Evidence

We make specific claims about what MDW delivers. This page is where we back them up — with aggregate data from 3500+ implementations, documented case studies from 150+ transformations, and honest reporting of what changed, how long it took, and what sustained. We don’t cherry-pick success stories. We present patterns — because patterns are what give you confidence that results will transfer to your organisation, not just the ones we’ve chosen to highlight.

The Pattern Across 150+ Documented Implementations

These results are based on over 150 case studies spanning 20 years, across 6 continents and more than 25 countries, from SMEs to Fortune 500 firms. The ranges reflect diverse starting points.

Operational Performance

OEE improvements of 8–45 percentage points were achieved over 6–24 months, with multi-plant rollouts demonstrating scalability. Productivity gains of 15% to over 200% in breakthrough cases occurred over 12–36 months. Changeover times were reduced by up to 75% within 6–18 months.

A European automotive components manufacturer increased its OEE by 20 points in 12 months.
A global returnable packaging manufacturer achieved a 20-point increase in availability across 13 plants in multiple countries.
A South African beverage can manufacturer reduced changeover time from 24 to 6 hours.

Quality

Defect reductions of 25–89% were achieved over periods of 6 to 24 months. First Time Quality consistently surpassed 99% in food and beverage settings within a year. Customer complaints dropped to a fraction of their previous levels within 12 to 36 months.

A major automotive OEM paint shop achieved up to 89% reduction in defects.
A commercial printing operation decreased non-conformance from 3.4% to 0.87%.
A South African automotive components supplier achieved less than 50 PPM — a world-class standard in the automotive industry.

Financial Impact

Cost reductions of 5–25% were generally achieved within 12–36 months, with documented programmes saving $5M or more annually over three years. Waste reduction of 19–45% took place within 6–24 months. ROI consistently reached 300–1000%+ in the first year based on documented client results. ROI figures vary significantly based on organisation size, starting point, and journey scope.

A US-based global cleaning products manufacturer achieved a $5M cost reduction over 3 years.
A South African food manufacturer achieved 300% profit increase over a 5-year transformation.
A multinational infant nutrition company achieved $3.5M in waste reduction at a single supply chain site.

Safety

Several organisations are reaching zero lost-time accidents for long periods, usually 1–3 years. Near-miss reports are rising from zero to thousands each year — showing real progress in safety culture within the first year.

A South African automotive glass manufacturer achieved 753 consecutive days without LTA, up from 269 previously.
A South-East Asian tobacco manufacturer reached 1.5 years without lost-time accidents, with 2,149 near-miss reports.
A South African food producer lowered annual injuries from 17 to zero year on year.

People and Culture

Attendance rates consistently exceed 95%, reaching 98% in multiple cases within 6–18 months. Improvement idea submissions increase by 200–1400% over 12–24 months. Employee participation in continuous improvement rises from single digits to over 90%, usually within 12–24 months.

A South African beverage distribution centre increased attendance from 65% to 98%.
A multinational tobacco manufacturer in Taiwan saw the number of improvement ideas rise from 64 to 1,422.
A multinational FMCG manufacturer in the Philippines increased its participation in continuous improvement from 11% to 92%.

Delivery Performance

On-time-in-full delivery consistently reaches 95–100% within 6–18 months. Schedule achievement improves to over 96% within similar timeframes across various manufacturing environments.

A multinational pharmaceutical company (Switzerland) improved its on-time delivery rate from below 50% to 97%.
A global cleaning products manufacturer (South Africa) increased its OTIF from 65% to 99%.
A South African food producer achieved 100% on-time deliveries.

The ROI Case

Conservative Estimate

Mid-sized manufacturer, $50M revenue, $300K implementation over 18 months

2% productivity gain = $1M additional capacity
1% quality cost reduction = $250K savings
15% waste reduction = $200K material savings

Annual benefit: $1.45M

First-year ROI: 483%

Enterprise Estimate

Multi-site roll-out, $500M revenue, $1M implementation over 24 months

5% productivity gain = $25M additional capacity
2% cost reduction = $5M operational savings
Safety improvements = $2M risk mitigation

Annual benefit: $32M

First-year ROI: 3,200%

These models use conservative industry assumptions and documented results, not projections.

