Supplier Recovery Program Protects Tier 1 Production Supply Across Two Plants
Our Experts: Samuel Bonilla & Jessica Quintero
About the Client
Our client is a major global automotive driveline manufacturer whose production supply depended on a die-casting supplier operating two Midwest facilities.
Challenge
Recurring supplier performance issues had put the client’s production supply at risk, prompting the client to bring in advisory consulting services with on-site, hands-on engineering support at the supplier’s two plants. The client needed continuous, objective visibility into a struggling supplier: unplanned downtime, quality excursions, material and staffing shortages, and safety incidents were surfacing faster than the supplier could communicate or contain them.
With committed shipments on the line and no internal capacity to embed its own engineers on the supplier’s floor, the client needed a supplier recovery partner who could monitor production daily, escalate issues with clear ownership, and manage the recovery program end to end.
Solution
MS Companies deployed an embedded supplier recovery team that grew from single-line monitoring at one plant into full recovery program management spanning two plants, multiple production programs, and a structured weekly reporting cadence to client leadership.
Embedded on-site, hands-on engineering coverage
- Three on-site advisors provided 12 consecutive weeks of daily process monitoring across both plants, covering up to three shifts including weekends.
Structured reporting cadence
- Daily reports rolled into 11 weekly leadership reports, giving the client continuous, data-driven visibility into the supplier's recovery, with consolidated open-items tracking that drove measurable follow-through from the supplier.
Systematic downtime and root-cause tracking
- Downtime, defect, and scrap data tracked by machine and shift surfaced chronic issues, including tooling failures, spare-parts shortages, and maintenance understaffing (one technician covering seven lines), that individual daily reports would have left hidden. A 60% leak-test rejection rate was traced to a bypassed sensor and corrected, and one scrap condition was eliminated in the engagement's first week.
Crisis and safety incident response
- A structured incident-response protocol was activated for three safety events, with immediate line stoppage, same-shift leadership notification, and verified corrective actions before restart. All three were resolved with zero injuries.
Capacity validation and backup-line stand-up
- When a primary die-casting machine suffered a catastrophic multi-day failure, the team supported stand-up and validation of a backup line within days, tracking PPAP validation for new tooling and confirming the line could absorb displaced volume without compromising committed shipments.
Results
12 Consecutive Weeks of On-Site Coverage
Uninterrupted daily monitoring across two plants and three core production lines, spanning day, night, and weekend shifts.
75+ Issues Identified and Escalated
More than 75 issues were identified, logged, and escalated with assigned ownership, converting scattered floor problems into an accountable recovery action list.
3 Safety Events Resolved, Zero Injuries
All three events were contained, reported same-shift, and closed with verified corrective actions.
Backup Production Line Live Within Days
A validated backup line absorbed displaced volume after a multi-day machine failure, protecting the client's committed shipments.
~39,000 Good Parts Tracked Through Quality Gates in Two Weeks
Good-parts output monitored against quality gates in the two most recent reporting weeks, evidence the supplier recovery was taking hold.
How MS Companies Can Support Your Operations
- Supplier Recovery Program Management
- Embedded On-Site, Hands-On Engineering Support
- Crisis Management & Safety Incident Response
- Downtime & Root-Cause Analysis
- Quality, Scrap & Leak-Test Analysis
- Time Studies & Throughput Validation
- Capacity Validation & PPAP Support
- Cross-Plant Supply Coordination
Manufacturers call on MS Companies when a critical supplier falls behind and their own production is exposed. Whether the risk sits in any manufacturing process, assembly, quality, or logistics, our embedded teams turn supplier problems into managed recovery plans.
Our Team
The supplier recovery engagement was directed by MS Companies program managers Samuel Bonilla and Jessica Quintero, who led a team of three embedded on-site advisors covering day, night, and weekend shifts across both supplier facilities. Behind the on-site team stood the full MS Companies program infrastructure: structured reporting standards, escalation protocols, and direct coordination with client leadership.
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