CASE STUDY
Digitizing a fast-growing Iowa-based plastics manufacturer
End-to-end inventory traceability, QR code scanning, automated label printing,
real-time inventory tracking, and an operational analytics dashboard.
The Challenge
The client had limited visibility into production, quality, and machine performance.
Operators manually selected machine settings based on experience, finished goods
inventory was difficult to track in real time, and management lacked reliable
data on downtime, scrap, and production capacity.
Trial-and-Error Settings
Operators dialed in settings from memory, with no record of how it affected quality and material usage.
Limited Traceability
With no link between production, QA, and shipping, a finished product couldn't be traced back to how it was made.
Inventory Blind Spots
Stock couldn't be measured in real time, leaving the team to guess at what was on hand and where.
Unclear Capacity
Without reliable downtime data, leadership couldn't see where time was lost or how much the plant could really produce.
High Scrap Rates
Parts were scrapped at a high rate, quietly driving up material costs.
The Solution
End-to-End Traceability
Assigned a unique QR code to each product at production and scanned it throughout manufacturing, quality control, inventory, and shipping, delivering complete traceability across the process.
Production
Operators enter machine parameters and product measurements.
QR Code Generated
A unique QR code is printed for every product.
Quality & Inspection
Scanned at each step to track through QA and beyond.
Shipping
Final scan ensures accurate shipment and traceability.
Every scan updates real-time inventory and builds a complete history from production to delivery.
Automatic Label Printing
Automated QR label printing on the shop floor and tied each scan to inventory, so stock counts and product location updated automatically as items moved through the plant.
Real-Time Inventory Tracking
Automatically updated inventory quantities as products moved through production, QA, storage, and shipment, giving accurate visibility into work-in-progress and finished goods.
Operational Analytics Dashboard
Consolidated production, quality, downtime, and inventory data into reporting dashboards used by supervisors and plant leadership.
Results
With production, quality, and downtime data finally connected, the client gained a granular view into how machine parameters affected material usage and product quality, and could act on it. For the first time they could quantify downtime and its outsized effect on production efficiency, then steadily drive down scrap and material waste.
Reduction in Excess Material Usage
Better Visibility into Downtime
"Issues related to product quality and production processes are much more visible."
Chief Operating Officer