Recovering a 12-Month Stalled Gear Development Program for a Leading European Off-Highway OEM

Engineering-Led DFM and Manufacturing Process Optimization for a Critical 7-Gear Transmission Set

RESULTS AT A GLANCE

The impact in numbers.

5 Existing Suppliers Engaged (4 European + 1 Turkish)

12 Months Development Delay Before Engagement

7 Precision Gears Successfully Developed

4 Months Development Timeline

~65% Faster Time-to-Market

5% Year-on-Year Manufacturing Cost Reduction

100% Drawing & DFM Review Completed

Ahead Production Readiness vs. Customer Timeline

THE CHALLENGE

Understanding the business challenge.

A leading European Off-Highway OEM was developing a new-generation gearbox platform for its global product portfolio.

Over a period of 12 months, the client engaged five experienced suppliers—four European manufacturers and one Turkish supplier—to develop a critical 7-gear transmission set. Despite multiple engineering iterations, the suppliers were unable to consistently achieve the required Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) parameters, gear noise performance, dimensional accuracy, heat treatment consistency, and manufacturability.

The prolonged development cycle delayed the product launch, increased engineering costs, and posed a significant risk to the client's commercialization timeline.

02 — OUR APPROACH

From strategy to execution.

Our Solution

Instead of initiating another supplier search, we performed a comprehensive engineering-led Design for Manufacturing (DFM) assessment.

Our team identified critical deviations between the design drawings and applicable manufacturing standards and recommended engineering modifications that significantly improved manufacturability.
Gear manufacturing methodology
Machining sequence
Heat treatment process
Grinding operations
Surface finish requirements
Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) controls
Process capability and inspection methodology
Working collaboratively with the customer and the selected supplier, we successfully industrialized the complete 7-gear transmission set within 4 months, well ahead of the revised project schedule.

04 — CLIENT VALUE CREATED

Value beyond sourcing.

Engineering-Led Recovery of a Critical Development Program

Recovered a gearbox program that had remained unresolved for 12 months, enabling the client to successfully industrialize a 7-gear transmission set within just 4 months.

Faster Time-to-Market

By eliminating engineering bottlenecks and optimizing manufacturing processes, the project was completed significantly ahead of the revised customer timeline, accelerating product commercialization and reducing launch risk.

Cost Competitiveness

Engineering optimization and process improvements delivered:

5% Year-on-Year manufacturing cost reduction
Reduced development iterations
Improved manufacturing productivity
Lower process waste and rework
Improved Total Landed Cost (TLC) for future production

Manufacturing Excellence

The revised manufacturing strategy improved:

Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) achievement
Gear profile accuracy
Surface finish
Heat treatment consistency
Manufacturing repeatability
Product reliability and NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) performance

05 — BUSINESS IMPACT

Measurable business outcomes.

✓

Successfully recovered a 12-month stalled gearbox development program

✓

Developed a complete 7-gear transmission set within 4 months

✓

5% Year-on-Year manufacturing cost reduction achieved through engineering optimization

✓

Production readiness achieved ahead of customer milestones

✓

Engineering-led DFM review eliminated drawing inconsistencies and improved manufacturability

✓

Optimized manufacturing processes to consistently achieve Critical-to-Quality (CTQ) requirements

✓

Improved gear quality, heat treatment consistency, surface finish, and NVH performance

✓

Accelerated time-to-market while reducing development risk and strengthening the client's product launch program