Growing the Power Business through Operational Excellence

This multiyear initiative was undertaken to improve the profitability and competitiveness of the Advanced Materials Power business in Asia by addressing operational bottlenecks, reducing avoidable cost, improving product quality, and better aligning teams around disciplined execution. Guided by the divisional 360 Strategy, the Panyu team strengthened planning, production, quality, and cost management in ways that supported measurable business improvement.

Financial & Capacity Impact

From 2023 to 2025, the initiative contributed to approximately $6M of EBITDA improvement through higher throughput, improved cost productivity, and better utilization of existing capacity. Production volume increased by approximately 25%, while cost optimization initiatives delivered structural savings of approximately $400K in 2024 and $800K in 2025. In addition, output from a key product line within the Power portfolio increased materially over a relatively short period, helping maximize use of the existing production line.

Manufacturing Excellence

With a focus on cross-functional alignment, the team redesigned Master Production Scheduling and implemented a “No Stop” model to reduce idle time between steps. Through Lean and Six Sigma initiatives, batch cycle time for a key product line improved by approximately 17%. These gains were supported through coordinated collaboration across process development, manufacturing, supply chain, commercial, and supporting functions, reinforcing consistent execution in line with shared business priorities.

Enhancing Customer Experience

Recognizing the importance of product quality to customer experience, the Panyu team focused on reducing foreign object debris (FOD) in the manufacturing process through statistical process control, real-time monitoring, and strengthened 5S discipline, a workplace organization and housekeeping method. These efforts improved product consistency and supported stronger safety performance and cost competitiveness. The project also connected quarterly financial reviews with active engagement of shopfloor associates to build greater transparency, ownership, and understanding of how daily operating decisions affect business performance. In doing so, the team strengthened its ability to respond to changing market conditions and support the long-term competitiveness of the business.