Manufacturing Consulting

Lean Reimagined.
Amplified by AI.

Lean Transformation Digitalization AI Uplift
What we do

Three focused service lines.

Built from direct operational experience — not repackaged frameworks.

01 / Lean

Lean Assessment & Roadmap

Current-state analysis from value stream to management system — quantified waste, a clear business case, a sequenced roadmap.

  • Current-state VSM with TIMWOODS waste quantification
  • Prioritised improvement backlog with ROI estimates
  • Future-state VSM and phased roadmap
  • Leadership alignment workshop & readout
02 / Digital & OEE

OEE & Digitalization Optimization

The right digital tools, not the most marketed ones — from OEE evaluation to process mining, data to decision.

  • OEE baseline analysis and vendor benchmarking
  • Event-log / process mining readiness assessment
  • Digital gap analysis across the production system
  • Vendor-neutral solution recommendation
03 / AI Uplift

AI Uplift & Use Case Activation

AI use cases that create real operational value — the right tools, the right partners. No hype.

  • AI opportunity scan across the value stream
  • Use case specification cards with ROI framing
  • Build-vs-buy-vs-partner recommendation
  • Pilot scoping and success metric definition
How we help

From Challenge to Solution

We assess your opportunity, co-create the right solution, and implement it with the right technology and partners.

01
Assess

Understand before we improve.

We start on your shop floor — Gemba walks, data collection, and structured analysis before any recommendations.

  • Lean & operational assessment
  • Value Stream Mapping
  • Identify waste, bottlenecks & opportunities
  • Define the business case
→
02
Co-Create

Build the solution together.

Lean process redesign meets AI and specialist technology partners. We co-design solutions that fit your operation.

LEAN AI PARTNER SOLU- TION
  • Lean process redesign
  • AI agents & AI-powered templates
  • Standard Work & digital Work Instructions
  • Co-create with specialist technology partners
→
03
Implement

Turn ideas into measurable results.

Pilot, deploy, train, and improve. We stay through implementation to ensure adoption and track results.

  • Pilot & implementation
  • Digitalization of processes
  • Workforce adoption & training
  • Continuous improvement & measurable ROI

Have an improvement challenge? → Let's assess it.

Book a meeting
How we work

A three-week on-site diagnostic.

Every engagement starts on your shop floor, with your teams. No remote assumptions.

W1

Discover

Gemba walks, stakeholder interviews, data collection from MES, ERP, and manual logs. We map the production system as it actually runs.

W2

Analyse

Waste quantification across TIMWOODS, OEE decomposition, digital gap analysis, and AI opportunity identification. Everything anchored to financial impact.

W3

Synthesise

Prioritised roadmap, ROI model, and executive readout. You leave with a clear, funded path — not a list of generic recommendations.

+

Optional: Implementation Support

Hands-on delivery through sprints — coaching teams, validating tool selections, and tracking results against the business case.

3-Week Schedule

Week 1 Discover
Week 2 Analyse
Week 3 Synthesise
Fixed-scope, fixed-fee. Deliverable: business case, prioritised roadmap, and readout deck — within 3 weeks of kick-off.
Technology & Delivery Partners

Built with the right ecosystem.

Specialist partners, selected for fit — never for commission.

AI-Powered VSM & Shopfloor Digitalization

AI-augmented value stream tools that turn weeks-long assessments into days.

VSM Digitalization Shopfloor AI
Active Co-creation
Digital Work Instructions & Standard Work

Digital Work Instructions and Standard Work, embedded into your transformation roadmap.

Digital Work Instructions Standard Work
Ongoing Engagement
Capabilities We Bring In

The right tool for the roadmap.

Selected on fit, not affiliation — brought in as the engagement needs them.

AR-Guided OpEx

Augmented-reality overlays for shopfloor standard work and remote expert support.

No-Code Platforms

Rapid app and workflow builds for shopfloor tools, without a dev backlog.

Video-to-Text Capture

Automated transcription of Gemba walks and interviews into structured findings.

Real-Time OEE Dashboards

Live shopfloor KPIs pulled straight into decision-making, not a monthly report.

Layout Planning & Material Flow

Digital factory layout design and material-flow analysis, tested in software before anything moves on the floor.

Use Cases

Where we create measurable impact.

Representative results — across lean, digitalization, and AI.

Lean Transformation
Reducing changeover time in a precision parts manufacturer

Excessive changeover downtime, untracked and inconsistent across shifts.

Approach SMED analysis and Standard Work redesign, with Digital Work Instructions for consistent operator guidance.
Outcome 38% faster changeovers. Shift variance eliminated in 6 weeks.
VSMSMED
OEE & Digitalization
OEE visibility for a packaging line with no existing data infrastructure

No real-time data — OEE was estimated manually, once a week.

Approach Vendor evaluation, a lightweight IoT pilot, and a daily review cadence.
Outcome 0% to 94% data coverage in 8 weeks. Top downtime causes actioned within a month.
OEEIoT
AI Uplift
AI-assisted quality defect detection in injection moulding

High scrap rates — surface defects caught only at final inspection.

Approach A camera-based vision pilot at the press exit, trained on existing defect images.
Outcome Detection moved to point-of-production. Scrap down 22%; ROI in under 5 months.
Computer VisionAI Pilot
Assess → Co-Create → Implement
End-to-end lean and digital transformation for a Tier 2 automotive supplier

Needed a 30% lead-time cut to retain a key contract — tools fragmented, lean inconsistent.

Approach A 3-week Discovery Sprint, a co-created roadmap, and 6 months of implementation support.
Outcome Lead time down 34%, OEE up 11 points. Contract retained; internal team now self-sufficient.
VSMAI Use Cases
Get in touch

Let's assess your challenge.

Share your operational challenge and we'll come back with a structured perspective — no commitment required.

LinkedIn
Connect with Shishir Ballal
linkedin.com/in/shishir-ballal
Email
Send a message or book an appointment
ballal.shishir@outlook.com
Microsoft Teams
Start a Teams chat
Open in Teams →