of spec.
- Targeted Training: Die-cut operators underwent specific training protocols for running GMC products, ensuring they understood the unique constraints and requirements of the non-standard specifications.
Result
The rigorous application of Lean problem-solving tools delivered quantifiable business impact, meeting all project targets.
- 50% Defect Reduction: The project successfully lowered the die-cut registration defect rate from 4.72% to 2.36%.
- Cost Savings: The reduction in reruns and equipment run time generated approximately $28,000 in savings.
- Improved Reliability: On-Time Shipment (OTS) performance for GMC improved by 27.7%.
- Strategic Win: The formal recognition of the Impruver’s customer ability to solve complex quality issues restored trust. GMC’s internal team committed to partnering with our customer for a new upcoming project.
Conclusion
This partnership demonstrates that even deep-seated quality challenges can be overcome with a disciplined, data-driven approach. By engaging leadership, empowering the workforce with better tools and training, and utilizing visual management, Impruver´s customer transformed a risk into a competitive advantage.
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