How a company used leanworx operator performance reports to negotiate with their union and incentivize operators.

A leading automobile components manufacturer was under constant pressure to invest in new machines due to perceived capacity shortages. Across their 8 plants — operating CNC lathes, VMCs, HMCs, and other critical equipment — management believed production demand could only be met through additional CapEx. However, deeper analysis revealed that machine utilization was inconsistent and significant hidden capacity existed within the current setup, making new investments unnecessary.