Implementing and Leveraging SharePoint for a Global Leader in Automotive Manufacturing

Client Background:

Our client is a global leader in the re-manufacturing and supply of aftermarket automotive parts. With over 3,000 employees in 8 locations and across 4 countries, they’re able to produce more than 8.8 million units for import, domestic, and heavy-duty use. Our client is a trusted supplier for over 7,700 auto parts retailers and distributors and continues to grow as a global brand.

Previous Situation:

Change control is the systematic approach to manage and minimize the disruptive effects of all changes made to a product or process. For many manufacturing companies, a well-structured document control process to support that change control procedure is critical for efficient operational and go-to-market strategies.

All changes made to brochures, manuals, product guides, labels, and any other documents related to a manufactured product must go through a strict chain of approvals before becoming the new standard. Our clients’ document approval process followed paper-based procedures, which was inefficient, prone to human error, and would take over a month on average for a single document to be approved. The Director of Quality Management wanted to digitize and expedite the process, while also increasing accuracy.

Results:

Speridian created a solution for our client by implementing a centralized document repository that automated an approval process whenever a new document was uploaded, or an existing document was changed. The document could now be automatically routed to the correct approvers and administrators within the appropriate departments. Once approved, the finalized document is published, relevant employees are notified, and the document is locked. It can no longer be edited again until another change control process is initiated. The solution, which leverages SharePoint, also tracks submission dates, versioning, and history so that everyone can view the most updated, approved version. Our solution streamlines and automates a more efficient document approval lifecycle that allows for sound change management of all of our clients’ manufactured products. 

It helps enforce controlled processes and practices for the creation, review, modification, issuance, distribution, accessibility, and security of documents. As a result, our solution speeds up the turnaround time to approve documents, reduces human errors, increases collaboration, and secures company intellectual property to facilitate an efficient change management process.

With Speridian’s help, our client was able to reduce the average document approval process to one week. As a result, they can strengthen their competitive advantage and increase the speed in which they go to market, all while maintaining the highest level of quality and compliance.