Consistent Results Across 23 Industry Groups

Manufacturing and Automotive

Quality improvements up to 89% defect reduction
Productivity gains of 15–300%
Cost reductions of 5–45%
Consistent achievement of zero lost-time accident periods
World-class PPM quality standards achieved at multiple sites

Food, Beverage and FMCG

Efficiency gains of 10–50%
First Time Quality consistently exceeding 99%
On-time-in-full delivery reaching 95–100%
Participation rates in continuous improvement exceeding 90%
Multi-site rollouts proving scalability within global organisations

Process Industries and Mining

OEE improvements of 20–45 points
Unplanned downtime reductions of 60–80%
Waste reductions of 19–45%
Innovation submissions increasing by 200–1400% post-implementation
Safety transformation in high-risk environments

Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

GMP compliance improvements alongside productivity gains
Quality systems achieving world-class defect levels
Cost reductions of 5–45%
Safety culture transformation in regulated environments
Leadership pipeline development from compliance-driven to capability-driven

Logistics and Supply Chain

On-time-in-full delivery consistently reaching 95–100%
Warehouse productivity improvements of 20–45%
On-time-in-full delivery reaching 95–100%
Cross-shift consistency achieved through standardised daily management
Team ownership of delivery performance metrics

Services and Non-Manufacturing

Engagement and participation rates rising from single digits to over 90%
Problem-solving capability developed across non-technical teams
Daily management routines established in service delivery environments
Leadership transition from directing to coaching replicated outside the factory floor

Full Industry List

The methodology transfers across industries because it transforms how people work and lead — not industry-specific processes. The Daily Management System, the leadership pipeline, and the Three-Journey sequence apply wherever humans organise to create value. Industry-specific adaptation happens at implementation level.

When Results Appear — And When They Compound

The timeline of results varies — when improvements first appear, and how they compound over time, follows a consistent pattern.

Months 1–6: Foundation and Early Wins

Tangible gains in productivity, attendance, safety, and goal alignment shape early belief in change.

Months 6–18: Acceleration and Integration

OEE and quality climb, cost reductions are realised, innovation matures, and leadership develops. Daily Management System compounds gains by joining local improvements into an operational whole.

Months 18–36: Sustainability and Excellence

World-class performance sustains, teams manage themselves, business integration deepens, and transformation completes. Focus shifts to confirming self-sufficiency — the transformation is complete when excellence sustains without CDI present.

What We Don’t Claim

Not every implementation CDI has undertaken has been a complete success. We have had engagements that stalled, organisations that reverted, and implementations where the results fell short of expectations. Our own research identified eight documented cases that required relaunches or revivals before achieving their transformation objectives.

In examining these outcomes, we found that in most cases, they stemmed from one of three causes:

Insufficient leadership commitment that became apparent only after implementation began
Starting on the wrong journey due to an inadequate initial assessment
Sometimes, organisational upheaval — mergers, restructuring, or leadership change — disrupted transformation

What Relaunched Engagements Achieved

Every engagement that required a relaunch ultimately achieved measurable results once the root cause was addressed:

From 15 to 51% increase in production volume
Between 10 to 89% improvement in quality performance
Cost reductions between 5 and 40%

We built the Three-Journey Framework specifically to address the first two causes. The diagnostic exists to prevent wrong-journey starts. The framework’s sequential nature surfaces leadership commitment gaps early rather than late.

Our insistence on honest assessment before engagement — including our willingness to decline engagements we believe will fail — reflects what we learned from examining our own track record. The third cause — external disruption — remains a real risk that no methodology can eliminate. We are honest about this because our credibility depends on it.

CDI Case Study Library

142 Case Studies · 24 Industry Groups · 47+ Countries · 25+ Years

Notable Case-Study Statistics

Nestlé

20+ cases

Automotive

25 cases

Mining & Metals

14 cases

Glass & Packaging

9 cases

Food FMCG

28 cases

FMCG – Dairy

9 cases

Alcoholic Beverages

12 cases

Chemicals & Coatings

6 cases

Tobacco

9 cases

Access Case Study Library

Results Start With Understanding Where You Stand

Every case study on this page started the same way: an honest assessment of current reality, followed by a structured path forward from that reality — not from where anyone wished they were.

Take the Readiness Assessment