GTF Ferramentaria recovers 1,366 hours of productive capacity per year with SoftExpert Suite

GTF Ferramentaria needed to reduce the time spent on manual controls as its mold production volume increased. By digitizing its workflows with SoftExpert Suite, the company reduced the time spent on operational activities by 20% and recovered 1,366 hours of work per year.

The challenge of producing 110 molds per year

Specializing in molds for plastic and aluminum injection molding, GTF primarily serves the automotive industry and produces an average of 110 molds per year.

Part of the team's daily routine still relied on manual controls to locate documents, track information, monitor deliveries, and gather audit evidence. As a result, professionals across different areas spent valuable time searching for information and following up on activities that could have been managed through a single workflow.

“We realized we needed better management because we were spending too much time chasing information that wasn't readily available,” explains Lara Teodoro, Quality Analyst at GTF.

Digitalization started with Quality

GTF began using SoftExpert Suite for document management and internal audits. From there, the solution was expanded to support nonconformity management, action plans, and other operational processes.

Instead of relying on spreadsheets, emails, and individual tracking methods, information began following a standardized structure within the system.

This change reduced manual activities and made it easier to access the information needed for day-to-day operations.

1,366 hours of work recovered per year

Two processes clearly demonstrate the impact of this transformation.

Mold management

Process optimization reduced the effort involved by 1,060 hours per year, representing a 20% reduction.

Delivery tracking

Process optimization reduced the effort involved by 306 hours, also representing a 20% reduction.

Information at the team's fingertips

The productivity gains were accompanied by greater process control. With documents, audits, nonconformities, and action plans structured within the system, the team can find information faster, track activities, and access the correct versions of documents.

The change also simplified audits. Evidence is now organized in a single environment, reducing the need to search for information across multiple sources.

In Engineering, the reduction in manual activities and rework also delivered measurable results:

• 35% reduction in rework

  Centralizing internal information, customer requirements, and standardized documentation in the system reduced the circulation of outdated or conflicting information, preventing rework and making processes more efficient.

• 70% reduction in manual and paper-based activities

  Automating processes through digital forms and documents reduced the need to manually create documents for internal presentations, customer approvals, and other operational activities.

• 25% increase in productivity

  With all information centralized and readily available in the system, the team gained greater speed and accuracy when carrying out activities and handling requests.

• 30% reduction in technical errors

  Integration with the ERP allows information to be centralized and made available more quickly, reducing errors and eliminating the need for manual data entry.

End-to-end process integration

With processes and information better structured, GTF is moving toward integrating the mold production workflow from end to end.

Around 80% of the new workflow has already been designed, connecting:

Sales → Engineering → Production Planning and Control → Quality → Tryout → Customer → Billing

The initiative aims to provide visibility into the status of each mold without relying on ERP queries, spreadsheets, emails, meetings, or different people to determine the status of an activity.

In practice, GTF is moving from a scenario where people had to search for information to one where they can simply track the process.

For the company, process digitalization means much more than replacing manual controls. It is a way to free up team capacity, reduce rework, and increase visibility across the processes involved in mold manufacturing.