When Trafera, a prominent K‑12 ed‑tech services provider, saw its St. Paul repair facility overwhelmed, turnaround times ballooned from 2 weeks to as much as 8 weeks due to post‑pandemic device demand surges and integration of merged operations .
DLW Partners was engaged to lead a lean transformation, coaching Trafera’s management and frontline teams in lean thinking: pull systems, visual controls, 5S, value‑stream mapping, standardized work, and continuous gemba engagement .
Key outcomes delivered:
- Lead time reduced to targeted 2 weeks turnaround
- Device touches minimized by ~70% and re‑diagnosis steps cut by ~35%
- Accuracy increased to 99.75%; technicians empowered to check quality at point‑of‑work
- Ergonomic, standardized repair benches with optimized parts/tool layout
- Visual metrics and simple feedback loops in place to sustain improvements 
Trafera leadership highlighted that DLW didn’t solve problems for them—they taught Trafera how to solve their own problems, fostering autonomy and continuous improvement mindsets .
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Link to full article: Keeping Classroom Technologies Functioning: Application of Lean Principles Improves Computer‑Repair Operations
