SMR Automotive Changes Quality Culture and Increases Issue Resolution with EASE
Overview
By investing strategically in technology, process discipline, and workforce engagement, SMR Automotive transformed its global quality auditing system with EASE. This integrated approach led to a dramatic improvement in audit completion, better and faster resolution of non-conformances, increased customer satisfaction, and more engaged teams across 26 sites worldwide.
Background
SMR Automotive, part of the Motherson Group, is a global leader in vision systems, serving the world’s major automotive OEMs. The company specializes in the design and production of rear-view mirrors and camera-based digital mirrors. With manufacturing and engineering locations in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia, SMR is committed to safety, sustainability, and operational excellence.
As a preferred supplier to many automakers, SMR operates under tight quality and compliance mandates. Maintaining certification with standards like IATF 16949 and consistently meeting customer-specific requirements is fundamental to its business, demanding a proactive approach to process oversight and continuous improvement.
Incomplete Audits & Ineffective Issues Resolution
Like many global manufacturers, SMR faced growing complexity in managing quality compliance across its network. Although sites were performing layered process audits (LPAs) to meet industry and customer requirements, execution was a challenge. Audit completion rates were low, and those that were completed often failed to result in actionable improvements.
The underlying audit process was heavily manual and labor-intensive. Auditors used Excel spreadsheets and paper-based forms to capture findings, generate reports, and build corrective action plans.
According to Steffen Dehner, Executive Vice President of Global Quality & Manufacturing Excellence at SMR, the vast majority of audit-related efforts was consumed by documentation and data entry rather than actual problem-solving.
“Up to 90 percent of our time was just purely on performing the audit, documenting the audit, and generating the PDCA,” he recalls. “And then maybe there was 10 percent left to work on improvements. This, for sure, was not the intent of the program.”
– Steffen Dehner, Executive Vice President of Global Quality & Manufacturing Excellence, SMR Automotive
This inefficiency had ripple effects. Findings from one audit often reappeared in the next, unresolved. Different auditors would evaluate the same process in different ways, leading to inconsistent results. And perhaps most damaging of all, many employees came to view audits as a bureaucratic exercise — something they had to “check off,” rather than a tool for real improvement.
These challenges also put SMR at a potential risk during external audits. If a customer or IATF auditor identified gaps or recurring issues, the consequences could include non-conformities or a decrease in customer satisfaction.
2x Increase in Audit Completion Rates With EASE
SMR initially introduced the EASE platform at two locations: a plant near Detroit and another in the UK. The aim was to evaluate the impact EASE would have on their auditing processes, from audits completion to data collection, to issue resolution.
The results were immediate and convincing. Using EASE reduced the need for cumbersome spreadsheets and manual data entry. Instead, auditors used smartphones or tablets to perform audits, capture photos, and log findings in real time. Audits or checklists were standardized, making it easier to guide evaluations and compare data across shifts, lines, and sites.
At all SMR sites, audit completion rates in the last 12 months are now at almost 100%. In the last 12 months with EASE, more than 20,000 process, product, and LPA audits were completed, with an action resolution rate of >99%. This level of responsiveness was not possible under the previous system, according to Dehner.
Crucially, EASE enabled greater transparency and accountability. All five organizational layers, from engineers to managing directors, performed audits. The visibility and participation drove stronger ownership, as employees could see who was contributing, what was being found, and how quickly issues were addressed.
Sustaining Improvements & Customer Satisfaction
EASE also addressed one of SMR’s most pressing strategic concerns: audit follow-through and “holding the gain” on improvements. With the platform, audit findings could be tracked, escalated, and closed systematically. Dashboards showed progress and completion rates, and sites could benchmark themselves against each other, fueling a sense of shared accountability and healthy competition.
The results were clear. During IATF recertification at the UK plant, SMR passed with flying colors. Four separate customer audits were completed with zero concerns. One OEM, Jaguar Land Rover, awarded SMR the highest possible rating on its quality scorecard.
“When I asked my UK quality director, ‘how did you make it happen?’ he immediately said EASE,” says Dehner. “The EASE software helped us concentrate on systematically improving process issues, which before we were not able to focus on.”
– Steffen Dehner, Executive Vice President of Global Quality & Manufacturing Excellence, SMR Automotive
Internal scrap rate and the recurrence of customer issues are other indicators that SMR is tracking to gauge compliance and the stability of its processes.
This level of performance would have previously required more headcount, additional oversight, and longer timelines. Now, it was being achieved with existing staff, more efficiently — and with better morale.
A Hands-on Approach to Building Motivation & Engagement
While EASE provided a technical fix, the deeper value was cultural, says Dehner.
With a more accessible, engaging digital tool, participation in audits broadened significantly. Operators who had once viewed audits as an administrative burden began to see them as opportunities to improve their work environment and processes.
As more sites came online with EASE, the team rolled out additional features to reinforce consistency. Audit templates were accompanied by guidance documents to help auditors interpret questions the same way. Teams were trained to evaluate evidence clearly and consistently, reducing variability across the network.
“Once they went deeper — looking into how to ask a question, how to answer it — they were then able, of course, to increase the quality level of the audit finding and have a more effective resolution for it,” says Dehner.
– Steffen Dehner, Executive Vice President of Global Quality & Manufacturing Excellence, SMR Automotive
An Enterprise Model for Global Excellence
This philosophy of leading through influence rather than enforcement is paying off. Manufacturing teams are beginning to drive the adoption of EASE, not just quality leaders. In Dehner’s words, it marks a fundamental shift: “It used to be the quality department pushing audits. Now, all of manufacturing is leading the way.”
Today, SMR continues to expand its use of EASE with plans to incorporate more audit types across its sites. The platform’s success has shown that when technology is paired with process discipline and people-first change management, even the most complex quality systems can be transformed.