Many manufacturers still rely on paper-based quality processes, even as digital transformation efforts struggle to deliver results. With recalls rising and quality teams stretched thin, skepticism around new technology investments is understandable.
But some manufacturers are succeeding. Small quality teams have deployed digital systems across dozens of sites, reduced warranty costs by 70%, and cut administrative workloads in half.
What separates those successes from stalled initiatives isn’t the software itself — it’s the implementation methodology.
Here’s the blueprint they use.
Phase 1: Assess Your Current State (Honestly)
Most digital transformation failures start with flawed assumptions. Before evaluating vendors, map what actually happens on your shop floor — not what procedures say should happen.
Shadow quality inspectors for a full day. Observe where findings are recorded, how information flows and how long it takes to retrieve historical records. At Trane Technologies, centralized digital workflows replaced paper-based processes that made timely nonconformance reporting difficult to enforce consistently.
While you do this, quantify the cost of paper. Track labor hours spent on manual data entry, time searching for documents, correcting errors and delaying corrective actions.
Clarify your biggest pain points. For FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A., the priority was consolidating systems to reduce manual effort, improve escalation speed and maintain audit-ready documentation across sites.
After consolidating their supplier quality management approach, they cut administrative time from 1,500 hours annually to 750 hours, freeing their quality team to focus on prevention rather than paperwork. They also reduced servers from seven to three and cut yearly maintenance agreements by approximately $60,000.
Finally, assess digital readiness. Adoption gaps often exist between leadership and frontline teams. Understanding where additional training and support are needed early prevents resistance later.
Phase 2: Build Your Business Case
Secure enterprise-level funding by speaking executive language: ROI, risk reduction and competitive advantage.
Calculate your true cost of poor quality. Research shows 15-20% of sales revenue even when many executives believe it’s 5%. Build a report capturing scrap and rework, warranty claims, downtime and administrative overhead.
Once you build your business case, push for funding. At Trane Technologies, corporate funding removed site-level budget barriers, allowing rapid scaling across facilities and accelerating ROI.
Phase 3: Select and Pilot Strategically
Think big. Start small. Scale fast.
Rather than beginning with document control, Trane focused first on its “core four” processes — nonconforming materials, corrective actions, deviations and change management. A three-person quality team successfully deployed these capabilities across 52 sites, proving value early and securing expansion.
Pilot in your most challenging environment. If a solution works where defects and complexity are highest, it should work anywhere.
Integrate from day one. Trane connected quality workflows directly to ERP systems so nonconformances automatically triggered product holds, eliminating manual handoffs.
When possible, choose configurable platforms over custom development. FUJIFILM found that configuration reduced implementation timelines to one or two months, compared to several months for custom builds, while avoiding future upgrade constraints.
Phase 4: Deploy and Scale with Change Management
Make it easy for employees to adopt the technology. If it’s good, they’ll want to, but there are other things you can do.
Involve end users early. Let operators help design workflows, test interfaces and validate processes. Ownership drives adoption.
Train on value, not clicks. When employees understand how digital quality systems protect customers, reduce errors, and simplify their work, compliance becomes personal.
Deploy in waves. Owen Mumford phased implementation across sites, ultimately achieving zero FDA 483s across all four manufacturing locations.
Finally, track and share results. Trane reduced cycle times by up to 87%, cut scrap by 32%, and lowered warranty costs by 70%. FUJIFILM reduced administrative time from 1,500 hours annually to 750. Visible results turn skeptics into advocates.
The Bottom Line
Successful manufacturers follow a different path than others, one that includes honest assessments, enterprise funding, focused pilots, user-driven design and disciplined scaling.
Trane cut warranty costs by 70%. Owen Mumford achieved zero FDA 483s across sites. FUJIFILM halved administrative workload.
They didn’t just buy better software — they implemented it better, too.
Paper-based systems may work for you now, but they can’t keep pace with modern manufacturing.
And, if you’d like to achieve similar results using the same QMS as the companies mentioned in this article, checkout Reliance.
