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Auto parts manufacturer · IS

From build-to-print to its own solutions: an auto parts supplier got ready for electrification

The company had always built parts to automakers' drawings and realized that would not be enough as electric vehicles arrived.

45 → 55Overall index
EntryFormat
610Respondents (68% response rate)
Context

Maker of stamped and machined components with about 900 employees and two plants, supplying automakers directly. Operational excellence was high, with certifications and quality indicators at the top of the sector.

Challenge

A significant share of revenue came from combustion engine parts. Management wanted to develop its own solutions for electric vehicles, but engineering was used to executing specifications and had little contact with universities, startups or other suppliers.

Instrument applied

Innovation Culture (IS)

Why this instrument. IS Entry gave a first picture of all six pillars with little data collection effort, suited to a shift-based manufacturing operation with little time off the line.

Format: Entry · Respondents: 610 of 900 (68%)

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First application

Where the organization stood

Overall index
45 Band: Emerging 0100
  • Stagnant
  • Reactive
  • Emerging
  • Structured
  • Advanced
  • Benchmark
Results by pillar
Leadership and Strategy 42 Culture and Behavior 45 Processes and Agility 55 Skills and Training 48 Networks and Collaboration 36 Results and Impact 44
Plan executed

From results to action, in three waves

  1. 90 days

    Barriers to innovation prioritized and first pilots launched.

  2. 6 months

    Initiative portfolio with clear criteria and engaged leaders.

  3. 12 months

    Innovation treated as routine, with results and reapplication.

Reapplication

Before and after, pillar by pillar

Reapplied after 10 months: 45 (Emerging) → 55 (Emerging).

BeforeAfter Leadership and Strategy 42 52 (+10) Culture and Behavior 45 54 (+9) Processes and Agility 55 61 (+6) Skills and Training 48 56 (+8) Networks and Collaboration 36 50 (+14) Results and Impact 44 55 (+11)
Business outcomes

What changed in operations

  • Overall index moved from 45 to 55, progressing within the Emerging band.
  • First quote for a part of its own design for an electric vehicle.
  • Two projects co-funded by public innovation programs.
  • Engineers working on development projects rose from 4 to 15.
Lessons

What this case teaches

  • Operational excellence is a good base, but it does not generate innovation on its own.
  • External partnerships brought skills that would have taken years to build in-house.
  • A thesis with a budget turned electrification from a topic into a project.

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Cases are presented without identifying clients. Sectors, sizes and figures are examples built to show the method.

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