How We'd Cut Material Variance 90 Days Into a Light Manufacturing Engagement
Representative engagement — operations-led business
Challenge
A mid-sized contract manufacturer with four production lines was losing 8–12% of input material each month to untracked variance. Sensors and ERP logs existed, but no one was analyzing them systematically. When a batch came in short, supervisors investigated after the fact — often days later, after the trail had gone cold.
Approach
We ran a data readiness sprint across sensor telemetry, ERP transaction logs, and shift operator notes. We built a variance detection model that scored each production run nightly, surfacing anomalies before the next shift. A weekly prioritized action list replaced the post-mortem scramble.
Outcomes
- Estimated 6–9% reduction in material variance within 60 days
- Anomaly investigation time cut by 45%
- Weekly flagged-run list replaced reactive end-of-month reviews
Key: Built on existing sensor data and ERP exports. No new hardware or software licenses required.