Flex's 2021 AWARD FINALIST CASE STUDY: Best Achievement in Operational Excellence to deliver Digital Transformation

Read this article about Flex, Finalist in the Best Achievement in Operational Excellence to deliver Digital Transformation, selected by the independent judging panel, for the 2021 Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Awards program.

Flex Integrated Quality One-Stop Center

About Flex

Flex is the manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products that improve the world. Through the collective strength of a global workforce across 30 countries and responsible, sustainable operations, Flex delivers technology innovation, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions to various industries and end markets.

Quality is our Top Priority in order to remain the chosen manufacturing partner of our customers. We leverage technology to enable the best quality. As we embarked on our Quality 4.0 journey, we had to standardize, integrate and make all quality-related information readily and easily available to all employees, to enable the larger vision.

Role of Corporate Quality

Corporate Quality provides guidance to 106 sites globally on delivering the Flex Quality
strategy as follows. Adequate mechanisms are in place to monitor compliance.
1. Support Flex’s Quality certification needs
• Maintain certification across 5 Standards: ISO 9001, TL 9000, IATF 16949, AS 9100,
ISO 13485
• Support more standards as needed
(Flex is at Zero Major Non-Conformances Worldwide)
2. Take Flex towards Quality 4.0
• Sustain and continuously improve Quality Management System (QMS) foundation
• Continue digital transformation of Quality tools
• Make commonly required Quality documents readily accessible
• Work with IT and Regions
(Digitization and Analytics of Data is key)
3. Develop tool to measure Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) and take actions - Done
4. Improve reporting dashboards for key Quality metrics
(Done and Continuous Improvement Ongoing)

Corporate Quality embarked on DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION initiative to achieve GLOBAL
STANDARDIZATION by offering scalable Best-of-the-best tools to all sites. All Quality tools in a ONE-STOP Center that would additionally meet all Quality needs of employees was the Flex Vision.

Challenges Faced

1. Acceptance of global solution by Sites
2. Existing solutions at sites
3. Multiple Solutions by Segments
4. New IT Development
5. Continuous Improvements (Enhancements) and Support

How did we do it?

Step 1: Secure Top Management Sponsorship
Step 2: Collaboratively (with Sites’ buy-in) Identify Standard Tools
Step 3: Design (Detailed User Requirements) and Develop
Step 4: Communication
Step 5: Global Deployment

The Solution

Developed a ‘One Stop Center’ called Integrated Quality Portal (IQP). It provides “free” internal
access to all Flex employees, rich with Quality-related information and standard tools. The digitally
transformed standard tools will cover Flex’s end-to-end business process from Supplier Quality to
Customer Support. A separate Quality Modules Tracker (QMT) was also developed to track
implementation status at all sites.

The Benefits

1. Standardization: 60% WW penetration
2. Cost Savings: $ 7 Million+
3. Enhanced User Experience: One-Stop Center
4. Positive External Feedback: 3 Auditors, 6 Major Customers, 3 Business Wins

Next Steps

1. Flex’s Quality 4.0 (Q4.0) strategy supports our customers’ plans.
2. IQP meets the requirements of the Digitization pillar of Q4.0 and is the starting point for
Data Analytics pillar, as data collected through usage of the STANDARD tools is taken to
a server for data analytics.
3. We are currently working on up linking product data to customer portals.

Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Industry Awards 2021

About the Awards

The Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence Awards have been established to showcase globally the most outstanding achievements through the application of Business Transformation, Digital Transformation, Operational Excellence & Innovation Excellence programs. Click here to view the Press Release.

The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony at The Digital Transformation & Operational Excellence World Awards (DTOES) on Wednesday, December 15th, 2021, from 6:30 PM at Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®.

The Business Transformation & Operational Excellence Awards are open to all organizations, both private and public sector, across the globe, which have implemented Business Transformation, Digital Transformation, Operational Excellence & Innovation Excellence programs to deliver outstanding business results.

The Awards will be held in conjunction with the Business Transformation & Operational Excellence World Summit, BTOES 2021 on December 15, 2021, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®. Click to access the agenda, view the current speakers, and watch the highlights video from last year.

Speakers

Agenda

Highlight Video

BTOES.com

The issues in this article are just one of topic areas that are going to be discussed at the Business Transformation & Operational Excellence World Summit & Industry

BTOES is the industry’s biggest and best, senior-level, cross-industry gathering of Business Transformation & Operational Excellence industry leaders and senior executives.

With over 150 speakers, over 100 sessions, 12 Keynotes, 9 Track Themes, 5 parallel tracks, 60+ track sessions, 50 roundtable discussions, 20 Interactive Workshops, 6 Thought Leader Panels, 5 Leaders Boardrooms, 5 co-located events, the Industry Awards Program, Site Visits, 20+ hours of social networking including 2 gala cocktail parties, dinners, numerous group activities, this is the ultimate event to benchmark, network and drive Operational Excellence to the next level.

Quick Links

Speakers

Agenda

BTOES Awards

There is a strong focus on Cultural Transformation, Customer Delight, Sustaining an Operational Excellence program, Need for end-to-end Business Transformation, Keeping up with new technologies/impact of digitalization and Leadership Buy-in & Understanding. We dedicated two tracks to advanced technologies, such as AI, Machine Learning, RPA, Predictive Analytics, Blockchain, Cloud infrastructure etc.

The agenda is designed to encourage active meaningful conversations through all day enhanced networking and interaction opportunities, including

For more information please email info@proqis.com