Rebuilding Operational Discipline Across Purchasing, Scheduling, and Quality

Background:

A manufacturer of regulated medical water products was experiencing persistent instability across purchasing, production scheduling, quality management, and daily operations. Production schedules were being driven by daily shipping revenue and margin targets rather than actual customer demand. MRP functionality was largely unused, with teams relying instead on spreadsheets, outdated ERP data, and tribal knowledge to manage purchasing and production priorities.

This resulted in recurring material stockouts, production downtime, unreliable forecasting, and inconsistent execution across functions. Crossover Solutions was engaged to stabilize purchasing and scheduling, strengthen supplier and quality-system controls, and improve operating discipline across Purchasing, Quality, and Operations.

Critical Issues:

• Production scheduling was not consistently aligned with customer demand
• Purchasing decisions were constrained by weak supplier controls and outdated ERP data
• MRP functionality was underutilized, limiting planning visibility
• Stockouts and production downtime disrupted execution
• Inventory, scrap, downtime, and KPI-management processes lacked ownership and follow-through
• Cross-functional communication and project execution were disjointed
• Inconsistent adoption of new processes limited sustained improvement

Our Approach:

XO embedded directly within Purchasing, Quality, and Operations to stabilize execution while rebuilding the foundational controls required to manage the business effectively.

The work focused on correcting legacy data, strengthening supplier and purchasing controls, improving production-scheduling discipline, and establishing accountability across functions.

Key Actions:

• Rewrote and strengthened purchasing-related quality-system documentation and CAPA processes
• Rebuilt supplier-management controls, including supplier classifications, compliance reviews, and Approved Supplier List restructuring
• Implemented a formal purchase-requisition process to improve purchasing authorization and spend control
• Established action-tracking systems and standard work to improve ownership and execution
• Reviewed inventory accuracy, cycle counting, downtime, scrap, and KPI-management processes
• Reviewed and closed more than 800 outdated purchase orders, including legacy records
• Improved ERP data integrity by correcting long-standing purchasing records
• Reworked production-scheduling practices to align priorities with demand
• Reintroduced visual management tools to improve schedule visibility and cross-functional coordination
• Strengthened communication between Purchasing, Quality, Operations, and financial planning

Results:

XO re-established foundational controls across purchasing, supplier management, production scheduling, and operational reporting.

• Improved supplier-data integrity through Approved Supplier List restructuring and compliance reviews
• Strengthened purchasing discipline through a formal requisition and authorization process
• Improved the reliability of production scheduling and forecasting activities
• Reduced legacy ERP inaccuracies by reviewing and closing more than 800 outdated purchase orders
• Improved visibility into inventory accuracy, downtime, scrap, and operating priorities
• Strengthened cross-functional communication through visual management and structured action tracking
• Established ownership and follow-through across Purchasing, Quality, and Operations
• Created a disciplined operating foundation for KPI management and continuous improvement