A global manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, supplying vehicles to customers across Europe and international markets. Their UK production facility is a key site for manufacturing high-value agricultural vehicles to demanding quality and performance standards.
With multiple suppliers, complex assemblies and tightly controlled production schedules, maintaining quality at every stage of manufacturing is critical to protecting brand reputation and production continuity.
Due to ever-increasing feature complexity and customer expectations, the manufacturer required consistent and reliable quality inspection and containment to support and maintain day-to-day production activities. This included inspecting components, assemblies and vehicles, containing non-conforming parts, and performing controlled rework as required.
Alongside this ongoing requirement, the business also needed confidence that any emerging quality issue could be managed quickly, at scale and with full traceability – without placing additional strain on internal quality and manufacturing teams.
The challenge was therefore three-fold:
To address both day-to-day quality demands and the need for scalable response to emerging issues, the manufacturer partnered with e-ppl Group, with delivery provided through auto-scan – our specialist quality inspection and containment business.
The solution was designed to remove operational pressure from internal teams while strengthening control, consistency and visibility across inspection and rework activity.
On-site Quality Support
auto-scan was embedded on site as an extension of the customer’s quality function, providing a dedicated, trained resource to manage routine inspection, containment and controlled rework activity. This ensured that non-conforming parts and vehicles were identified early and contained effectively before impacting downstream production.
Flexible and Scalable Model
The model was built to be flexible and scalable. Resource levels and skillsets could be adjusted in line with production volumes and supply chain performance, while defined processes and reporting ensured service continuity regardless of activity level.
This meant the customer could rely on a stable quality support framework during normal operations, while having confidence that larger, more complex issues could be managed without delay.
Integrated Group Capability
Where higher-impact rework or specialist technical intervention was required, the wider e-ppl Group capability was introduced under a controlled, separately scoped activity. This avoided the need to engage multiple suppliers and ensured accountability, consistency and continuity of approach.
One clear example of this capability in action was a quality campaign relating to a complex sub-assembly.
The situation:
A quality issue was identified that affected approximately 200 fully built vehicles at the facility.
The response:
auto-scan supported the inspection of all affected vehicles, applying defined inspection criteria to assess compliance and determine rework requirements. As part of this process, 120 critical components were identified for replacement.
The rework programme:
This replacement programme was delivered by the wider e-ppl team of specialists. Drawing on experience of working alongside Quality and Manufacturing stakeholders on quality and time-critical projects, the e-ppl team worked with the customer to develop the rework process – ensuring efficiency improvements were sought, tested and executed in a controlled manner.
The activity was planned and controlled to ensure:
The result:
The project demonstrated the ability to move from routine inspection activity to a larger-scale containment and rework programme without changing partners or processes. The customer maintained one point of contact, consistent reporting, and a single escalation route throughout.
A key differentiator in the support model is the emphasis on process control and data visibility, rather than simply reactive inspection.
Clear Standards and Instructions
auto-scan operates to clear work instructions and inspection standards, ensuring consistency across all activities. Vehicles and components are tracked through Problem Definition, inspection, and rework stages, always providing full visibility of status.
System-Based Tracking
Inspection and rework activity is supported by e-ppl’s EOS (e-ppl operating system), which enables:
This system-based approach supports faster decision-making, clearer communication and a more proactive approach to quality management. Moreover, the data collected plays a critical part in the problem-solving process – identifying trends, validating corrective actions, and supporting continuous improvement.
Performance Management
Regular reviews between auto-scan and the customer ensure alignment, transparency and continuous improvement. The performance of the auto-scan service is measured using our tried and tested Operational Governance protocol, SQDCME (Safety, Quality, Delivery, Cost, Morale, Environment).
This approach drives the right behaviours and ensures the on-site team focuses on areas that need improvement while also celebrating successes.
Through a combination of day-to-day inspection support and scalable response capability, the manufacturer benefits from a robust, dependable quality support model at its UK facility.
Key results:
By combining auto-scan’s on-site inspection expertise with e-ppl Group’s wider technical and system capability, the partnership provides long-term quality assurance aligned to the customer’s operational needs.
