Solution

Manage End-to-End Digital Change Processes in Manufacturing

Keep production changes under control and avoid costly surprises:

How technical change requests in industrial manufacturing can be digitally captured and evaluated.

Digitize the change process Download as a PDF

How Much Will Your Next Product Change Really Cost?

The costs associated with a product change rarely stem from the change itself. They arise from incomplete assessments, a lack of transparency and consequences that are identified too late.

Hidden additional costs, delayed deadlines, resource bottlenecks and misguided investments often place a significantly greater burden on the company than anticipated. A structured change process enables you to reduce these risks in the long term.

Process Challenges in Manufacturing

In industrial production, manufacturing processes must be continuously adapted to new product requirements.

Change triggers can include technical issues, customer complaints, market changes, optimizations, or innovations.

The impact of changes to workflows, materials, equipment, or technology is often not fully predictable in advance.

Technical and organizational feasibility, as well as risks and cost implications, are often not sufficiently assessed.

Implementation issues are frequently identified too late, leading to negative effects on project timelines.

Coordination and communication between stakeholders is inefficient and error-prone, due to the lack of a consistent end-to-end process supported by a central system.

Questions to Consider Before Implementation

Technical changes in manufacturing rarely affect only a single step. They impact multiple areas, systems, and decisions.

To properly evaluate a change request, the following key questions need to be clarified:

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Scope of Change

What needs to be adapted – process, procedure, equipment, material, or technology?

Responsibilities

Which roles, teams, or departments are involved or affected?

Impact

How does the change affect other process areas or the product portfolio for existing customers?

Materials

What impact is expected on material procurement?

Cost / Benefit

What costs arise, and what concrete benefits are expected?

Risks

What risks exist, and how can they be mitigated or reduced?

Product Portfolio

Which products, components, or bills of materials are affected?

Technical Feasibility

How feasible is the implementation from a technical perspective?

Timeline

By when should the change be implemented, and how long will execution take?

Sustainability

How sustainable is the proposed solution?

The Solution: A Fully Digitally Managed Change Process

Change Request Process

The Change Process in Manufacturing

A change request is evaluated and documented across all involved process areas – from initial submission through to final decision.
Change boards make decisions in cases where alignment between parties is not reached.
Parallel process steps speed up execution and help ensure compliance with defined maximum turnaround times for change decisions (e.g. 8 days).

Dashboard in the Process Portal

Dashboard in the Process Portal

FOR ALL ROLES

Personal process portal to start workflows and tasks and configure user profiles.
Overview of open workflow tasks with priorities and responsibilities.
Visibility is controlled via role-based access permissions.

Case Overview

Case Overview

FOR ALL ROLES

Overview of ongoing and visible change requests with status, deadlines, and responsibilities.
Sortable and filterable column views.

Change Request in the Digital Dossier

Change Request in the Digital Dossier

FOR THE REQUESTER

Creation of a change request including the idea, proposed solution, and expected impact on costs and benefits.
Role-based tabs with expandable form sections.
Structured data input aligned with process areas.

Department-Specific Assessment in the Digital Dossier 1

Department-Specific Assessment in the Digital Dossier

FOR THE PRODUCT MANAGER

Workflow-driven task for department-specific evaluation of the change request.
Active tab for required data entry.
Documents of any type can be uploaded or linked to the digital dossier.
All involved parties can access evaluations from other departments.

Department-Specific Assessment in the Digital Dossier 2

Department-Specific Assessment in the Digital Dossier

FOR ALL ROLES

At each process step, the respective department records its assessment of the requested change.
All ongoing evaluations are centrally available in the digital dossier.
Evaluations include: Implementation recommendation, risk assessment, cost impact and savings.

Benefits of an End-to-End Change Process

A digitally managed, cross-departmental, and cross-location process enables a structured evaluation of change requests from both technical and economic perspectives and contributes significantly to production optimization and improved product quality.

Control: Better governance through a central overview of all change requests

Standardised Process: Improved management thanks to a central overview of current applications

Transparency: Full visibility for all stakeholders and reduced communication effort

Speed: Faster decision-making and shorter lead times

Feasibility: Early identification of implementation feasibility before execution

Traceability: Structured and transparent evaluations and decisions

Impact: Reduced unforeseen impacts and cost effects

Performance Measurement: Basis for cost reduction and revenue improvement

Customer Satisfaction: Fewer complaints and improved quality

Use Case

Calculated: How Much Money You Can Save With Digital Change Requests

A real-world business case shows the cost impact of a poorly coordinated change request process. Different root causes can lead to a wide range of direct and indirect consequences.

Investing in a systematic, standardized, and digitally supported change process pays off in every case.

Return on Investment (ROI): 6–12 Months

Download

Frox Änderungsprozess in der Fertigung

Interested in Our Solution?

Use the solution out of the box (on-premises or in the cloud).
We adapt it to your company’s requirements and integrate it with existing systems where needed.
As a digital transformation partner, we take project responsibility and bring deep expertise in process management.
Looking to digitize or automate other processes?

Let’s talk.
We support you in process optimization and develop tailored solutions based on your needs.

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Let's Talk About Your Change Process

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Dr. Hanspeter Seiler
Head of Digitalization
FROX AG

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