Fleetguard Filters Pvt Ltd - New Product Development

Fleetguard

Fleetguard Filters Pvt Ltd, a Tier-1 component supplier to key <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.vectorconsulting.in/en/research-and-publication/articles/the-cascading-effect/">Original Equipment Manufacturers</a> (OEMs) in India, has a large design, development and testing set-up for engineering filtration solutions and products. It also relies on the relatively unorganised Tier-2 and Tier-3 suppliers to support its new product design efforts. Its products have to fulfil several conflicting requirements – they need to meet new filtration targets, keep vibration low, adhere to emission norms, and remain compact. Earlier, at any point, the company had nearly 150 projects executed simultaneously through independent teams at any given time. The environment was chaotic, and resources were highly stressed. Going home late and working on holidays were the norm. The situation changed dramatically after the company partnered with Vector Consulting Group to implement Flow principles.Post-engagement, productivity improved threefold, and iterations reduced by more than half. Consequently, reaction time to OEMs dramatically improved. Apart from the significant increase in numbers, Fleetguard Filters best appreciated the decline in people’s stress levels and the improvement in overall harmony.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:850/469;" src="https://web-assets.vectorconsulting.in/storage/editor_uploads//image-1720242873_1776865480.png" width="850" height="469"></figure>

Fleetguard Filters is a tier 1 component supplier to key OEMs in the country. The company has a large design, development and testing set-up for engineering filtration solutions and products. We also have to depend on relatively unorganized tier 2 and 3 suppliers to support us in new product design efforts. Our products have to fulfill several conflicting requirements – they should be able to meet new filtration targets, keep vibration low, adhere to pollution norms, and be compact.

Before overhauling began, at any point of time, we would have about 150 projects being executed simultaneously by independent teams. The environment was chaotic; resources were stressed. Going home late and working on holidays was the norm. Things changed dramatically after implementation of the flow principles of TOC (Theory of Constraints).

How complex is your new product environment?

The most challenging aspect was reducing WIP. Our consulting partner, Vector Consulting Group, insisted on freezing nearly 75 percent of running work in various departments to reduce WIP. It was a frightening proposition considering we were already running late. Vector showed us that not everyone works on all tasks. There is always a waiting list and an active list. In an environment of frequent priority changes, these lists are different for different resource groups, and they change daily causing overall desynchronization. Through simulations they showed us that the step of freezing, and establishing common priority, was less risky compared to status quo.

The daily management rule was also very difficult to implement as most managers rarely understood the difference between delegation and abdication. The comfortable practice of issuing a task deadline and checking with subordinates only close to the deadline had to go; we had to bring in the culture of daily management. We also had difficulty enforcing the strict closure criteria as there was always a temptation of diluting them. However, once we stood by the rules, and people saw the benefits, these rules became part of the organization’s DNA.

What were the challenges in implementing the new paradigms?

We started the implementation with Vector Consulting Group about two years back. Apart from the great advancement in numbers, what I like best is the decline in stress levels of people, and improvement in overall harmony.

What are the results?

See how Vector Consulting helped Fleetguard Filters improve productivity, reduce iterations, and enhance response time to OEMs using TOC principles.