Empowering Operational Excellence Through Employee-Driven Solutions
Case Study Summary – Empowering Operational Excellence Through Employee-Driven Solutions
To build on the momentum of the BiiG Event, Birla Carbon launched a series of roadshows that empowered employees to transform their ways of thinking and operating, resulting in over 500 participants across 12 countries by 2023. A notable achievement for Birla Carbon Canada’s (Hamilton) team involved the automation of inventory and spare part management using QR codes, advancing our commitment to operational excellence.
The project was developed collaboratively with the global Digital & IT team and onsite stakeholders and involved integrating barcoding technology into the existing ERP infrastructure through a phased approach. The solution was deployed in June 2025, resulting in a reduction in unplanned downtime, saving over 500 labor hours annually, improving inventory reliability, boosting efficiency, enabling proactive stock management and forecasting accuracy.
Meghan Angus, Materials Coordinator for the Hamilton Plant emphasized the importance of these advancements for the site, noting that they would, “significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of spare parts inventory and associating parts with the appropriate equipment, ensuring we don’t have downtime due to not having a part in stock, as it provides real-time visibility into stock levels.”
The project’s success highlights the impact of employee-driven innovation at the local level and lays the foundation for transforming operations at a global scale.
Full Case Study
Empowering Operational Excellence Through Employee-Driven Solutions
The Goal
To build on the momentum of the BiiG Event, Birla Carbon embarked on a series of BiiG roadshows that empowered employees to transform their ways of thinking and operating. The initiative supported local problem-solving, aligning results-driven projects with strategic business objectives. By 2023, this program expanded to over 500 employees across 12 countries, with 10 winning ideas implemented, and 4 in development.
Among the winning achievements, Birla Carbon Canada’s (Hamilton) team demonstrated how innovative thinking directly addressed longstanding operational challenges.
The Opportunity
Inventory and spare part management is a predominantly manual task, leading to data inaccuracies and operational disruptions. The Hamilton team identified an opportunity to automate the inventory management system using QR codes to reduce unplanned downtime tied to equipment availability, prevent production disruptions, eliminate expedited shipping costs, and improve labor efficiency.
The Approach
To bring this vision to life, the team embraced a collaborative spirit, integrating perspectives from the global Digital & IT team with onsite stakeholders, ensuring the solution was tailored to operational needs while utilizing existing business technologies.
As Matilde Quaglia, IT Coordinator for EMEA, reflected, collaboration was instrumental in the success of the project: “Every time IT develops a tool, cooperation with the relevant business team is of the utmost importance, as said tool must answer their needs and make their job easier, otherwise it will not be adopted. In this case the input came directly from the business, and I think we all learned something from each other.” The synergy between IT and the business fostered mutual learning that enabled the team to organize and execute the project with meaningful impact.
The approach was organized into 5 distinct phases, leveraging the existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform to automate data capture and tracking.
- Initial discovery with key personnel to understand equipment and resource requirements
- Design of process flow using existing ERP platform
- Technical integration of barcoding software with the ERP system
- Deployment of solution and practical training for staff
- Evaluation of success with an eye towards scaling the solution globally
The Results
The phased structure provided the team with a clear roadmap from ideation to implementation, highlighting the team’s agility and focus on tangible outcomes. The solution was deployed in June 2025, delivering impactful results for the business:
- Reduction in unplanned downtime, minimizing plant disruptions and driving productivity
- Estimated labor savings of over 500 hours/year based on the reduction of manual inventory tasks
- Improved accuracy and reliability in inventory tracking by reducing human error and enhancing operational visibility
- Increased efficiency through the elimination of manual counts, freeing up employees for tasks that demand their expertise
- Enhanced predictability by enabling proactive stock management and maintenance scheduling
- Accurate forecasting of inventory needs
Meghan Angus, Materials Coordinator for the Hamilton Plant emphasized the importance of these advancements for the site, noting that they would, “significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of spare parts inventory and associating parts with the appropriate equipment, ensuring we don’t have downtime due to not having a part in stock, as it provides real-time visibility into stock levels.”
The Impact
From initial concept development to site-level launch, the project’s success demonstrates the impact of employee-driven solutions on operational challenges and lays a robust foundation for accelerating growth and transforming operations on a global scale.
Robert Ogilvie, IT/LAN Administrator for the Hamilton Plant noted, “The BiiG Show’s structured, cross-functional, and systematic inventive thinking approach enabled the team to collaboratively identify root causes, rapidly prototype barcode-based solutions, and gain leadership support for implementing improved inventory management.” This collaborative spirit and commitment to continuous improvement underscores how essential innovation is in refining our processes, reinforcing our commitment to operational excellence.
