There is a specific kind of crisis that hits automotive supply chains when demand suddenly surges after a disruption. The pressure to produce more parts fast overrides the discipline to produce them right.

Rejection rates climb, dispatch numbers fall, and the OEM at the end of the chain starts running short. This is exactly the situation a Tier 1 automotive supplier found itself in during the post-Covid recovery period, and it is the kind of problem that requires more than just extra shifts and extra inspectors to solve.

The Situation: Volume Pressure Creating Quality Failure

The OEM was facing a 10-week backlog at its overseas location. Parts were urgently needed, and the Tier 1 supplier was under significant pressure to produce in excess of its normal volumes. Manpower shortages had already disrupted planning and execution, and the combination of rushed production and inadequate controls was producing exactly what it tends to produce: multiple quality issues across parts, rising rejection rates, and ultimately fewer conforming parts being dispatched than the plan required.

The instinct in situations like this is to push harder. Run more parts, inspect more aggressively, sort the bad ones out faster. But that approach treats the symptom while the actual problem, quality gaps embedded in the production process itself, keeps generating defects regardless of how much inspection happens downstream.

What was needed was simultaneous intervention at two levels: stabilise quality at the production stage so conforming parts could actually be built, and restore planning discipline so the right quantities reached the OEM on schedule.

The Approach: Fix the Process, Then Fix the Numbers

Catalydd deployed two teams in parallel. The Quality Engineering team worked directly with the OEM’s STA team to identify and close the quality gaps at the Tier 1 supplier. The PPC Engineering team focused on production planning and dispatch execution to ensure maximum quantities moved through the supply chain in line with the monthly plan.

The quality work covered the full range of issues driving rejections. Burst Run and Run at Rate activities were conducted for eight parts to validate that the production process could sustain the required output rate at acceptable quality levels. Cycle time studies were completed for all eight parts, and a full capacity calculation of the supplier plant was carried out to understand what the facility could realistically produce. PPAP and PSW activities were completed across three phases for four parts, fixture verification and corrections were made for eight parts, and industrialisation support was provided for machines and fixtures that were contributing to quality variation. Standard LAB activities were completed and CCAR follow-up was managed through to closure.

This was not a surface-level quality intervention. It went into the process mechanics, the measurement systems, the fixture integrity, and the approval documentation that the OEM required before parts could be accepted. Each activity addressed a specific gap that was either causing defects or preventing conforming parts from being formally approved for dispatch.

The Results: From 1,613 Units to 31,687 Units

The numbers from the dispatch data tell the story clearly.

Before Catalydd’s involvement, the Tier 1 supplier was dispatching 1,613 units in September 2020. As the quality and planning interventions took effect through October, November, and December, dispatch volumes climbed to 8,390, then 16,847, then 31,687 units. The recovery was steep and sustained.

Across the sub-supplier network, Catalydd achieved an average of 61% dispatch against the monthly plan. At Tier 1, the average dispatch achievement reached 98% against plan. The drop visible in January 2021 to 25,875 units reflects a capacity constraint rather than a quality regression, an important distinction because it confirms the quality system was holding even as volume pressure continued.

The gap between 1,613 and 31,687 units represents a production recovery of nearly twenty times the starting output over four months. That recovery happened because the quality issues driving rejections were resolved at the process level, freeing up conforming parts that the system had previously been losing to rework and rejection.

What This Tells Us About Quality Under Pressure

The dynamic at play in this case is one that many automotive manufacturers recognise. Production pressure and quality discipline pull in opposite directions when the underlying quality system is fragile. When the system is strong, they reinforce each other: a process that reliably produces conforming parts is also a process that can sustain higher volumes.

The work Catalydd did here was about making the production process reliable enough to handle the volume the OEM needed. PPAP completion, fixture correction, cycle time validation, and capacity assessment are the building blocks of a process that delivers consistently. Once those were in place, the dispatch numbers followed.

For any Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier facing similar pressure from OEM customers, the lesson is consistent: chasing volume through a broken quality process produces more rejections, not more dispatches. The faster route to meeting dispatch targets is fixing the process first.

How Catalydd Supports OEM Suppliers Facing Quality and Supply Challenges

Catalydd works with automotive manufacturers and OEM suppliers across India to resolve quality and supply chain challenges that require on-ground, technical intervention rather than remote advisory.

The team combines Quality Engineering capability, covering process audits, PPAP, fixture validation, CCAR management, and production process improvement, with PPC Engineering capability covering dispatch planning, capacity analysis, and supply chain execution. With offices in Pune, Chennai, and Faridabad, the team deploys directly to supplier facilities and works alongside the production and quality teams rather than from a distance.

If your business is facing quality-driven delivery shortfalls or supply chain pressure from OEM customers, the starting point is understanding exactly where the process is losing conforming parts. That assessment is where Catalydd’s engagement typically begins.

Summing Up

To understand how quality consulting supports broader manufacturing quality transformation, read: Why Inspection Alone Never Solves a Quality Problem: A Manufacturing Transformation Story.

To explore Catalydd’s quality consulting services in more detail, read: Quality Consulting Services: What They Are and Why Manufacturers Cannot Afford to Ignore Them.

To speak with Catalydd about supplier quality or delivery challenges, reach out to the team today

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How quickly can quality issues at a Tier 1 supplier be resolved?

1. It depends on the nature and number of gaps, but structured intervention covering process audits, fixture corrections, PPAP completion, and corrective action closure typically produces measurable improvement in dispatch performance within 4 to 8 weeks.

1. What is the difference between a Quality Engineer and a PPC Engineer in supplier support?

1. A Quality Engineer focuses on the conformance side: identifying why parts are being rejected and fixing the process and documentation gaps causing those rejections.