$500K Hidden in Plain Sight

How real-time data revealed a costly bottleneck in first article inspections.

Overview

Our customer in Texas has identified a substantial amount of lost time related to first article inspections. By capturing real-time data through Auredia, the team was able to quantify how seemingly minor delays were compounding across jobs and costing significant value.

The Challenge

Operators were frequently delayed waiting on first article inspections, often for an average of 20 minutes per job. This downtime went unquantified until it surfaced through Auredia's visibility tools.

The Insight

Using operational data, they calculated that these delays resulted in over $500,000 in lost opportunity. The ability to track time per activity uncovered the full cost of what was previously treated as minor wait time.

The Impact

This facility now has a strong, data-backed case to re-evaluate its first article inspection workflow. By identifying this loss, the team is better equipped to:

- Justify process changes

- Align inspection staffing more effectively

- Recover significant production capacity