Project History

Production Line Optimization (China)

1. Project Overview 

Industry: Consumer Electronics
Company Size: 50–100 employees
Location: China
Project Duration: 6 months
Role: External Project and Quality Consultant; partly operating independently on-site and partly together with the German CEO on behalf of the parent company  

2. Initial Situation 

The production line was highly inefficient and operationally unstable:

• Scrap rate exceeding 70%
• No standardized in-process quality control
• No structured final inspection
• No reporting system or performance metrics
• Approximately 90% manual production steps
• High error rates due to adhesive application processes
• No defined task descriptions for employees
• Communication gaps between Germany and China due to insufficient consideration of cultural differences

Production was running, but structurally neither stable nor controllable.

3. Objectives

• Reduce scrap rate to a competitive level
• Introduce structured quality controls
• Establish a reliable reporting and KPI system
• Stabilize production processes
• Define clear roles and responsibilities
• Improve cross-cultural collaboration 

4. Approach

• Comprehensive on-site process analysis
• Identification of root causes (particularly adhesive-related defects)
• Implementation of Lean principles to eliminate non-value-adding activities
• Application of Six Sigma methodologies for root cause analysis
• Introduction of a structured Quality Management System aligned with ISO 9001
• Implementation of standardized in-process and final quality inspections
• Development of a KPI-based reporting system
• Adjustment of communication structures considering cultural aspects 

5. Results

• Reduction of scrap rate from over 70% to 4% within six months
• Significantly stabilized production processes
• Transparent quality metrics
• Systematic quality controls established
• Improved cross-cultural collaboration 

6. Strategic Impact

The company achieved: 

• Cost stability through drastic reduction of defective output
• Improved production predictability
• Increased product quality and delivery reliability
• Sustainable process structures instead of short-term corrective actions
• Strengthened international leadership and operational governance